Mattlures

bocabasser You line may or may not make a diference but I would never use braid on swimbaits, never. I know Fish Chris does but he is about the only succesful guy that I know of that uses it. I believe he catches all his big fish in spite of using braid. I think he would have many more if he used fluoro. Fourbizzle gave you excelent advise. I like to throw my gills where I think a real gill would be to smart to go. Kinda like when you see a slasher movie and sombody goes down in the basement. Bluegill know their suroundings and if they make a mistake then they die. I try ti visualize were e real gill shouldnt go and thats where I throw it. In general I like a slow steady retreive.

That is an awsome report. thanks for posting. Those "custom" colored ones were so ugly I am glad you got some fish on them. Even the rejects catch fish, thats funny

I am glad you found more pictures! Well that pretty much clears that one up! Looks legit to me ;D This reminds me of a post on another board. Sombody posted (the now famous) picture of the 25.1 bass. Then this other guy comes on and proclaimes him self to be a didgital photo expert and gave several reasons why the phot was fake. He even went as far as saying he hadn't heard of the fish so it was obviously a hoax. Then sombody posted links to the newspaper write ups and a link to the video of the weighing. It was halarious. The expert wasnt even man enough to admit he was wrong. He just didnt post anymore on that thread. So whats it going to be? are you guys man enough? PS this post is all in fun dont get your feelings hurt, I have been wrong many many times too! :-[

I'll give you that. I just dont think anybody should be upset with the IGFA for wanting to see Macs aplication. I dont blame them I would want to see it to and I would encourage them. If your going to be upset with them, do after they accept Macs aplication. It aint happenin though.

Burley you have to remember how big CA. is. That lake doesnt look like any lake around me. Most of my lakes are deep resiviors with a lot of rocks and steep mountains

I dont see anything strange about the pic, but its not mine so I dont care . To me it looks just like our LMB that have been eating trout and are loaded with eggs. I do not know if there are any trout where this fish was caught though. It's FAR away from where I live.after examining that pic that fish looks to be around 20-21inches and considering the girth I would say the weight seems right to me but like I said, I have nothing to do with this pic so think what you will it dont bother me

I just thought I would share this picture because I havent seen a smalie that looked this thick before. I looks just like our fat trout eating largemouth. Plus most smallie pics that I have seen the fish are more bronze or brown. I just think it is an awsome fish. I dont see anything doctored. here is the caption Caught Sunday 3/4/07 @ Pardee lake. The fisherman (Ryan Leveque of Ceres) was using 4 lb. test line and a natural colored rubber worm w/a chartreuse tail. The fish weighed 8.94 lbs. and was caught at the mouth of the Mokelumne river at 7:30 AM.

Agreed Avid. I didnt mean to put words in your mouth. I do disagree about the money though. I dont think the manufactures would get behind a foul hooked fish. I believe they would have already done that and they havent touched it. Mac mada a statement saying that they recieved almost nothing and believed that even if he the IGFA gave it to him it wouldnt be worth much at this point. Ha said its not about the money. He basicaly said that he has gotten all the controversy with out submitting so why not submit and see what happens. I agree with him. he has been accused of every thing and his charachter has been questioned. He basicaly has recieved all the bad why not submit. He has nothing to loose. I actualy agrre with his mentality but. I am still stuck on the foul hook. To me, he missed so it doesnt count however if the IGFA says its good acording to their rules I will accept it. I still say he only has a 1-100 shot at it. The IGFA is the real winner here. Hey you probably never will but if you or Lightning rod ever get out here I will personaly guide you on little Dixon lake and show you where that fish was caught and maybe we can get a few our selves. The offer is genuine.

Its not me. I have never even caught a smallie. That fish did come from CA though. I seen the picture on another forum. I wount be suprised if some 10+lbers are caught here this year.

Avid I am sorry I am anoying you. The reason I care so much about this subject is because I know most of the playes and its all hapening in my backyard. Plus I am out there hunting these fish too. I agree with most of what Avid is saying except you are wrong about a few things. First off They recieved almost nothing for catching that fish and now a year later under these less than ideal conditions I would speculate that they would get almost no sponsers. Mac might get some press but as far as money goes, it would be minimal. The state has no reason to presure the IGFA. If people are going to visit because of that fish than they would alredy be doing it. Avid you are wrong about why the IGFA is encouraging them to submit. Your not very far off though. The IGFA wants the press. They need it. How many of you are members? Hardley anybody even talks about them unless the WR bass is in question. You are right, that its about the money. IF, and its still an if they do submit the IGFA will milk it for all its worth and then reject Weakley's claim posibly based on the foul hooking(because it was on a bed makes it harder to accept) and maybe even because it wasnt released imediatly even though I believe that part is erelevent because if CA law didnt find him guilty than neither should the IGFA. Mark my words, If they submit I will bet any of you $5 that Mac's aplication is denied. I wont bet on Jeds though. Oh and my world record is kinda lame but what the heck. I was fun fishing one day and catching big carp when I caught the world record goldfish. 9lbs 10oz. ;D

I am a hypocrite! I know that in most cases you should keep some small bass. Most of the guys here release everything and some of the lakes have way to many small bass. The right thing to do is to keep a bunch of 1-2lbers but I just cant do it. Even though I know I should, I just feel bad killing them. Believe me I aint no peta dork either. I just like putting them back. Maybe this year I will force myself to keep some little ones.

HUH???? I realy think you missed this one. My point is The IGFA has thier own rules. If they are met than you get the record. They are not above the law. They are not equal to the law. Law enforcemt is completey seperate. However one of the rules of the IGFA is that the fish must be caught according to local regulations. If the law (DFG) does not feel they broke the law than they did not break the law. The IGFA could be ok with them stringing up the fish and weighing it. The IGFA could also rule that even though the DFG is ok with them not instantly releasing the fish that they,(theIGFA) is not ok with it. They are thier own private organization. Thier major function is just to keep records. So to answer your question, NO you would not get the record Its not that the IGFA does not care about the laws, its just that they are seperate. Again I never said the IGFA was ok with the way everything happened. I realy doubt they will give him the record. Here is an example. Bob Crupi caught a 22lb 1oz bass and weighed it on a certified scale in front of wittnesses. He took photos.He is credited with an IGFA line class record. Crupi was not granted the state record because he did not wait for a game warden to identify the fish as a largemouth bass. Even though it is obvously a bass he didn't get the state record. Now should the IGFA not have given him the line class record either? of cource they should hjave because he met all their requirements. In this case the DFG should have been more understanding

I know it sounds like I am routing for them but I am not. I only defend them when people accuse them of things that they have no idea of what actualy happened. I personaly dont know them. Truth is, the one time I actualy talked to them, I was not happy with them because they had 3 boats and worked together to limit my shoreline. Once the whole lake was covered they backed off but I was not happy with their actions. I dont dislike them though either. I do feel bad for Mac, I couldnt even imagine the feeling he must have had when he first seen the jig in the side of the fish. I would have thrown up.

Ok many of you have critisized the IGFA for even considering Macs fish becasue according to CA law he should have released it imediatly. Some have said that they have lost respect for the IGFA for being above the law. These people are ignorant to what the IGFA is all about. They do not make or enforce laws. That is up to the the local law enforcment. The IGFA has their own rules and if an aplication meets the needed criteria then the record is awarded. They do not go above the law. They have many rules that are perfectly legal to do according to the law but would disqualify a potential record. For instance. acording to the IGFA if you use a treble hook with bait any record would automaticly be disqualified. Out here manny trout guys use tiny trebles with powerbait and many catfisherman like to use trebles. I personaly like to use small trebles with bread balls for carp. You also can not have a fixed treble. It has to be free swinging. So anybody who uses swimbaits and imbeds on of the hooks in the bait would be disqualified. None of these things are illegal acording to the fish and game. You guys need to realize the IGFA just keeps records. If a potential record meets thier rules than it gets accepted. In the case on the Weakley fish the DFG felt the fish was returned in a reasonable amount of time considering the situation. No Ticket, not even a warning so, the IGFA could justify that particular part of the aplication. Acording to the IGFA foul hooking is also OK if it is not intentional. They will speak with the guys who seen them catch this fish. Hopefuly they will also polygraph Mac. A polygraph may not be used in court but again the IGFA is not law enforcement. They just need to suficiant proof and testing them is one way of getting it. For all of you who are getting upset at the thought of Macs fish being the record, dont worry it wont be. The IGFA likes the attention. It rarly gets any press unless its world record bass time. They will take forever to rule on Macs aplication and ultimatley reject it. They will not be specific on why because there is no one black and white rule that they didnt do but there are to many things that are questionable. Even though the IGFA says foul hooking will not disqualify it, there is a diference in a foul hooked fish that you didnt see and one that is on a bed. To me there is a BIG diference. When that Trew lady submitted her fish for the record, anybody who knew anything about big bass instanly knew her and her son were frauds. They had NO chance of getting the record but the internet was alive with debates about the IGFA and I am sure they loved all the attention. So all you guys who are worried about Mac getting the record, dont be. Jeds fish however, now thats a diferent story. We will just have to see how they rule. I for one believe the IGFA will make the right decision. if they feel there is enough proof than thats that. I had to jump through a lot of hoops to get my record and that is nothing comparred to tyhe WRB.

I do like the Idea of the polygraph test. I imagine that if the IGFA is to the point that they are considering granting either of these possible records than they would test them. I for one believe they knew that fish was the WR and did not purposly foul hook the fish. I personaly dont think Mac should get the record because of the foul hook AND ONLY BECAUSE OF THE FOUL HOOK!!!! (saying that he kept the fish too long and that is illegal is rediculous and petty.) However If the IGFA decides they are ok with the foul hooking than they realy should polygraph Mac. If for no other reason it might quite down the haters a litte.

Thats kinda scarry Glenn, you run a pretty tight ship already. Welcome Keri

Buzzbaitfool good responce. Except there not force fed. They stock the trout for the "trout fisherman" not the bass. The bass only get to eat them for 1/4 of the year. Another thing to consider is that as far as I know, neither Mac nor Jed have actualy submitted thier aplications yet. First they will have to do this and second the IGFA will have to except one or both or rejct them both. Ok now let me give you guys a little history on the World Record club. The WWC was formed buy two guys who started a club and payed out prizes for the biggest bass caught. You had to be a member to qualify. If I remember it cost $25 per year to join. It grew quickly. They had an insurance policy to back the grand prize for catching the WR. I believe it was Lloyds of London. By the Time Jed Caught his fish the Club had thousands of members and the grand prize had increased tp aprox. 7 Million. L of L would not renew the insurance policy after Jed caught that fish. It scared them. The WWC went under the next year. In its breaf history it payed out $25000 each year for the largest bass caught in the world. I believe this went on for 5 or 6 years. Mike Long won the prize every year except the year Jed caught his. Pretty impesive Huh? This is where most of the rumors of the WW being worth millions come from, but it no longer exists

I realy dont think there is much controversy in either catch. I think it is up to the IGFA to determine weither either one qualifies according to their laws. If Not then they should be rejected. If So they should get the record. Its that simple to me. One thing that I do like about both of these catches is bothe fish were photographed weighed and whitnessed. All the other details should and will be sorted out by the IGFA. As far as not being preparred I totaly disagree. Here is why. Had Mac caught that fish in the mouth they would have kept it at least long enough for everybody to come and certify it. I dont think it was posible to prepare for a foul hooked fish. How could they have possibly known that would happen? How could you prepare. They consulted their lawyer who said it was illegal to keep the fish so they released it. They did what they were supossed to do. Jeds fish was photgraphed, measured, witnessed and weighed on a certifeid scale that was at the Lake. Again they did what they were supossed to dd. The world record club said that they had to weigh the fish with the DFG present. They called the DFG as soon as they were told this. The world record club dodged a bullet and folded the next year because of it. I believe in both cases they did what they should have. People make having a certified scale out to be such a big deal. I dont believe it is. I have an extremely accurate scale and if I catch a fish that big I am keeping it. I will release anything less. I should send it to the IGFA but it takes a while to get back and I am not sure if you have to be a current member. I do know that you CAN send your scale in with your aplication and they can certify it then. BTW I do have an all tackle world record and as unpreparred as I was, It was accepted by the IGFA

Cart I dont but in this day and age there will always be doubters and haters. Any record no matter how legit and documented will still have some controversy. I Remember when Jed caught his 22-9 and I always thought he should have submitted it. I assume hi didnt because he didnt want all the controversy but it apears like the IGFA wants to consider it and Macs fish. This has always been a heated subject and I am sure some of you guys hate me for my opinions but I call it like it is. When that Alleged picture of Perry's bass surfaced it came with Zerro proof. It wasnt even Perry in the picture and for all we know they found that fish floating. But becasue of that picture I now see that it was at the verry least possible for Georgia to produce a world class bass. There is no hard proof that that picture even came from Georgia. BUT I honesty beleive Perry could have verry well caught that bass and it could have weighed 22-4. I give him the benift of the doubt. I was convinced before that it was a lie but I have changed my views. The world record is an obsession of mine. I will call a fake a fake( The Trew fish) no matter where it comes from. I will also recognize when sombody has caught a potential record no matter where they come from. I just bothers me when people start playing monday morning quarterback and start bashing these guys and or me for defending them.

Ok you guys are getting rediculous. You will defend Perry's record to the point of being ....... well never mind. First off saying that him keeping a fish for a little while is illegal and he shouldnt get credit for it. I am trying not to get upset but its like argueing with drunks. You guys are rediculous!!!! This is not a commonly known law. I never heard of it before this and they probably didnt either. This is completly diferent than a closed season where you must emidiatly release a specific species. Everybody who is fishing during that season would be aware of that law. They spirit of this law is to keep people from keeping a snagged fish. They did not keep it they released it. Yes it wasnt instantly but it was pretty quick. I HAVE ALREADY SAID THIS SO GET IT THROUGH YOUR HEADS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! the law inforcment DFG did not cite them or even warn them. According to them they released the fish in a reasonable amount of time. IF the law says they didnt break the law than thats that and get over it. You guys are so desperate to cling to Perry's record you will come up with any argument no matter how weak. I have actualy changed my opinion. I dont think Mac should get the record because the fish was foul hooked. That is the only reason I feel this way. However the IGFA says as long as it wasnt intentional. You guy critisize Jeds fish for being 4 years old.. Big deal he put it on a certified scale in front of wittnesses including the lake ranger and it came up 22lbs 9 oz. The world record club required the DFG to weigh the fish not The IGFA. The IGFA only requires that the fish be identified by the dfg or ranger ETC as a large mouth bass. So thinking that the second weight (on the same scale 2 hours later) it the one the IGFA will use is not fact. It will be up to them. Roadwarrior I do not personaly know these 3 guys. I have seen them on the lake and chatted for a second but I dont know them. We do have mutual friends. I assume you were being sarcastic but you have a valid point. I would think they would be the ultimate sponserees for a scale company. If anything they are my competition I dont want to help them. I have a question for all of you. WHO DO YOU THINK IS TALKING THESE GUYS INTO SUBMITTING? hmmmm I know, Its the IGFA! That does not gaurantee anything but ther are very interested in seeing these aplications. For the record I no longer have a problem with the Perry record. It does not bother me. I feel that Mac shouldnt get it because he foul hooked the fish but The IGFA says that part is OK so we will have to wait and see. Also you guys critisize Jed for accepting the "official" weight of 21.75 and now applying. You werent there. He caught the fish completly legit and it broke the record. The world record club would not recognize it untill weighed by the fish and game hours later. So he did not give up 7 million. He wasnt goint to get it anyways. He was either going to get the $25000 or nothing from them. His story has never changed. from day one they have always said the fish was 22-9 the first time they weighed it. You guys critisize his actions and judgements and say he should have known better. I disagree. I personaly dont have a certified scale but it is a Salter and is extremely accurate. If I catch a fish that big I wont release it. but any thing less and it goes back. These debates always seem to get petty. People start bashing the guys who catch these fish . Calling them me stupid or putting them down for any other reason they can think of. Like saying thier actions were illegal. Give them a break. It all boils down to this your JEALOUS!!!!!! , I am to. I for one can freely admit that am extremly jelous of them. I at least can admit it. It always ends up being southern vs Cali guys. This is stupid knock it off!

Cart we could argue about it forever but if the DFG (Department of Fish and Game) did not cite him then. They obviously felt he comited no crime by weighing the fish. The purpose of the law is to keep people from keeping a snagged fish. They only kept it a short while and if the LAW (DFG) doesnt have a problem with it than neither would the IGFA I dont think your opinion of this illegal weighing is worth anything. Before you get your feelings hurt my opinion is worth just as much as yours. The DFG says his actions were ok so End of story. Geese you guys are realy grasping saying its ilegal because he didnt release it imediatly. How many of you have driven 57mph when the speed limit was 55? I believe most of the southern boys will oppose these aplications and most of the wetcoasters will be routing for them. I honestly dont know how I feel about Mac foul hooking that fish. I am kinda on the fence. I do defend him when people wrongly accuse him of things though. As for Jeds fish if he decides to submit and has the wittnesses needed for the first weighing than I am all for him getting the record. Just because its 4 years old doesnt mean he shouldnt get the record. Every thing about that fish was done properly. Measurements, wittnesses, pictures, Certified scale, I think this one will go.

Radiob, when Jed first caught the fish it weighed 22 lbs 9oz. He called the world record club and they said it had to be weighed by the fish and game so he called them. It took them a couple hours to get to the lake to do the "official" weighing on the same scale. The fish had spilled eggs and had lost weight . The world record club obviously used the the secong lighter weight. The IGFA could use the first and heavier wieght which would be 22lbs 9oz and the new world record. FishChris yes they have a chance at getting her one more time but they did it right once and were cheated out of it. I dont blame Jed for submitting it, after all he caught the world record fair and square.

Raul I am not disagreeing with you. However I dont believe any man alive could release that fish the instant they landed it. The Law is the DFG and they did not ticket Weakley. The IGFA is seperate, all they do is record records. It will be up to them It apears that you guys are focussing to much on Weakley's fish , I believe Jed's fish is the real threat and If he submits it will ultimatly be accepted as the world record.

Cart7 the IGFA disagrees with you and just because you havent heard of Jeds fish doesnt mean the IGFA hasn't Turns out they not only let go of the fish, but also may have let the record slip because the IGFA may have certified the catch. Jason Schratwieser, the IGFA's conservation director, said this week that nothing the anglers did disqualified it as a record catch. The IGFA wanted to see the application and talk to the fishermen and three witnesses, brothers Steven and Dan Barnett and dock attendant Chris Bozir. They felt the weak link was the fact the fish was foul-hooked, however, our rules state that only a fish that is foul-hooked intentionally is disqualified as a record, Schratwieser said. They were honest about it right away. They said they didn't foul-hook it intentionally. Schratwieser said the fact they didn't measure the bass also was not a deal breaker. here read the entire article http://www.signonsandiego.com/sports/outdoors/20070305-9999-lz1s5foulfair.html