Master anglers?

[rocknfish9001]

Do we have anybody here that has qualified for the master angler award? I qualified with a carp that was 36 inches, but didnt get any pictures. And just last night with a 32 inch steelhead, that i took home and cut up without a weight. Other than that, i have a way to go for any other fish. So technically im "qualified" but not a master angler  yet.

[bassin_man]

I have a bluegill back from when I use to fish for anything that would bite.  Also have one bass of many that I have registered.

[cart7t]

I've caught master angler sized fish for Missouri in both the LM Bass category (several times) and the White bass category.  One of these days I oughta do what's necessary to get one of those certificates.

[Mattlures]

I have never heard of this. i have big fish in just about all the common species out here. I wonder what would be considered master for cali

[basser89]

I've qualifed two fish this year for citations (one largemouth and one musky). As far as the master angler award goes, I think you have to have at least 4 different species qualify for a citation to achieve this in MD.

[SPEEDBEAD.]

Any sites out there that show what each state requires?

[senile1]

I googled Missouri Master Angler Awards and found this PDF file that gives the minimum requirements for my state.  I had read about these before, but it's not a big deal to me.  From glancing at this, I know I've caught a few largemouths and bluegill that would qualify.  

http://www.mdc.mo.gov/documents/fish/records/fishawrd.pdf

[Siebert Outdoors]

I googled Missouri Master Angler Awards and found this PDF file that gives the minimum requirements for my state. I had read about these before, but it's not a big deal to me. From glancing at this, I know I've caught a few largemouths and bluegill that would qualify.

http://www.mdc.mo.gov/documents/fish/records/fishawrd.pdf

If I would have know I could have several registrations.  

Wonder if they send you something.  Maybe I will start doing this.

[RoLo]

In years gone by, there were a throng of sponsors for Master Angler Awards,

among them were Field & Stream, Molson, In-Fisherman, Fishing Facts and many more.

When I was first married, my wife used to sew my Master Angler Patches onto my PFD (whoop-eee),

In freshwater I had citation emblems for Largemouth, Smallmouth, White Bass, Black Crappie, Northern Pike & Walleye.

In all honesty, I felt like a freak show and was actually ashamed to wear that PFD, which I only wore in a gale.

Finally I got the opportunity I was waiting for, after it overwintered in bow storage, that PFD got black mold

and I gave it the ole heave ho. In retrospect, many of those early patches were probably collectibles :'(

Roger

[p-funk]

In VA, we have 2 different sets of recognition by the Dept. of Game.  You can send it to get certificate for each trophy size freshwater fish you catch.  A bass trophy is 22" long or 8lbs in weight.  After receiving 10 citations you are considered an expert angler and they send you a different certificate and a patch.  If you catch 5 citations of 5 different species you are a "master angler".   Again they send you a patch and different certificate.  You can be a master angler on 3 or 4 different levels I believe.

[Bass XL]

how do you know if you qualify?

[cart7t]

I just looked over the list and it looks like I would've qualified for a few more, White Crappie, Smallmouth, bluegill and I was really close on the drum.

[basser89]

For the MD guys, here's the link to MD's requirements. http://www.dnr.state.md.us/fisheries/recreational/tournament/mdsportfish.html

Looks like they canned the master angler program but they still do the citations. The link includes the size requirements. Hope this helps!

[basser89]

Took me a little bit to navigate PA's site but here's PA's link for citation regulations SPEEDBEAD.

http://sites.state.pa.us/PA_Exec/Fish_Boat/awardapp.pdf

[Valascus]

I think I have caught bluegill, white crappie, a freshwater drum that may have been borderline, and a redear sunfish, I think, that could have qualified for the master angler. I have never come up with a bass that could come even close to it. :'(

The bluegill was caught out of my grandparents farm pond when I was little and fishing with a worm and bobber. The crappie came on a summertime fishing trip on a trip down to the LOZ five or six years back on a jig head and white grub vertically jigged into crappie beds. The drum came over this summer on the Mississippi River close to where the Cuivre runs into the Mississippi on a Rapala DT-6 crank. The redear sunfish, at least that's what I think it was...I have a hard time identifying all the different panfish...all I see when I pull 'em up is bait...anyway, it was caught the same way as the bluegill fishing a creek off the Meramac. Yay...I am a bonafide panfisherman... . Oh well...at least the drum put up a decent fight just because of his shear size.

[tenaciousd]

I have the In-Fisherman Master Anglers for walleye and muskie, but like someone else said feel too strange to wear them.  Since I couldn't wear them out, I haven't sent in for them since and have scored fish that qualify for it for black crappie, bluegill, more walleyes and muskie.  I did notice that some of the state master angler programs are easier than some of the other programs.  But it's cool and lets you set some goals to go for.  

I think the coolest thing with master anglers is the kids categories.  Here in Minnesota it's easy to get a kid a master angler and if you get them enough their name goes on the wall at the fishing hall of fame.  I wish I had known that when my oldest was younger.  He's a fishing addict and I am sure we would have gotten him into more than enough big fish.  If you look the bass only have to break 16 inches for kids, but is 21 inches for adult.  Oh well, you live and learn.  But he loves fishing, so he has the bug.  Now that's a bug worth sharing..

[rocknfish9001]

just wondering, what do the patches look like? I am a far cry from getting a largemouth, seeing it has to be 6 1/2 lbs. (kept) or 23 inches (released) My best is just under 6 lbs. and 21 inches long. I looked and saw that i qualified for bluegill as well.