Nevada Angler Catches State Record Wiper At Lahontan Reservoir   By: Dan Bacher September 20, 2007 More Articles by Dan

Dan Hannum, a Shasta Tackle pro staffer, caught a 25.38 pound wiper – a species of fish that is not found in any lake in California - on a trip earlier this summer at Lahontan Reservoir in northern Nevada.

This fish is a pending Nevada state record and a potential 12 lb. test line class world record for this robust and hard-fighting species. The wiper is a hybrid bass produced by crossing a female white bass with a male striped bass. In other parts of the country, the wiper is known as the sunshine bass, palmetto bass or whiterock bass; the International Gamefish Association uses the term whiterock bass.

Once a well-known kokanee and mackinaw guide at Lake Tahoe, Hannum now fishes for fun on days off from the carpet cleaning business that he owns.

“This is my fourth state wiper record,” noted Hannnum. “ My previous record of 18 pounds, 8 ounces was set in 2004. Another angler caught a 22 pounder two days before I caught my latest fish – taking the record temporarily for two days.”

Hannum was casting a Rapala Fat Rap along the shoreline in the lake’s Narrows on July 18 in 12 feet of water when the wiper hit. At first he didn’t think it was a fish.

“The rod just stopped,” said Hannum. “I set on it and I told my wife that I was hung up. Then the rod moved and then I said that I had a big fish hooked.”

He added, “Normally the big wipers will take out 100 to 150 feet runs, but this fish went deep and I followed it by using my trolling motor into 70 feet of water. I would get the fish halfway up and then it would go back down to the bottom and I would follow it with the boat. It was like battling a big ocean fish like a lingcod.”

After he fought the fish for 22 minutes, his wife, Aleta, netted the bass at a spot about 300 yards from where he hooked it.

“The fish weighed almost 28 pounds on my boat sale,” he said. “However, it probably lost 1-1/2 to 2 pounds by the time I weighed it in at the certified scale at Village Market in Silver Springs. There it weighed 25.38 pounds.”

The fish measured 36-1/2 inches in length and 27 inches in girth. Hannum gave the fish to Larry Newby, former owner of NewBass, to be mounted.

Hannum’s wife, in addition to netting this fish, netted his three previous record class fish, so she deserves a lot of credit in the successful capture of the big wipers. “My wife doesn’t fish, but has netted all four of my biggest wipers,” he noted.

Hannum caught the fish while using 6-1/2 foot Lamiglas fishing rod teamed up with a Shimano 4000 Spirex Reel filled with 12 lb. test Stren Magna Thin Line. The current all tackle record for whiterock bass is 27lbs. 5oz, taken by Jerald C. Shaum in Greers Ferry Lake, Arizona, on April 24, 1997

More recently, Hannum starred in an Angler West television show on Lahontan Reservoir. While Hannum and Gary Miralles, owner of Shasta Tackle, caught and released incredible numbers of small wipers on light gear, Justin Wolff, the show’s producer filmed the action.

“The fishing was unbelievable,” said Miralles. “I got hit on 20 consecutive casts and landed 18 wipers. I personally caught and released over 100 fish on our trip while fishing one morning and one evening. The fish averaged 12 inches and went up to 18 inches. “

The hot bait was Shasta Tackle’s 2 inch long Matrix Flee Bitty. Miralles landed his first ever walleye, a 26 incher, while casting and retrieving his lures. In addition, he landed a smaller walleye. Wolff also was able to take a break from his camera duties to land 50 wipers.

Besides white bass and walleye, Lahontan also sports white bass, yellow perch, smallmouth bass, largemouth bass, spotted bass, crappie, bluegill, channel catfish, bullheads and white cats.

Lahontan State Recreation Area is located on the Carson River, 18 miles west of Fallon and 45 miles northeast of Nevada's Capital, Carson City, via U.S. Highway 50. The Reno-Sparks metropolitan area is slightly over one hour away by auto. The reservoir is almost 17 miles long with 69 miles of shoreline. When full, it contains 10,000 surface acres of water.

Note: Due to a rapid decrease in reservoir levels at Lahontan Reservoir, the Silver Springs and North Shore Marina docks have been removed from the water.

For more information, contact: Lahontan State Recreation Area, 16799 Lahontan Dam, Fallon, NV 89406 - (775) 577-2235; Silver Springs Ranger Station, (775) 867-3500; Dam Ranger Station, region3@cccomm.net

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