World Record Largemouth

[3bd4]

I have been thinking about it lately and with all the added fishing pressure these days especially in the areas of the country that produce big bass each each year, do you all believe there is a world record largemouth swimming around in the United States right now? Now on to the next question. Do you believe there are a handful of bass that would break the record or is there just one or two out there that would? I am talking strictly in the United States. Do you believe largemouth of world record size only exist in Cali? Lastly, how big of a body of water do you believe a bass of world record size needs. Is there any possibility that one could grow to record size in a large pond for example? Thanks for any responses and opinions in advance.

[Darren.]

They're out there, probably. Cali's deep water may have the biggest, though there may be yet another one in Japan's Lake Biwa.

Those 3 buddies in Cali (who foul-hooked probably the biggest bass of all time) might just be the hunters who'll find the large, lurking lady. Think they were featured on NatGeo, Science, or Discovery a year back.

[flyfisher]

I have no doubt that the world record is out there in one of the lakes in California, Florida or maybe even here in VA

To have a world record bass everything needs to be perfect. Good genetics, good forage and long growing season. All of which are necessary to equal a world record.

Just like not everyone can play professional athletics not all fish can grow to ginormous proportions.

[clayton86]

dont kid your self the world record is in NY and I'm gonna catch it.................ah ok thats my funny for the day

[PABASS]

How large and in what state/part of the world is the world record holder? I have limited access to the internets at work..

I would say ponds can hold some big fish and when you think about an apex predator like a bass in a large pond all it can do is grow, if food is there to support it..

[1234567]

ABSOLUTELY there are world record largemouth out there! Just ask Butch Brown and Manabu Kurita who have both said that they have seen largemouth of 25+ and 30 pounds respectively in each of the areas they fish.

I think the body of water's size is important but not #1. In my opinion there are NO World record bass in Florida south of Orlando. I believe Dixon Lake was small at 70 acres or so but produced the largest bass unofficially on record today. Lake Okeechobee is vast and has only produced a 15 pound bass. Obviously Lake O is missing a major key element to produce massive bass and it's not the forage base. Lake O seems to be the capital for 8-10 pounders!

What do you consider a pond? An acre or two imo would not be adequate to support a World Record bass unless man were to provide unlimited forage base. Secondly it would have to be in a colder climate region.

[00 mod]

Mark my words. The next world record will come from lake Baccarac in Mexico

Jeff

[roadwarrior]

Mark my words. The next world record will come from lake Baccarac in Mexico

Jeff

Too far south and too hot.

[shimmy]

I have no doubt that the world record is out there in one of the lakes in California, Florida or maybe even here in VA

To have a world record bass everything needs to be perfect. Good genetics, good forage and long growing season. All of which are necessary to equal a world record.

Just like not everyone can play professional athletics not all fish can grow to ginormous proportions.

Look at my PB. I caught one that was, but let it go. World records are in every state of this country. And apparently 8 pounders are as common as one pounders in a lot of the fishing reports i read.

[00 mod]

Too far south and too hot.

You may think that but every year there are some over 15, a couple reaching the 17-18 and a known lake record of 19lbs 10 oz. Many locals down there wouldn't report anything. They just eat them. Also there have been bass netted while Tilapia fishing over 25lbs.

Jeff

[Dwight Hottle]

You may think that but every year there are some over 15, a couple reaching the 17-18 and a known lake record of 19lbs 10 oz. Many locals down there wouldn't report anything. They just eat them. Also there have been bass netted while Tilapia fishing over 25lbs.

Jeff

Shhhhhhh!

I want to fish it before it get to crowded.

[NEjitterbugger]

Look at my PB. I caught one that was, but let it go. World records are in every state of this country. And apparently 8 pounders are as common as one pounders in a lot of the fishing reports i read.

What reports are you reading?LOL

[NEjitterbugger]

I have been thinking about it lately and with all the added fishing pressure these days especially in the areas of the country that produce big bass each each year, do you all believe there is a world record largemouth swimming around in the United States right now? Now on to the next question. Do you believe there are a handful of bass that would break the record or is there just one or two out there that would? I am talking strictly in the United States. Do you believe largemouth of world record size only exist in Cali? Lastly, how big of a body of water do you believe a bass of world record size needs. Is there any possibility that one could grow to record size in a large pond for example? Thanks for any responses and opinions in advance.

I belive that there is a world record lurking around here in the United States. IMO its lurking in cali, florida, georgia....

~I think the water body size means almost nothing, besides how its oxyenated and the bait that's in and or goes in the water... Whats the most important thing is the fishing pressure, if the world record bass is in a place where people rarely fish it will contue to grow if its healthy. My PB came from a pond that is less than 4 acres....

[Dwight Hottle]

~I think the water body size means almost nothing, besides how its oxyenated and the bait that's in and or goes in the water... Whats the most important thing is the fishing pressure, if the world record bass is in a place where people rarely fish it will contue to grow if its healthy. My PB came from a pond that is less than 4 acres....

Not necessarily true. Maximum fish size can be influenced by habitat size. Take a typical pet store gold fish out of its typical gold fish bowl & place it in pond or lake & it will grow to much larger size than it could achieve in the original gold fish bowl.

[Boogey Man]

Honestly, I hope some kid catches in a farm pond in the middle of nowhere. A lot will disagree with me and I know it takes a lot of skill to catch a bass that big, but catching it in a trout stocked lake with limited access is a little too "Barry Bonds" to me.

[NEjitterbugger]

Not necessarily true. Maximum fish size can be influenced by habitat size. Take a typical pet store gold fish out of its typical gold fish bowl & place it in pond or lake & it will grow to much larger size than it could achieve in the original gold fish bowl.

I'm talking atleast an acre or so.... If you take a Largemouth from a 4 acre pond and put it in a 300 acre pond that really isn't going to drastically change the size or growth rate of the fish if both areas have lots of bait...

[Raul]

You may think that but every year there are some over 15, a couple reaching the 17-18 and a known lake record of 19lbs 10 oz. Many locals down there wouldn't report anything. They just eat them. Also there have been bass netted while Tilapia fishing over 25lbs.

Jeff

I concur with RW, too hot, I´ve been to Bacurato, 15 pounders don´t appear that oftenly, 17 pounders with even less frequency and even though the record is 19 lbs and 10 ounces it´s been so long ago that fish of that size and that age have already died beacuse of the warm water conditions. I doubt that in a subtropical environment like the one you find in Sinaloa, Nayarit, Jalisco´s coast on the west coast and Tamaulipas in the east coast bass can live enough to reach WR size.

[WRB]

Unless California resumes stocking rainbow trout into lakes that have FLMB populations, the possibility of a world record bass from California is a very low possibility.

Butch Brown catches more giant bass each year than anyone and his PB is 19.3 lbs,. authenticated or officially weighed 20 lb largemouth bass are extremely rare. California is the only state to produce 20+ lb FLMB with the one exception of the Goerge Perry WR form Georgia in 1932.

You never say never, look what came out of Japan, the probability is very, very, low that a new WR LMB will be caught.

My PB is 19.3 lbs and believe I had 2 that were over 20 lbs that got away. I haven't seen a LMB that exceeded 30" and that is the magic number. The Karita WR bass 22.3 lbs., and Dottie were 29.75" long with girth exceeding 28". My 18.6 & 19.3 were both the same length; 28" with 28" girth......2" length could = 5 lbs with these giants, if they have the right food source!

Tom

[Crappiebasser]

How many of us have hooked into something that just breaks the line or spits the lure without slowing down? Who's to say one of those isn't a big bass. I would bet there has been a world record hooked that the angler never even got to see before it was gone. Regardless it's the hope of that one good hook up that keeps us coming back.

[Bassn Blvd]

ABSOLUTELY there are world record largemouth out there! Just ask Butch Brown and Manabu Kurita who have both said that they have seen largemouth of 25+ and 30 pounds respectively in each of the areas they fish.

I think the body of water's size is important but not #1. In my opinion there are NO World record bass in Florida south of Orlando. I believe Dixon Lake was small at 70 acres or so but produced the largest bass unofficially on record today. Lake Okeechobee is vast and has only produced a 15 pound bass. Obviously Lake O is missing a major key element to produce massive bass and it's not the forage base. Lake O seems to be the capital for 8-10 pounders!

What do you consider a pond? An acre or two imo would not be adequate to support a World Record bass unless man were to provide unlimited forage base. Secondly it would have to be in a colder climate region.

I'm not so sure about that. I believe there very well could be a WR lurking somewhere in S. Florida. The problem is that we have no access or limited access to the waters that may hold it.

[00 mod]

The day I caught my PB, I hooked another bass of which I never saw. It was on the same rod/reel/line/lure and my PB was turned and headed to me. This other bass never stopped. Peeled drag like a stripe(of which there are none where I was fishing). Never turned its head towards me and broke my 25lb line with ease. Whose to say how big it was. I am 90% sure it was a bass. I will be back to try again!

Jeff

[A-Jay]

Shhhhhhh!

I want to fish it before it get to crowded.

X2 ~

A-Jay

[johnnytoxin]

Unless California resumes stocking rainbow trout into lakes that have FLMB populations, the possibility of a world record bass from California is a very low possibility.

Butch Brown catches more giant bass each year than anyone and his PB is 19.3 lbs,. authenticated or officially weighed 20 lb largemouth bass are extremely rare. California is the only state to produce 20+ lb FLMB with the one exception of the Goerge Perry WR form Georgia in 1932.

You never say never, look what came out of Japan, the probability is very, very, low that a new WR LMB will be caught.

My PB is 19.3 lbs and believe I had 2 that were over 20 lbs that got away. I haven't seen a LMB that exceeded 30" and that is the magic number. The Karita WR bass 22.3 lbs., and Dottie were 29.75" long with girth exceeding 28". My 18.6 & 19.3 were both the same length; 28" with 28" girth......2" length could = 5 lbs with these giants, if they have the right food source!

Tom

The lakes here in Southern CA do get stocked with rainbow trout every winter. I know for sure Diamond Valley started receiving their plants a few weeks ago and that is the biggest deepest reservoir in So Cal. There is talk of them stocking kokanee salmon in the future because it is so deep it could sustain a population of them, And this place is in the middle of the desert. There is a good chance that there are a few world records swimming around in there.

[WRB]

The lakes here in Southern CA do get stocked with rainbow trout every winter. I know for sure Diamond Valley started receiving their plants a few weeks ago and that is the biggest deepest reservoir in So Cal. There is talk of them stocking kokanee salmon in the future because it is so deep it could sustain a population of them, And this place is in the middle of the desert. There is a good chance that there are a few world records swimming around in there.

DVL has been getting stocks of brown trout and since DVL was built in a dry valley without any historic streams that never had native trout eons ago, so it can receive trout plants. The problem with DVL in regards to producing a WR LMB is competition with stripers. DVlL may be pased it's prime year for producing giants consistantly over 15 lbs and hasn't produced 18 lb bass, let alone a 20+. The CA FLMB reach prime weights at age 11 to 12 years old and start to lose weight from old age 13 to 15 years old, their maximum age under ideal conditions. DVL is definately a contender and so is Castiac lagoon, due to the fact trout stocking has resumed there. We have a lot of lakes that are producing 12 to 13 lb bass, the key is 18+ and the only 2 lakes to do that this year was Perris and Shadow Cliff. A13 year old caught an 18.9 lb bass from Shadow Cliff!

Tom

[1234567]

I'm not so sure about that. I believe there very well could be a WR lurking somewhere in S. Florida. The problem is that we have no access or limited access to the waters that may hold it.

The possibility does exist but imo the odds are heavily against it. Even the deeper quarry/phosphate pits could harbor giant bass with a more conducive and stable environment, but the mere possibility of the right gene pool being in there is almost slim to none. I personally don't believe that every FLMB bass has the potential to be a world record. I do believe most (female) can grow to state record sizes, but I think less than one percent of FLMB have the genetics to reach those proportions.