<b>Sometimes all the planets align...</b>

[Bruce Condello]

In the early to mid 1990's an interesting phenomenon occurred in South Carolina. In the Santee Cooper Diversion canal, it was deemed necessary to spray an area for aquatic vegetation. Evidently the resulting bare substrate allowed for proliferation of certain Asiatic mussels. An existing population of redear sunfish suddenly had a virtually unlimited food resource for several years. The result was nothing short of spectacular as no fewer than three separate FIVE pound redears showed up in angler's creels. First a 5 pound, 5 ounce fish, then Amos M. Gay's legendary 5 pound, 7 ounce fish were captured. Mr. Gay's fish still stands as the world record. It was found by biologists to be only eight years old, which is once again proof that bluegill and redears grow huge based much more on unlimited forage than they ever could from old age alone.