For a fisherman, paradise is not so much a place on a map as a point in time when a fish rises to the bait and is caught on a hook.
The sussle that follows creates good space for any angler to occupy, even if the fish see differently. Any angler who is dedicated to fighting fish will not lose as long as the time spent provides a break from a civilized world with its aggravations, demands, frustrations and dissatisfaction.
A close second is whether a fish, once landed, is taken home to eat or released to fight another day. Almost always at play, however, is an enduring and surprising obsession with size.
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Many anglers wouldn’t think of heading out on the water without a gauge and/or scale. In some bodies of water and in some species, checking the length of fish is a legal requirement.
A tape measure is, at the very least, good to have on hand in case something unusual comes up. And that possibility helps explain why fishing can be such a tempting and addictive plunge into the unknown.
If what winds up in the net is something big, the angler is forced to figure out how big.
Landing fish of exceptional size has long provided the basis for friendly competition among friends, for money-driven tournament angling and for rewards from the Ohio Division of Wildlife’s Fish Ohio program.
Beginning in 1976, more than 410,000 Fish Ohio pins have been issued to anglers who submitted catches matching or exceeding established length standards for individual species.
In 2023, there were 10,166 Fish Ohio pins issued for catches of 26 species. Pins awarded in 2022 totaled 9,723.
Some fishermen try to earn at least one every year. Some have pins displayed on jackets or caps representing the catches they prefer to talk about when asked. Some don’t need asking.
Ohio minnows, unlike recognized species, vary greatly in length. A muskellunge needs to be 40 inches to catch a pin, a blue catfish or a flathead 35 inches.
A rock bass or a sunfish minimum is 9 inches, a runt in some species but giants in their kind.
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An indication of how different growth rates are in Lake Erie is that some species have different length standards depending on where they are caught.
For example, a 20-inch freshwater drum (sheepshead) qualifies for a pin if taken from an inland lake or reservoir, the Ohio River, a private pond, or an inland river or creek. A head of sheep taken from Lake Erie must be 24 inches to qualify.
The standard for smallmouth bass is 18 inches caught inland, 19 inches for Lake Erie. Walleye qualify at 25 inches inland, 28 inches in Lake Erie. Yellow perch should be 12 inches inland, 13 in Lake Erie. White bass qualify at 14 inches inland, 15 inches in Lake Erie.
For most species, however, the eligibility criteria are the same whether obtained from Lake Erie or any inland water. Those species include catfish, largemouth bass, crappie and carp, to name a few.
A detailed report on Fish Ohio pins, including qualifying lengths, species and how to apply can be found on the website wildohio.gov.
