Newspaper Page Text
Page 2C
iReporter
May 24, 2023
MONROE OUTDOORS by Terry W. Johnson
Document those big catches from Monroe Co. waters
Notable catches in Georgia, like this black crappie, are
recognized each year by the Georgia Angler Award Program.
(Photo courtesy of Georgia Department of Natural Resources.)
T he Georgia Wild
life Resources’
Fisheries Man
agement Section
conducts an annual Geor
gia Angler Award Program.
The goal of the program
is to honor those Georgia
anglers that
have landed
exception
al fish in
Georgia.
Informa
tion on each
fish submit
ted provides
Fishery
biolo
gists with
valuable
information
relating to the
age, growth, genetics, and
habitats that harbor large
fish. The contest runs from
Jan. 1 through Dec. 31 each
calendar year.
Recently, the Fisheries
Management Section
published a summary of
those fish that qualified for
awards in 2022. The list
contains the names of some
324 anglers. It is difficult to
know in which counties,
some of these fish were
caught. However, based on
the information provided,
it is likely only two of these
super fish were hooked in
Monroe County waters.
I seriously doubt this is
because large fish are not
swimming about in Monroe
County waters.
Instead, I believe
it is simply
because Mon
roe Countians
either did not
know about the
program or did
not enter their
prize catches in
the program. If
you are among
those that did
not know about
the Georgia Angler
Award Program and want
to have your trophy catch in
the 2023 program, here is
how you go about it.
The program is open to all
licensed anglers that catch
their fish in Georgia waters.
Anglers must land their fish
using sporting tackle and
the information must be
submitted by the angler that
caught it. Fish taken using
trotlines, bush hooks, jugs,
baskets and the like are not
eligible.
Anglers can keep or
release their fish. However,
if a fish is submitted based
on its weight, it must be
weighed with a certified
scale. Applications for fish
that are submitted based on
their length must include a
quality broadside photo of
the entire fish and one of the
entire fish lying on its side
on a flat surface beside a
ruler or measuring tape.
The Georgia Angler
Award Program has two cat
egories. The adult category
is open to anglers 16 years
old and older. Only those
anglers that are 15 years old
and younger qualify for the
youth category.
Awards are given for 47
species of fish ranging from
largemouth bass to spotted,
flat and snail bullhead. To
qualify for an award, a fish
must meet the minimum
weight or length established
for that species.
Here is a partial list of
some of these fish and
the minimum weight
(W-pounds) and length
(L-inches) requirements that
must be met for it to qualify:
largemouth bass (W-lOlbs,
L-25), bluegill (W-1.5,
L-13), redear sunfish (W-
1.5, L-14), redbreast sunfish
(W-1, L-11), chain pickerel
(W-3.5, L-24), hybrid bass
(W-8, L-15), striped bass
(W-25, L-36), black crappie
(W-2, L-15), white crappie
(W-2, L-15), blue catfish
(W-20, L:-33), flathead
catfish (W-20, L-33), chan
nel catfish (W-12, L-32),
brown bullhead (W-2,
L-17), common carp (W-15,
L-31), bowftn (W-10, L-30),
longnose gar (W-10, L-43),
yellow perch (W-l, L-15),
white bass (W-2.5, L-17).
Those individuals that
qualify for the 2023 contest
will receive a certificate, a
personalized ball cap and a
As we all know, we
Monroe Countians are very
competitive. As such, I
expect that now that more
anglers are aware of the
program than ever before
when the list of anglers that
qualified for this years list of
exceptional fish is published,
a number of Monroe Coun
tians and their exceptional
fish will be listed.
For more information re
garding the Georgia Angler
Reward Program, pick up a
copy of the 2023 edition of
the Sport Fishing Regula
tions at your favorite license
dealer. Additional informa
tion, including an applica
tion, can be downloaded at
gofishgeorgia.com/fishing/
anglerawards.
Terry Johnson is a retired
Program Manager of the
Georgia Nongame-Endan
gered Wildlife Program. He
has written the informative
column Monroe Outdoors’
for the Reporter for many
years. His book, “A Journey
to Discovery,” is available at
The Reporter. Email him at
tjwoodduck@bellsouth. net.
TERRY W. JOHNSON
Catch the
biggest
catfish?
Red Stone of
Juliette Bait & Tackle
is back with an
other challenge for
the fishermen and
women in Monroe
County. Catch the
biggest catfish in the
month of May and
earn not only huge
bragging rights but
also a cash prize.
To win, the big cat
fish must be caught
with a pole from the
Ocmulgee River, and
the contest partici
pant must register at
Juliette Bait & Tackle,
12376 Highway 87,
Juliette for $25.
The prize for 1st
place is $100,2nd
place is $75 and 3rd
place is $50. Just in
case you need an
excuse to go fishing
on a beautiful spring
day, this is the time
for those who have
spotted that huge
catfish to find a day
to reel it in. The con
test goes throughout
the month of May.
For more informa
tion, call Red Stone
at 478-262-1015 or
stop by Juliette Bait
& Tackle, next to the
former Bowdoin’s
Store and check
out the bait, fishing
supplies and snacks
you’ll need for that
fishing trip.
Ex-MP star Eric Snow
named AAC Defensive
Player of the Year
Former Mary Persons baseball star Eric Snow has been
named the Defensive Player of the Year by the American
Athletic Conference. As a freshman, Snow led The American
with 1 39 assists and has posted a fielding percentage of .976
with only five errors in 2 1 1 chances. Snow has been part of
1 9 double plays this season. Snow becomes the first player to
earn the Defensive Player of the Year honor.
Julian Rivera All-American at GMC
Former Mary Persons soccer star Julian Rivera
was named the GCAA Player of the Year
and first team All-American in his sophomore
season at GMC. Rivera was captain for GMC
and led the team with 1 5 goals and 5 assists.
They won a second consecutive Atlantic district
title after defeated Patrick Henry in Martins
ville, Va. GMC returned to nationals and got
eliminated in the second round and finished
with a 11-1-5 record this year. Rivera became
just the 9th player in GMC history to make
All-American. Rivera s former Mary Persons
coach Allen luton is an assistant coach at
GMC. Having graduated from GMC, Rivera
said he s currently looking for somewhere to
play next year.
Tickets on sale for Hall of Fame
Tickets are now on sale
for the sixth annual For-
syth-Monroe County Sports
Hall of Fame induction ban
quet at 6:30 p.m. on Friday,
June 16 at the Monroe
County Conference Center.
Tickets are $40 in advance
and are available at United
Bank, the Monroe County
Reporter office, the Forsyth
Convention and Visitors
Bureau (CVB) office, Hay-
good, Lynch, Harris, Melton
& Watson, LLC law office,
and the Forsyth-Monroe
County Chamber of Com
merce office.
This year’s event will
feature the enshrinement
of eight new Hall of Fame
members. A dinner pre
pared by Forsyth’s own Her
Majesty’s Kitchen will be
included with your tick
et. Longtime 13WMAZ
anchor Frank Malloy will
again serve as the emcee for
the evening.
This year’s Hall of Fame
class includes: Smith
“Smitty” Driskell, a former
Mary Persons track star;
Percy Freeman, a former
Mary Persons and profes
sional football standout;
Delores Harmon, a former
Hubbard High basketball
star; Robbi Pippinger, a
former basketball standout
at Monroe Academy and
Mercer University; David
“Dee Dee” Sewell, a former
Mary Persons star quar
terback; Sonny Trammell,
a state-champion golfer
at Monroe Academy and
All-Conference perform
er at Georgia Southern
University; Toby Washinger,
a former Mary Persons All-
State football captain; and
Bryan Watts, a former Mary
Persons football standout
who went on to become
a top high school special
teams coach.
A historic team, the 2001-
02 Mary Persons compe
tition cheerleading team,
which was the first com
petitive cheerleading team
in program history, will
also be recognized at this
year’s banquet. In addition,
all former Hubbard High
School, Monroe Academy,
and Mary Persons High
School cheerleaders who
cheered prior to 2002 will
be recognized as a group
at this year’s banquet.
Also honored at this year’s
banquet will be longtime
Monroe County Recreation
Department volunteer
coaches Pop Mays and
Wayne Pippin, who are the
co-recipients of the Dan and
Mary Lynda Pitts Extra Mile
Award for their work in
the community to support
See HALL Page 3C
DOGS
Continued from 1C
Jaise Davis, Kobe Jones, RJ
Holder, DJ Walton and Nic
Arnold as standouts.
Penn State running backs
coach Ja’Juan Seider was on
hand to see senior run
ning back Duke Watson
play. But Nelson said he
warned Seider that Watson
wouldn’t get many carries
because they know what
he can do and don’t need
to risk injury. However,
Watson id take a short
pass and went 65 yards for
the touchdown. However,
he only had one carry on
the night.
Linebacker Jacobi Jones
appears ready to see more
action on offense and
caught a 12-yard touch
down pass. Jeremiah Epps
caught a 15-yard TD pass
as well and Gavin Martin
caught one as well. The
three quarterbacks com
bined for 16 of 28 pass
ing for 205 yards. After
Watson, Martin was the
next top receiver with 3
catches for 38 yards. Other
receivers were: Jaise Davis 2
catches for 15 yards, Caden
Lavinka 2 catches for 23
yards, Jacobi Jones 1 for 12
yards, DJ Walton 1 for 10
yards, Najee Reese 2 for 5
yards, Gavin Martin 3 for
38 yards, Wiley Smith 2 for
24 yards and Jerry Epps 1
for 15 yards and a TD.
MP rushed 39 times for
158 yards. With Watson
resting, the top rusher was
RJ Holder with 9 carries for
65 yards. Other top rushers
were Najeh Reese (13 car
ries for 44 yards), Christian
Stewart (3 carries for 23
yards), Marcus Gunter (2
carries for 21 yards), Cory
Jenkins (3 carries for 5
yards) and Lake Evans (2
carries for 27 yards).
The Bulldogs built a 28-0
lead before MP began to
use some younger kids and
only then did Therrell’s
starters score two late TDs.
The visiting Panthers were
6-4 last year, while MP was
6-5.
Nelson said he thinks MP
has a chance to improve
upon last year’s record. The
Bulldogs will attend some
7 v 7 camps this sum
mer including a passing
tournament at Central
Florida on June 7. Summer
workouts begin June 12.
MP opens the campaign
with a scrimmage hosting
Houston County on Aug.
11. Then MP will open the
regular season on Saturday,
Aug. 19 at Mercer against
Northeast-Macon. Due to
a quirk in the schedule, MP
will only have four home
games in the fall, five if you
include the game at Mercer,
which will give MP the
gate.
Nelson said the biggest
challenge maybe finding
locker space for all his
players. With nearly 60
freshmen attending spring
camp, MP could have up
to 140 players this season.
Mary Persons is planning
to build a new field house
but it won’t be ready for the
season.
DJ
Walton
makes
the
catch
for the
Dogs in
Friday s
scrim
mage
win
over
Therrell.
(Photo
Russ
Camp
bell)