A Mount For Every Taste: The Extremes of Squirrel Taxidermy

Dave_Maccar — Thu, 01 Dec 2011 14:06:33 -0500

Record Marlin Causes Chaos in Cabo

Online Editors — Tue, 08 Nov 2011 13:56:54 -0500

Photos: New Rhode Island Record Swordfish

Dave_Maccar — Tue, 13 Sep 2011 13:46:33 -0400

Photos: Family Rescues Bass Choking on Fish

Dave_Maccar — Thu, 08 Sep 2011 16:20:44 -0400

Minnesota Gov. Shutdown Kills Chance of Potential Record Muskie

Dave_Maccar — Fri, 12 Aug 2011 10:09:02 -0400

Debunked: Record 24lb Largemouth Photo a Hoax, Tribute to Late Ryan Dunn

Online Editors — Wed, 22 Jun 2011 14:57:04 -0400

by David Rose

Rarely do I judge a fish by a picture. I’ve seen some of truly enormous proportions look average sized after the shutter snaps, as well a few modest fish looking massive. So, I just had to delve.

In short, what I found out after nine hours of e-mails, private messaging on Facebook and phone calls was that it was all a prank pulled by Joshua Hand, a young man from Argo, Alabama. And by the way, that’s not even Hand in the photo. It’s actually a photo of fishing guide James Caldemeyer and a big bass about 10 pounds lighter than 24, out of Lake Fork, Texas that Hand pulled from the Internet. Hand went as far as to post it as his profile photo on Facebook.

What got the hoax moving was a short airing on the WBRC Fox 6’s Monday evening news out of Birmingham, Alabama. “During slow news days we ask our viewers to send us photos of their fishing and hunting trophies, and right away the photo and claim from Hand was e-mailed to us,” said Fox 6 employee Brian Pope. Pope admits he and other staff members that first saw the photo are not avid anglers; they knew it was a big fish, but then again so are others like big catfish and gar that often are e-mailed to them. They didn’t realize a 24-pound largemouth would be a world record. And so it was aired.

Since Wednesday morning, after Hand accepted my friend request on Facebook, I discovered the motivation behind his midleading photo via a posting on his wall: “That prank was for you Ryan Dunn.....R.I.P.” (In case you didn’t hear, Dunn, one of the stars of the MTV show “Jackass” and the Jackass movies, died in a fiery car crash early Monday morning.)

They say imitation is the best form of flattery, but I'm not sure this prank is Jackass-worthy.

In Memory of Kermit Wick

Dave_Maccar — Fri, 04 Mar 2011 10:11:26 -0500

Monster Northern Pike From Idaho's Lower Twin Lake Should Be New State Record

Online Editors — Mon, 23 Aug 2010 14:40:51 -0400

New All-Tackle World Record Burbot Caught in Lake Diefenbaker, Saskatchewan

Online Editors — Tue, 13 Apr 2010 09:33:32 -0400

New State-Record Perch Comes Through the Ice in Iowa

Joe_Cermele — Tue, 23 Mar 2010 15:43:44 -0400