Skillful Angler Awards Program
2007 Skillful Angler Awards Winners
Program History:
 2007 marked the 25th anniversary of the New Jersey Division of Fish and Wildlife's Skillful Angler Program. For more than two decades, the Division has been recognizing anglers who catch fish of "not quite record" size, but large enough to have tested the angler's skill and be worthy of recognition.
The Skillful Angler Awards Program, originally designed to supplement the New Jersey State Record Fish Program, was expanded in January of 2004. The program now includes two additional categories and a photo requirement. There is a catch and release category based on length and a junior category for anglers under 16 years of age. A few new species were added to the list as well: bullhead, yellow perch, sunfish and striped bass caught in freshwater.
In 1983, the program began with 31 applicants. In 2007, 169 applications representing 25 different species were officially processed. Since the program's modest beginning, the Division has granted skillful angler status to 2,583 anglers.
"Click" to see lists of the 1996, 1997, 1998, 1999, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006 or 2007 Skillful Angler Awards winners who caught the largest fish in each of the species categories.
Minimum Size Requirements for Skillful Angler Award:
|
Saltwater Species
| Species |
Adult
Weight (lbs.) |
Junior
Weight (lbs./ozs.) |
Catch and Release (inches) |
| Black Sea Bass |
4 |
3 |
20" |
| Striped Bass |
40 |
36 |
42" |
| Black Drum |
70 |
63 |
46" |
| Bluefish |
18 |
16 |
33" |
| Cod |
30 |
27 |
42" |
| Dolphin |
30 |
27 |
n/a |
| Winter Flounder |
2 |
1 lb. 8 oz |
16" |
| Fluke |
8 |
7 |
27" |
| Kingfish |
1 |
8 oz |
13" |
| Mako Shark |
250 |
225 |
n/a |
| Blue Marlin |
400 |
360 |
n/a |
| White Marlin |
60 |
54 |
n/a |
| Pollock |
25 |
22 lbs. 8 oz |
41" |
| Tautog |
8 |
7 |
22" |
| Albacore Tuna |
50 |
45 |
n/a |
| Big Eye Tuna |
200 |
180 |
n/a |
| Bluefin Tuna |
500 |
450 |
n/a |
| Yellowfin Tuna |
120 |
108 |
n/a |
| Tuna (other) |
250 |
225 |
n/a |
| Weakfish |
10 |
9 |
30" |
|
|
Freshwater Species
| Species |
Adult
Weight (lbs.) |
Junior
Weight (lbs./ozs.) |
Catch and
Release (inches) |
| Largemouth bass |
6 |
4 |
21" |
| Smallmouth bass |
4 |
3 |
19" |
| Striped bass hybrid |
8 |
6 |
24" |
| Striped bass |
30 |
25 |
40" |
| Bullhead |
2 |
1 lb. 8 oz |
14" |
| Carp |
25 |
20 |
35" |
| Channel catfish |
10 |
8 |
29" |
| Crappie |
2 |
1 lb. 8 oz |
14" |
| Muskellunge |
20 |
15 |
40" |
| Yellow perch |
1 lb. 8 oz |
1 |
13" |
| Chain pickerel |
4 |
3 |
24" |
| Northern pike |
10 |
8 |
34" |
| American shad |
7 |
5 |
24" |
| Brook Trout |
3 |
2 |
19" |
| Brown Trout |
8 |
5 |
25" |
| Lake Trout |
12 |
8 |
31" |
| Rainbow Trout |
5 |
3 lbs. 8 oz |
23" |
| Sunfish |
1 |
12 oz |
9" |
| Walleye |
6 |
4 lbs. 8 oz |
24" |
|
|
To receive a brochure about the program send a self-addressed, stamped envelope
to:
Skillful Angler Awards Program
NJ Div. of Fish and Wildlife
605 Pequest Rd.
Oxford, NJ 07863
or download it from this Web site.
Skillful Angler Award Brochure - 14" x 8.5" (pdf, 58kb)
Skillful Angler Award Brochure - 11" x 8.5" (pdf, 72kb)
|
2007 marked the 25th anniversary of the New Jersey Division of Fish and Wildlife's Skillful Angler Program. For more than two decades, the Division has been recognizing anglers who catch fish of "not quite record" size, but large enough to have tested the angler's skill and be worthy of recognition.
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