Tag: Record

Angler lands record carp after marathon battle

A Nevada angler who has caught dozens of trophy-class carp during the past several months finally landed a record breaker.

A Nevada angler who has caught dozens of trophy-size carp over the past several months finally landed a record breaker.

But only after a marathon struggle and a commendable effort to ensure that the 35-pound, 3-ounce carp could be safely released after it was certified as the new state record.

Brenden Burnham, who was fishing Sunday afternoon at Virginia Lake in Reno, told For The Win Outdoors that he had failed to cast one of his baits where he wanted to, but left it in the water anyway.

Soon, his line began to twitch.

“I decided to pick the rod out of the rod holder and put a bit of tension on the line,” Burnham said. “As soon as I did the line just smoked off of the reel. There was absolutely no stopping the fish from going where it wanted to.

RELATED: Angler picks wrong day to land record-size paddlefish

“People started crowding around watching me battle this fish, as this is a park lake so gets pretty crowded.”

Burnham, 41, battled the carp for 45 minutes and had to wade far into the shallows to net his catch, which he believed rivaled the existing state record of 34 pounds, 10 ounces.

“I knew exactly what the previous state record was, so I knew what I needed the fish to be in order to beat it,” Burnham said.

While transferring the carp from a net to his carp cradle, used to keep fish immobile and submerged so they can eventually be released, he asked someone in the crowd to telephone the Nevada Department of Wildlife.

An agency biologist arrived to weigh and certify Burnham’s catch, then watched him set it free.

The NDOW announced the new record Monday via Facebook.

Said Burnham: “I had been trying for the state record and my good friends knew this.  Just three days before I had caught five carp out of this lake which has never happened – I don’t believe – for anyone.

“The weights were 14 pounds, 17 pounds, 27 pounds, 29 pounds and finally 30.5 pounds. I knew the potential for the state record was there and, well, the rest is history.”

The Nevada Department of Wildlife considers carp weighing 15 pounds or more to be trophy class. Burnham said he caught and released 46 trophy-size carp in 2019, and six so far this year.

On Sunday he was fishing with 20-pound-test line. When asked to reveal what he used as bait, he respectfully declined.

–Images are courtesy of Brenden Burnham

Michael Thomas excited to get back to work with Drew Brees

New Orleans Saints wide receiver Michael Thomas reflected on his 2019 season and his partnership with all-time great quarterback Drew Brees.

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It almost doesn’t seem to matter who’s throwing to Michael Thomas — he’s still going to catch the football. But while he’s had success when targeted by Teddy Bridgewater and Taysom Hill, Thomas does have a favorite quarterback to play with in Drew Brees.

Thomas made an appearance on SiriusXM NFL Radio, where he reflected on his insane 2019 season (which earned him Offensive Player of the Year recognition) and cast an eye towards his future. While Brees has reiterated that he intends to play for the Saints in 2020, he hasn’t yet signed a contract extension ahead of the March 18 deadline (when $5.4 million accelerates onto his 2020 salary cap hit).

But Thomas isn’t worried. He’s seen the success he and Brees have had together, and he anticipates more of the same, saying, “I was a man on a mission and I am still a man on a mission.”

Hopefully the Saints can build a better supporting cast around Thomas, who paced the league last year with an NFL-record 149 receptions. While it’s great that Thomas was able to thrive under such a heavy workload, it would be great if the Saints can identify a strong number-two option to take advantage of the attention Thomas draws from defenses. Thankfully, this appears to be a draft class set up perfectly for the Saints to address that need.

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Catch of prehistoric longnose gar sets record

A Maryland angler who was fishing for catfish on Monday ended up landing a state-record longnose gar.

A Maryland angler who was fishing for catfish on Monday ended up landing a state-record longnose gar.

“I didn’t even know what it was at first,” Samson Matthews, 22, said of his bizarre-looking catch on Marshyhope Creek in Dorchester County.

The fish weighed 18.3 pounds, narrowly beating a record set last year. It was announced as the new state Chesapeake Division record Wednesday by the Maryland Department of Natural Resources.

After the fish was weighed on a certified scale, Matthews released it back into the creek.

RELATED: Angler picks wrong day to land record-size paddlefish

The MDNR describes the longnose gar as “a prehistoric fish distinguished by its long nose and hard scales.”

The fish have been present in North America for about 100 million years. Their tough hides were used by settlers and Native Americans as shield covers.

They’re found in inshore waters and estuaries, and prey largely on small fish, crustaceans, and insects. According to the MDNR, the most common fishing method for longnose gar is with a bow or spear.

Matthews was creek fishing near the Nanticoke River, using chunks of gizzard shad as bait for blue catfish, when he felt a heavy tug.

“Honestly, it didn’t fight much at all until it broke the surface, and that’s when I realized what it was,” Matthews told For The Win Outdoors. “Once it broke the surface it started thrashing around and jumping until we got it in the net.”

Matthews added: “I knew it was big, but I had no clue it was big enough to be a record.”

For the sake of comparison, the International Game Fish Assn. lists as the all-tackle world record a 50-pound longnose gar caught on the Trinity River in Texas in 1954.

–Longnose gar images are via the Maryland Department of Natural Resources (top) and Wikimedia Commons

Angler picks wrong day to land record-size paddlefish

An Oklahoma angler’s recent catch of a giant paddlefish would have shattered the state record had it been caught on a different day.

An Oklahoma angler’s catch of a 157-pound paddlefish last Friday would have shattered the state record had it been caught on just about any other day.

Justin Hamlin landed the odd-looking behemoth while fishing on Keystone Lake with Capt. Jeremiah Mefford of Reel Good Time Guide Service.

The paddlefish tipped a boat scale at 157 pounds. But state regulations designed to protect the fishery require that all paddlefish caught on Fridays and Mondays must be released.

Justin Hamlin with 157-pound paddlefish. Photo: Reel Good Time Guide Service

Hamlin, therefore, was not able to have his catch officially weighed or certified by a state biologist, and the state record still stands at 132 pounds, 8 ounces, for a 2018 catch on the Arkansas River.

RELATED: Rare ‘super cow’ tuna caught off Cabo San Lucas

However, that does not diminish the experience for the captain or angler.

“I think my heart was close to beating out of my chest,” Mefford told For The Win Outdoors. “I’m an avid deer hunter and it was like seeing a dream buck come out right in front of you. The difference was this fish was landed and we did not have to talk about the one that got away.”

Justin Hamlin wrestles with catch before it’s released. Photo: Reel Good Time Guide Service

Mefford added: “Heartbroken not to have it official, but Justin had a great attitude about it, and appreciation for the laws.”

Paddlefish are plankton eaters so snagging is the most effective angling method. Oklahoma regulations allow anglers to keep one per day except on Mondays and Fridays, when all fish “must be released immediately.”

Anglers can only use barbless hooks, which allow for easy releases.

Keystone Lake-record paddlefish stands at 125.6 pounds. Photo: Reel Good Time Guide Service

Mefford said Hamlin snagged his 5-foot-long paddlefish with a large treble hook attached to 80-pound-test line. The fight lasted about 10 minutes.

The Keystone Lake record for paddlefish stands at 125.6 pounds, Mefford said.

American paddlefish, closely related to sturgeon, are native to the Mississippi River Basin and fossil records date back millions of years.

–Photos showing Justin Hamlin with his record-size paddlefish and the Keystone Lake record paddlefish (bottom image) are courtesy of Reel Good Time Guide Service

If Teddy Bridgewater leaves in free agency, who could replace him?

The New Orleans Saints will have options to replace Teddy Bridgewater in free agency with Marcus Mariota, Mike Glennon, and other veterans.

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What are the New Orleans Saints going to do at quarterback this year?

It’s an easy question to ask, and almost too simple to try and answer. They should re-sign Drew Brees for one more year, if he’s willing, because he gives the Saints their best shot at winning a Super Bowl title. They should also keep Teddy Bridgewater around as a top-paid backup, because he impressed while winning all five of his starts. And Taysom Hill should return on a cheap restricted free agent tender; he’s a fun weapon who can run and catch, but has shown some serious limitations as a passer. It’s fine if his future isn’t at quarterback.

But things rarely go according to plan in the NFL. Bridgewater should be a hot commodity in free agency — we’ve already highlighted several teams who could try to sign him away from New Orleans. While the Saints can’t afford to pay a starter’s salary to both Brees and Bridgewater (or other top free agents like Dak Prescott, Ryan Tannehill, or Jameis Winston), he’s definitely earned it, and it’s very possible the backup leaves town in pursuit of a starting gig.

So let’s say Bridgewater bows out for greater opportunities, while Brees and Hill remain. Which free agents could the Saints try to recruit in free agency to pad out the depth chart at quarterback? Here are four options that could make sense.

Marcus Mariota

He makes sense if… The Saints see him as a future starter. Mariota is on the outs, having flopped as a high first-round pick with the Tennessee Titans. But it’s not like he was surrounded by offensive masterminds. In fact, he’s had to work with a new coordinator every year he’s played in the NFL. The Saints could offer rare stability for the 26-year-old quarterback, who thrived with similar passing concepts in college. Mariota is kind of similar to Bridgewater, having protected the ball well while struggling to pull the trigger on deep-field throws. Maybe Saints coach Sean Payton can tap into the potential the Titans squandered.

Trevor Siemian

He makes sense if… Payton wants another reclamation project. An ugly ankle injury ended Siemian’s season before it could get off the ground, but he’s a mechanically-sound passer who’s won games in this league. Granted, he’s only gone 13-11 as a starter with the Denver Broncos, but that isn’t far from Bridgewater’s mark of 17-11 with the Minnesota Vikigns. Siemian has shown he can navigate a collapsing pocket and hit receivers in stride. He’d be worth a look as someone who could develop behind Brees and compete with Hill for the starting job in the future.

Chase Daniel

He makes sense if… The Saints aren’t worried about life after 2020. Let’s say that the Saints have a ton of faith in Hill’s projection in the long-term. If he’s their guy after Brees calls it a career, they won’t need a younger option to work with while pursuing a Super Bowl berth next season. Daniel knows the offense well, won’t break the bank, and can provide a steady presence for Brees to workshop new signature handshakes with during his swan song. At 33, he could easily stick around as a safety blanket should Hill struggle in the starting role later on down the road.

Mike Glennon

He makes sense if… Chase Daniel is ready to retire. Maybe Daniel wants to go out on top, with $34.3 million and a couple of Super Bowl rings to his credit. If so, Glennon makes sense as a veteran alternative. Payton has been a fan of Glennon going back to the 2014 NFL Draft, even if the N.C. State product’s career hasn’t gone as hoped. He was immediately replaced by the Chicago Bears when they made an ill-advised trade up for Mitchell Trubisky, and spent last season quietly on the bench behind Oakland Raiders passer Derek Carr. Maybe Payton still likes him enough to ask Glennon to hold a clipboard for a year while Brees chases another Super Bowl.

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Angler sets record with surprise catch off Maryland

Jeff Rosenkilde was fishing off Maryland recently when he hooked what he thought might be a tuna, until he saw that the fish was purple

Jeff Rosenkilde was fishing 75 miles off Maryland recently when he hooked what he thought might be a tuna, until he saw that the mysterious-looking fish was purple.

It turned out to be an enormous big-scale pomfret, a species typically found farther south, that earned Rosenkilde a state record.

The Maryland Department of Natural Resources this week approved the 22.1-pound catch, made on Dec. 28, as the state’s first-ever record for the species.

The catch could also qualify as a world record – the current record is 21.6 pounds – if International Game Fish Assn. rules were followed during the landing of the fish.

RELATED: Great white shark catch off Hilton Head described as ‘perfect’

Rosenkilde had not responded to an inquiry from For The Win Outdoors at the time of the post, but he told the Maryland Department of Natural Resources that the pomfret took a whole squid at a depth of 1,000 feet.

“At first I thought it was a big-eyed tuna, but it had a purple, iridescent color,” he said.

Rosenkilde, who is from Monkton and was fishing with four friends, wrote on Facebook, “No love from the tuna. But we did catch a huge pomfret and a nice [swordfish]. We currently are the pomfret kings of Ocean City.”

Big-scale pomfret reside throughout the Atlantic, mostly in pelagic waters, and prey largely on shrimp and squid. They’re mostly solitary, so recreational catches are somewhat rare.

The IGFA states on its website that the world-record pomfret was caught in 2004 off St. Augustine, Fla.

–Images courtesy of Jeff Rosenkilde and the Maryland Department of Natural Resources

Drew Lock tied John Elway for most wins by a rookie Broncos QB in 2019

Drew Lock and John Elway are the only rookie quarterbacks who have won four games in Broncos history.

Denver Broncos quarterback Drew Lock won four games as a starter in 2019, tying the team’s franchise record for the most wins by a rookie quarterback. Broncos general manager John Elway also won four games during his rookie season.

What’s most impressive about that stat is how short it took Lock to secure those wins. In 1983, Elway needed 10 games to reach four wins. In 2019, Lock won four of the five contests he played in.

Elway played in an era that was not as pass-friendly as the modern era so it’s not really fair to compare his numbers to Lock’s. But we’ll do it anyway.

Elway completed 47.5 percent of his passes for 1,663 yards with 7 touchdowns against 14 interceptions. Lock completed 64.1 percent of his passes for 1,020 yards with seven touchdowns against three interceptions, in half as many games as Elway played.

Again, it’s not really fair to compare ears, but there’s no question that Lock’s career is off to a good start. Lock has the potential to break a lot of Elway’s records if he stays healthy and spend his entire career in Denver.

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Drew Brees likes Saints’ playoffs odds, whether at home or on the road

New Orleans Saints QB Drew Brees isn’t afraid to take his show on the road, citing his team’s high win percentage away from the Superdome.

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The New Orleans Saints have done everything possible to secure a first-round bye week, though it’s still eluded them. Home-field advantage throughout the playoffs is out of their reach after the Green Bay Packers overcame a double-digit deficit to beat the Detroit Lions, but Saints quarterback Drew Brees wants it known that he isn’t afraid to go play on the road.

“I know a lot of people talk about the Superdome, and about us being a dome team, but the bottom line is that over the last 10 years we’ve won more games on the road than everybody but the New England Patriots,” Brees said during his postgame press conference.

That’s quite a stat to pull out of his hat, and Brees isn’t wrong: only the Patriots (57 wins ) outpace the Saints (52) in road wins since 2009, though the Pittsburgh Steelers and Green Bay Packers are close (having each won 51 games). As they’ve proven this season, the Saints can win anywhere in the NFL.

“I think that’s saying something about our teams,” Brees continued, “About how we’re coached. I think it says a lot. This year we were, what, 6-2 at home and 7-1 on the road?”

The Saints have been just as effective on the road as at home in the Superdome; there’s no greater evidence of that than the 38 and 42 points they dropped on the heads of their last two opponents, each of them in cold weather on the road.

Still, Brees hasn’t hung around the NFL this long by not taking things for granted. He knows what it takes to win in a hostile environment, and expects his team to prepare accordingly when the time comes: “Bottom line is each road game presents its challenges. It’s the crowd noise, it’s the conditions, it’s all those things you gauge depending on where you go. You plan for it, and this game is still about energy and execution. And I feel like that’s something we’ve done a great job with everywhere we’ve gone.”

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Saints beat Panthers 42-10, finish regular season with 13-3 record

The New Orleans Saints handled the Carolina Panthers with flair, but their spot in the NFC playoff picture is out of their hands.

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The New Orleans Saints demolished the Carolina Panthers on Sunday, closing out the regular season with a 13-3 record and their seventh consecutive win on the road. It’s just the fourth time in 52 years the Saints have won 13 games in a single season, joining the 2009, 2011, and 2018 seasons as the best regular season campaigns in Saints history.

New Orleans was unstoppable in every phase of the game, gaining 379 yards on offense while creating three turnovers on defense and limiting the Panthers to 29 yards gained on special teams. Jared Cook led the team with 60 receiving yards, catching both of his targets. Latavius Murray and Alvin Kamara combined for 100 rushing yards on 25 attempts. Drew Brees was an effective 19-of-30 for 253 passing yards and three touchdown throws, avoiding even a single sack.

The Saints handled their business in Charlotte, but the work is hardly finished. All eyes now look towards the playoffs, where the Saints must hope for the Seattle Seahawks to upset the San Francisco 49ers on Sunday night. The Detroit Lions nearly defeated the Green Bay Packers, which would have clinched a first-round bye for the Saints, but Detroit’s injury-ravaged roster couldn’t pull it off. While the Saints may not have home-field advantage through the playoffs, they do have one of the NFL’s best records on the road over the last three years. This team can beat anyone, anywhere.

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Panthers’ Christian McCaffrey chasing history in Week 17 vs. Saints

Carolina Panthers running back Christian McCaffrey is looking for his first 1000/1000-yard season in Week 17 against the New Orleans Saints.

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The Carolina Panthers don’t have much to play for in Week 17, but they aren’t going to pull any punches against the New Orleans Saints. Panthers offensive coordinator Scott Turner told ESPN’s David Newton that he plans to funnel as many touches as possible to running back Christian McCaffrey, who is close to making NFL history as just the third player to record 1,000 rushing yards and 1,000 receiving yards in a single season.

McCaffrey needs 67 yards through the air to join that company, having already racked up 1,361 rushing yards this year. He collected 69 receiving yards against the Saints in their meeting earlier this season, including a touchdown grab, which is slightly higher than his season average (62.2). He’s averaged 58.4 receiving yards per game against the Saints in five previous games.

If McCaffrey does go the distance, he’ll take his place next to two NFL legends: San Francisco 49ers great Roger Craig (1,050 rushing yards and 1,016 receiving yards in 1985) and then-St. Louis Rams star Marshall Faulk (1,381 rushing yards and 1,048 receiving yards in 1999). It’s a testament to McCaffrey’s athleticism, durability, and versatile set of skills that he’s put the team on his back this season and put up this level of production.

Hopefully, the Saints defense will be prepared to deny him that spot next to Craig and Faulk. They could be short-handed after losing defensive linemen Marcus Davenport and Sheldon Rankins to injured reserve a few weeks ago, and with defensive backs Marcus Williams and Eli Apple exiting last week’s game with the Tennessee Titans. Just because they’re almost to the playoffs doesn’t mean they can overlook this opponent.

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