I agree with davestewart. It's not only that you live in Kentucky to determine the size of a trophy but where the fish was caught. An 8 in Kentucky lake is definitely a good fish and I would also consider it a trophy.Originally Posted by kylakenitro
In-Fisherman has a table by region that denotes trophy fish for their master angler program. I don't remember exactly but I believe that we fall in the southern region where 25 inches or 10 pounds or something denotes a trophy (not certain on numbers). However with the state record being something like 13 pounds that seems a little unreasonable.
Fish grow according to how much food they have, the climate they live in, and the stresses that they are presented with. So, in a lake all these factors would come into play. The climate limits growth to probably (optimistic) around 15 pounds due to growth season. The amount of food and competition for that food would vary from location to location. Ex: Cumberland: large, lots of bait, lots of competition (stipers); Cedar Creek: small, lots of bait, low competition (top preditor). Stresses would also vary greatly. Ex: Laurel: fished everyday by everyone and their brother, his family, and all his acquaintances; small private farm pond: no one but the owner and a few choice guests. The larger lake has the potential to have larger fish and more of them given the chance if the food is there and the pressure isn't.
That being said a trophy from a pond could vary from 5 pounds to 10 pounds depending on the same factors. If its the largest fish in the pond, its a trophy. From a lake the fish could be 5 pounds to 15 pounds for the same reasons.
In the end, a trophy isn't denoted by a length or a weight. It rests squarely in the anglers mind. When I was 4 I caught a 15 inch smallmouth from Lake Cumberland and that was a trophy to me. I have that fish on my wall as it was my first smallmouth bass and to this day that fish is a trophy to me.
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