MONTPELIER, Vt. (WCAX) - A Vermont angler has set an unofficial new state record for a smallmouth bass.

Andrew Oestringer recently caught the nearly two-foot smallmouth from Lower Symes Pond in Ryegate.

The fish weighed in on his personal scale at 7 lbs. and 6 oz., 10 oz. heavier than the current state record.

“It’s a dream come true for me,” Oestringer told Vermont Fish and Wildlife officials. “There is no better place to fish than Vermont. Smallies, trout, pickerel, pike—Vermont has endless opportunities.”

Alas, Oestringer, who brought his bass home for dinner instead of weighing in on a certified scale, will have to stick with the unofficial state record.

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