Master Angler Highlights 2013

We're halfway through the 2014 fishing season, so it's high time to review this past season's Master Angler Award winners. These fortunate anglers have recorded some of the biggest freshwater fish caught coast to coast, from Mexico through Canada (click here to view the entire list of 2013 Master Anglers).

Veteran Master Anglers recognize that this report represents a great resource for finding waters that produce giant fish, as well as prime times to visit. Among pike catches, for example, two of the four 50-inchers came from Alaska. But for fish in the mid- to upper-40-inch range, the Taltson River and Lac Seul have been outstanding, particularly in late summer.

Bob Daly of Indiana once again traveled to Alaska's Cinder River to catch the two biggest coho salmon, targeting the early September period. And for the second year in a row, Minnesota's Leech Lake produced the program's biggest muskie, 56 inches long. You can find timing and locational tidbits for every species with sufficient entries from public waters (Click here to view the entire list of 2013 Master Anglers).

It was another great year for catfish, too, highlighted by Ty Konkle's 54.75-inch flathead from the Tennessee River, along with three other 50-inchers. For big channel cats, results from the Red River of the North show it's tops.

Last season we added a category for spotted bass. So far, no one has submitted for a trophy spot. Folks, they're out there. A new world record fish was taken in California and we just received a photo of a 5-fish limit of spots that weighed over 40 pounds!

Catch a lunker, check size requirements for that species and the rules of the program, then fill out an application found in In-Fisherman or at in-fisherman.com.

Check out these noteworthy Master Angler fish photos: