In 1992, Texas produced it's one and only bass over 18 lbs. Although Florida produced
several bass that were officially weighed and documented over 18 lbs, none have been certified
by the state of Florida. Florida's former state record was a 19-lb bass taping 31" taken from
Tarpon Lake, Florida. All the same, the state saw fit to rescind this record, and in two
other instances, certification was denied because a biologist never identified the species.
To be sure, California "used to" turn out bass over 18 lbs, but their production of late
has slowed to a crawl, and for all practical purposes has halted.
There's never been any mystery about the gene pool of world-class bass; they are ALL
Florida-strain bass. The normal longevity of a Florida-strain bass depends on its
geographic latitude (water climate), not mystical genes. Too far north and you shorten
their growing season, too far south and you shorten their lifespan, but in order to produce
a world-record, both attributes must be present. The growth-rate of a Florida-strain bass
hinges on the forage-base of the waterbody in which it dwells, where an abundance of
high-fat prey is a must (No, not high-protein). When Florida-strain bass are transplanted
into a foreign waterbody with ideal conditions, the population generally burgeons for the first
10 to 15 years. Over time however, a species living where nature has not intended
will undergo a slow but sure process of genetic poop-out. In that regard, the Texas department
of resources has done a far better job than California. Texans are excellent stewards
of their Florida-strain resource and are determined to maximize the mileage,
which is no easy task...Kudos to Texas!
Every world-class bass on record has come from a relatively narrow latitudinal band that wraps
around the globe. In that narrow world-class band, at least one 18-lb plus bass has been taken
from Georgia, Florida, Texas, California and Japan. Waterbodies situated above and below
the optimum latitude are highly unlikely to produce a world-class bass, let alone a world-record.
Owing to their rapid growth rate, many tropical latitudes yield hordes of double-digit bass,
yet world-class bass (18+) are conspicuously absent (World-class is 80% heavier than double-digit).
On an old thread many years ago, I was the only member who offered 'Japan'
as a possible candidate for a new world record. I based my prediction mostly on latitude,
and the rest is history. In that same thread, most of the members choose tropical climes
such as Cuba, Mexico & Puerto Rico. In my opinion at least, those countries are too far south
of Florida to provide the long lifespan necessary for a Florida-strain bass to attain world-class.
The problem being, bass living in tropical climes are destined to die young due to thermal burnout,
the same as pushing plant growth with grow lights. No mystical gene pool can compensate
for an animal living outside its natural range. It would be interesting if we could all
reconvene 100 years from now, I believe we might all be somewhat surprised.
The more things change, the more they stay the same
Roger
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