BENTONVILLE, Ark. — This is no fish tale. In fact, it’s golden.
An Arkansas man reeled in a rare catch on May 23, landing a golden-hued largemouth bass, KNWA reported. According to Arkansas Game and Fish Commission biologist Jon Stein, the catch by Josh Rogers was an angler’s version of hitting the Powerball.
“Josh needs to buy a lottery ticket,” Stein told Arkansas Wildlife Magazine.”Because he caught one fish in a million.”
Rogers told the magazine he was fishing at Beaver Lake when he caught the 2-pound, 16-inch fish.
“I had two thoughts when I caught it,” Rogers said. “The midlake area on down is uncharacteristically muddy now, and I know that bass get light-colored when they are in the mud. But when I looked at the mouth and gills, I wondered if he was sick. My buddy I was fishing with said, ‘Surely it’s not something he’s eating that would turn him that color.’”
Rogers took some photos of the fish and tossed it back into the lake, KNWA reported. After posting photos on social media, the reaction caused him to regret his decision.
“I didn’t think anything about it for an hour and a half of fishing,” Rogers told Arkansas Wildlife Magazine. “Then I started sending pictures to friends and putting it on Instagram and Facebook, and from the reaction of everybody, I started thinking, ‘Maybe I shouldn’t have thrown it back.’
“I was surprised it caused such a reaction from people.”
Stein said the bass was a genetic rarity and has what is called Xanthochromism, the loss of darker pigment with the pigmentation replaced with yellow, KFSM reported. The condition occurs naturally, but rarely, the television station reported.
Rogers caught the fish on a swim jig, according to Arkansas Wildlife Magazine. He wound up catching 15 fish, but his first catch was the most memorable.
“I flipped him into the boat and said, ‘What in the world?’” Rogers told the magazine.
Rogers said he planned to have a replica of the fish made, constructed from the photographs he took, KNWA reported.
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