State recognizes two Gainesville fishermen

SOCIAL CIRCLE - Two Gainesville fishermen are winners of the 2004 Angler Award from the state Department of Natural Resources Wildlife Resources Division (WRD).

Warren Neal Dillard was recognized for a 12 pound, 6 ounce largemouth bass he caught last March at a Fort Stewart pond. It measured 24 3/4 inches.

Robert H. Williams, Junior, also of Gainesville, received his award for a ten pound, one ounce largemouth bass - measuring 24-and-a-half inches - which he pulled from Lake Lanier last November.

The Angler Award program recognizes those who catch fish that meet or exceed a specific weight for that particular species. WRD presents angler award recipients with a certificate signed by WRD Director Dan
Forster and an embroidered baseball cap that reads, "Georgia Angler Award 2004" and is customized to include the species and weight of the fish caught by each winner.

Qualifications for angler awards include:

·Catching the fish by legal hook and line sport fish methods in Georgia,

·Weighing the fish on a certified scale in front of two witnesses,

·Meeting or exceeding the minimum weight requirements,

·Taking the fish to a WRD fisheries biologist for positive species identification, and

·Completing and submitting an angler award application.

For more information on the Angler Awards program, including minimum weight requirements, visit the WRD website at www.gofishgeorgia.com (see link below) or contact the WRD Fisheries Management Office at (770) 918-6418.