Awesome Wiper caught by Dayton fisherman at Lahontan Reservoir

For those of you who believe that you are a fair-to-middling fisherman or fisher woman, or if you believe that you are rated anywhere from a good to an expert angler (in your humble opinion!), you might want to think twice about those kind of thoughts.

This includes my fishing partners like Rich Bachle, Norm Budden, Don Hettrick, Jim Quilici and Bob "Slick" McCulloch, et al.

Then, you just might want to pour yourself a cup of coffee, sit down in your favorite easy chair, prop your feet up and then be ready to read today's Outdoors column about a real fisherman.

If you're ready, here's that story:

That fisherman is Dan Hannum and he lives right here in Dayton, where his business is Pro Clean Carpet and Upholstery.

Dan has a passion for fishing for Wiper Bass at nearby Lahontan Reservoir, and he told me that he will often fish for them at Lahontan about 3-4 times a week.

If your unfamiliar with a Wiper, it is a cross breed between a White Bass and Striped Bass, thus getting its name of Wiper.

Dan is deadly serious about Wiper fishing, and his credentials prove that point, beyond a shadow of a doubt: He has held four different Nevada state records for Wipers since 2002. Four state records!

When he does go fishing, he does not fool around, and here is the ultimate proof:

On Sunday evening, July 15, at about 7:15 p.m., Dan was fishing with his wife, Aleta, and was casting a lure from his boat in the area of Lahontan Reservoir known as "The Narrows."

He was casting a hand-painted Rapala lure and using a 6.5 foot Lamiglas spinning rod together with a Shimano 4000 Spirex spinning reel, which was loaded with 12-pound test line.

If you're beginning to get a little curious as to why all of the details, here's why:

Dan caught a Wiper.

But, not just any Wiper.

He caught a dandy!

His Wiper Bass weighed 25.38 pounds on the certified scales at the Village Market in Silver Springs, and that weight was subsequently verified by Pat Solberger of the Nevada Department of Wildlife.

The big fish measured 36.5 inches in total length and had a girth of 27 inches.

That monster Wiper is now the PENDING WORLD RECORD for the 12-pound line class at International Game Fish Association (IGFA).

How about that: A world record caught by a local fisherman at Lahontan Reservoir!

That is awesome!

Note: The current world record for a Wiper in any and all IGFA line classes is a 27.5 pounder, and there have only been two other Wipers listed over 25 pounds in other line classes, before Dan's catch.

So, if my math is correct, that makes his fish the fourth largest Wiper every caught anywhere in the world on any type of line class.

That's a pretty darn impressive achievement!

Dan has already been contacted by several different national publications, who are interested in doing a story on his world record catch, and correctly so.

The Wiper is now safely in Dan's freezer, waiting to be mounted, but he is still unsure as to where it might end up being displayed.

When I asked Dan what the secret was to his success in catching huge Wipers at Lahontan, he replied very honestly, "The trick to catching big Wipers is persistence and patience. I look for rocky bottoms, and only fish for big fish. Some days, I don't catch anything."

Finally:

The current world record for a Striped Bass is 67-pounds, 8-ounces, caught on May 7, 1992 at O'Neill Forebay, San Luis, Calif., and the current world record for a White Bass is 6-pounds, 13-ounces caught on July 31, 1989 at Lake Orange, Virginia.

By contrast, the current Nevada record for a Striped Bass is 63 pounds caught on March 15, 2001 at Lake Mohave and the current Nevada record for a White Bass is 4 pounds caught on May 13, 1984 at Lahontan Reservoir.

The 2007 NDOW Fishing Seasons and Regulations publication lists the Record Fish of Nevada on page No. 54. That page indicates that Dan Hannum is the current record holder with an 18-pound, 8-ounce Wiper caught at Lahontan on Sept. 5, 2004. His 25.38 pounder caught on Sunday certainly shatters that state record.

Super well done to Dan Hannum on an amazing feat: A world record fish from Western Nevada.

• Bet Your Favorite Pigeon

Bet your favorite pigeon that he can't tell you if "The Three Amigos" (Don Hettrick and Don Quilici of Carson City and Rich Bachle of Fernley) have ever caught any large-sized Wipers, while fishing at Lahontan Reservoir.

When he stops hysterically laughing, wipes the tears out of his eyes and says, "Are you kidding? The only fish those three catch out there are wimps," he could be one of our close friends.

Hmmm, come to think of it, I wonder if I could abandon Hettrick and Bachle, and then fish with a real fisherman at Lahontan?

It's just an idle thought that might have some merit to it.

• Don Quilici is the Outdoors editor for the Nevada Appeal