{"id":6433,"date":"2016-06-22T21:00:53","date_gmt":"2016-06-23T04:00:53","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/stapletonion.com\/?p=6433"},"modified":"2016-06-22T21:00:53","modified_gmt":"2016-06-23T04:00:53","slug":"record-breaking-fish-snagged-in-westerly-creek","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/stapletonion.com\/?p=6433","title":{"rendered":"Record Breaking Fish Snagged in Westerly Creek"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>\t\t\t\t<![CDATA[<a href=\"https:\/\/stapletonion.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/06\/record-largemouth-bass.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/stapletonion.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/06\/record-largemouth-bass-300x225.jpg\" alt=\"record largemouth bass\" width=\"300\" height=\"225\" class=\"alignleft size-medium wp-image-6441\" \/><\/a>This year\u2019s Westerly Creek Fishing Derby caught national headlines when part-time resident Eric Springer landed what\u2019s now being called \u201cThe Freak from the Creek\u201d.  Springer\u2019s 15oz largemouth bass is a new state record for Boat Assisted Urban Creek Synthetic Jig Fishing, a category specific to this type of event. The previous record was a 12oz largemouth bass pulled from the Pueblo River Walk in 1992.  \u201cI\u2019m just as surprised as you are,\u201d Springer said of the \u201cFreak\u201d. \u201cIt was so late in the day when I hooked her that I had all but given up on catching anything.\u201d\n<!--more-->\nSpringer, a third-time competitor, had good reason to be worried. He and fellow angler Jim Knudtson got off to a slow start when their powerboat high-centered in sand just after it launched. Knudtson expressed frustration over Westerly Creek\u2019s poorly marked waterways. \u201cIn an event of this size we would have expected Park Services to have flagged sandbars and other hazards.\u201d Knudtson also complained that boat traffic was extremely congested this year, suggesting that organizers consider a staggered start to next year\u2019s event.\nWhile Springer takes home a $1000 cash prize, the biggest winner of the event might be new Derby Sponsor Hot Topic. \u201cWe\u2019re just thrilled with all the brand awareness that comes with being part of a record setting event like this,\u201d said Northfield store manager Sarah Zimmerman. \u201cIt\u2019s a meaningful opportunity for our store to connect with the sport fishing community.\u201d Last year\u2019s sponsor <a href=\"https:\/\/stapletonion.com\/posts\/northfield-bass-pro-shops-showcases-diverse-group-of-white-customers\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Bass Pro Shops<\/a> unexpectedly cut ties with the Derby, stating, \u201cIn the 12-year history of this event no one has ever caught anything.\u201d\nWhen asked what he\u2019ll do with the winnings, Springer answered that he would be making improvements to his hunting lodge located in rural <a href=\"https:\/\/stapletonion.com\/posts\/willow-park-east-wicker-park-newest-and-most-poorly-named-neighborhoods\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Wicker Park<\/a>.\n]]>\t\t<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>\t\t\t\t<![CDATA[]]>\t\t<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_coblocks_attr":"","_coblocks_dimensions":"","_coblocks_responsive_height":"","_coblocks_accordion_ie_support":"","_genesis_hide_title":false,"_genesis_hide_breadcrumbs":false,"_genesis_hide_singular_image":false,"_genesis_hide_footer_widgets":false,"_genesis_custom_body_class":"","_genesis_custom_post_class":"","_genesis_layout":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[40],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-6433","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","6":"category-issue-130","7":"entry"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/stapletonion.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6433","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/stapletonion.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/stapletonion.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/stapletonion.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/stapletonion.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=6433"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/stapletonion.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6433\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/stapletonion.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=6433"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/stapletonion.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=6433"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/stapletonion.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=6433"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}