Bryant Dean II caught this nice 6-pound trout in Forbes State Forest, Pennsylvania.Corbin Smith landed this Red snapper–a massive 19-pounder–off the coast of Port Aransas, Texas.David Field shows off his 15-pound redfish, caught in Blythwood, South Carolina.Steve Riddle landed this 28-inch walleye on Oklahoma’s Canton Lake.Jason Cotter caught a 49-inch (30-pound) muskie on Pewaukee Lake, in Wisconsin. His brother, Ryan, didn’t do so bad either–as you’ll see later in the gallery.Jeff Deane shows off his “dual walleyes”–both nearing 30-inches–in Sister Bay, Wisconsin.Jerry Korpi shows off a beautiful 16-pound Lake trout, which was caught through the ice in Priest Lake, Idaho.Joel Peters poses with his wife, Paige. Paige caughta 40.5-inch Northern pike in Quebec, Canada.Katie McKy deserves mention for her special achievement. This was her nineteenth Smallmouth bass of the summer that was at least 19-inches in length. A smallmouth that big is relatively uncommon in Ontario, Canada, according to Katie.Matthew Morgan poses with his gigantic Striped bass. The 50-pound beauty was bagged in the Susquehanna Flats of Maryland.Melvin Stewart proudly shows off his Largemouth bass. It weighed over 8-pounds and was caught on Lake Woodhaven, in Tennessee.Mike Baronyak holds up a classic sight for anglers–a Lake Erie Smallmouth. It broke the coveted 6-pound mark (by two ounces)Not to be outdone by his brother, Jason, Ryan Cotter holds up his 34-pound muskie. The brothers fished Wisconsin’s Pewaukee Lake last summer.Wes Powell shows off his 6-pound Golden (rainbow) trout, which was caught in May on a homemade spinner.
The 2009 Fish of the Year showcases the enthusiasm OL readers have for fishing–whether as a hobby or an obsession. Photographs were sent to use from all over North America–from freshwater and saltwater bodies of water–and included anglers of all ages.