Do you think George Perry's record is legit?

[N Florida Mike]

2 minutes ago, J Francho said:

I have never heard of mounting a fish head. Someone needs to post a picture of this. 

With my limited technological skills, I cant find it. The picture of it was on the front page of the magazine...It hasn’t been on any searches Ive tried, like google.

[J Francho]

Do they mount in on a plaque, like a nice buck? I'm having trouble picturing it without laughing. I mean no disrespect though, it just sounds really weird to me. 

[Team9nine]

2 minutes ago, J Francho said:

I have never heard of mounting a fish head. Someone needs to post a picture of this. 

 

Lol. I once went over to a local landowners place (older gentleman) which had a big barn on the property. He was a farmer. Anyway, I walked into the barn, and sure enough, half a dozen bass heads were mounted in various places on the walls of the barn. Looked a little weird and spooky, and have never seen it since, but I can totally envision what they are talking about. No pictures though - this was before cell phones

[slonezp]

6 minutes ago, J Francho said:

I have never heard of mounting a fish head. Someone needs to post a picture of this. 

 

[N Florida Mike]

3 hours ago, Captain Phil said:

To grow big fish, you need a few things.  First, you need the right genetics.  Second, you need the right food and third you need a year round growing season.   In 1932, Florida and South Georgia had all those things.  Due to transplantation, Texas, Southern California and Mexico do now.  I am not familiar with Japan or other foreign countries, so I can't comment on that.  There is a public lake in Central Florida that may contain a world record bass.  At one time, it was known as the best bass lake in America.  It fell on hard times, but is making a comeback.  Anyone want to take a guess what it is? 

Apopka had that reputation...

2 minutes ago, J Francho said:

Do they mount in on a plaque, like a nice buck? I'm having trouble picturing it without laughing. I mean no disrespect though, it just sounds really weird to me. 

The way I remember it was done simply on a glossy wood board. I mean bass heads are mounted with the whole fish, why not just the head ?

Im 100% sure that’s how it was. That pic has to be in their archives.

3 hours ago, Mike L said:

Rodman Res

 

 

 

Mike

 

Agreed. 

[J Francho]

6 minutes ago, slonezp said:

 

I can't. 

[N Florida Mike]

3 hours ago, Captain Phil said:

 

Good guess.  Rodman has some big fish for sure.  It's prime was in the early eighties.  This lake is in the outskirts of Orlando not far from the theme parks.

It’s actually 60 miles or so  N of orlando...

[slonezp]

2 minutes ago, J Francho said:

I can't. 

You know you want to

[N Florida Mike]

15 minutes ago, N Florida Mike said:

It’s actually 60 miles or so  N of orlando...

I would have guessed Rodman otherwise. But I wouldn’t say it’s fell on hard times. It’s still an upper echelon lake. 

I need to go fish it again soon!

[Team9nine]

The ones in the barn I saw mounted to the wall looked just like the top center/bottom left duplicate pics -  just the head mounted by the flared operculums with nails.

 

[WRB]

Back in the day It was a common practice to nail trophy fish heads like bass to wooden walls. We simply cut off the head, put a stick to hold open the mouth and tack the gill plates to the wall and let dry.

Tom

[Mike L]

1 hour ago, N Florida Mike said:

I would have guessed Rodman otherwise. But I wouldn’t say it’s fell on hard times. It’s still an upper echelon lake. 

I need to go fish it again soon!

When I answered the question earlier I was thinking the same thing!!

 

It’s been too long

 

 

 

 

Mike

[Basswhippa]

The Tennessee State record was caught in the 50's from a small creek in Lawrence County TN.  You can throw a rock across it.  It was 14 .5 pounds.  This fish was likely a super old Northern Strain that lived its life in solitude with no pressure, eating and growing. This would never happen today due to pressure.   The record stood until 2015 when the Florida stockings started to show up.  A 16.9 pounder was shocked up in Tennessee a few years ago.  That's slightly over 5 pounds smaller than the world record, this far north.  I believe under ideal conditions, no pressure, a freak like these TN fish could have showed up as a world record in GA.  

I've seen a 16.75 fish in a fish tank taken from Orange Lake.  Florida should start stocking trout into Kingsley Lake in the winter.   It's deep cold spring waters would grow true monsters in no time.

[WRB]

We can kick this can as far as you want to take it, the IGFA isn’t going to change their records.

To put things into perspective the highly touted Florida LMB in it’s native state the current record is 17.13 lbs. the 20.13 lb state record was disallowed, no proof of the catch in 1923.

The Texas State Record is 18.18 lbs caught in 1992, even with Share A Lunker program raising genic ideal bass from big males and 13lb+ females.

Prior to the California 1959  of pure+Florida strain LMB the State Record was 14.7 lbs. the official record is 21 lbs 15 oz caught in 1990. Dottie isn’t the State record. Without killing the. Bass in CA it’s nearly impossible to record the catch as official.

Do I believe the Perry bass legitimate? No the catch couldn’t be authenticated.

Tom

[jbsoonerfan]

I thought about this thread earlier. After watching the WCWS and talking about how fast they were throwing the ball I told my daughter that she had a long way to go to get to that level. Those girls were throwing (68-72) or so and she asked me what the fastest pitch ever was. I Googled it and the official record is Monica Abbott at 77 mph. But there is a story of some guy from the 40's who threw it 104 mph. Now that's just ridiculous that anyone would believe that. But much like the bearded lady and two headed baby, a lot went on back then that people just went along with for the "freak" factor. I am NOT saying Perry lied or tried to lie to simply win a contest, but the world was a different place back then. It does amaze me that the IGFA has such strict rules to claim a WR but this was grandfathered in with apparently no questions at all.

[flyfisher]

I think I need to go ahead and catch the record but go for the fly rod record instead.....seems manageable, i mean the 20lb line class is vacant too.

[J Francho]

7 hours ago, flyfisher said:

I think I need to go ahead and catch the record but go for the fly rod record instead.....seems manageable, i mean the 20lb line class is vacant too.

Line classes are where it's at. My buddy holds a few and I've been out with him chasing one of them. 

[Captain Phil]

Mounting a fish head used to be popular.  I caught my first big bass when I was a teenager.  It weighted 6 1/4 pounds on a grocery store scale.  I cut off the head and hung it in a big tree in my backyard.  After insects cleaned the head, I mounted it on a plaque and painted it with shellac.  I kept it for years until my wife made me throw it out.

 

The lake that I was referring to is Lake Apopka.  On Sundays, we have a local Harris Chain tournament that's been going on for as long as I can remember.  Winning anglers have been making the long run to Apopka for years. The five fish bags they weighed were shocking with 25 pounds or more being common.  Back in the 40s and 50s this lake was known for it's big fish.  The 17 pound bass pictured on the top of the Hedden lure boxes came from this lake. It collapsed in the 60s due to sewage pumping, farm runoff and actions by misguided local officials. Since then, the farms have been closed and the State has been attempting to restore this lake.

 

A couple of years ago, my fishing partner and I fished Apopka for a few months in a row.  The water is ugly.  The bottom is covered with silt and the lake is full of huge alligators.   The fish are congregated around a spring in the southwest end of the lake. Clear water flows out of this spring and it looks like a big eye in the murky lake water.  We caught 5-8 pound fish on every trip.   Grass is starting to take hold in the lake and the State has been stocking it with bass.  At the moment, it's very lightly fished.  If you break down, you could be there for some time.  We caught fish all along the southern lake shore from the spring all the way to the Winter Park City ramp.  The shad in the lake grow large and are feeding some very big fish.  It's not the kind of place where you would go fishing with your family.  If you are hunting a real Florida giant bass, you are in the right place.

 

 

[Mike L]

6 minutes ago, Captain Phil said:

Mounting a fish head used to be popular.  I caught my first big bass when I was a teenager.  It weighted 6 1/4 pounds on a grocery store scale.  I cut off the head and hung it in a big tree in my backyard.  After the insects cleaned to head, I mounted it on a plaque and painted it with shellac.  I kept it for years until my wife made me throw it out.

 

The lake that I was referring to is Lake Apopka.  On Sundays, we have a local Harris Chain tournament that's been going on for as long as I can remember.  Winning anglers have been making the long run to Apopka for years. The five fish bags they weighed were shocking with 25 pounds or more being common.  Back in the 40s and 50s this lake was known for it's big fish.  The 17 pound bass pictured on the top of the Hedden lure boxes came from this lake. It collapsed in the 60s due to sewage pumping, farm runoff and actions by misguided local officials. Since the, the farms have been closed and the State has been attempting to restore this lake.

 

A couple of years ago, my fishing partner and I fished Apopka for a few months in a row.  The water is ugly.  The bottom is covered with silt and the lake is full of huge alligators.   The fish are congregated around a spring in the southwest end of the lake. Clear water flows out of this spring and it looks like a huge eye in the murky lake water.  We caught 5-8 pound fish on every trip.   Grass is starting to take hold in the lake and the State has been stocking it with bass.  At the moment, it's very lightly fished.  If you break down, you could be there for some time.  We caught fish all along the southern lake shore from the spring all the way to the Winter Park City ramp.  The shad in the lake grow large and are feeding some very big fish.  It's not the kind of place where you would go fishing with your family.  If you are hunting a real Florida giant, you are in the right place.

 

 

So glad the state is starting to realize what that place could be again. 
I didn’t know they started a reclamation plan...Great News!

 

We used to put in at the old Winter Park ramp. There were some holes SE of there just off a flat that everybody always ran to first. 
It was a good place to get your arm broke. 
 

 

 

 

 

Mike

[David 7]

9 hours ago, Basswhippa said:

The Tennessee State record was caught in the 50's from a small creek in Lawrence County TN.  You can throw a rock across it.  It was 14 .5 pounds.  This fish was likely a super old Northern Strain that lived its life in solitude with no pressure, eating and growing. This would never happen today due to pressure.   The record stood until 2015 when the Florida stockings started to show up.  A 16.9 pounder was shocked up in Tennessee a few years ago.  That's slightly over 5 pounds smaller than the world record, this far north.  I believe under ideal conditions, no pressure, a freak like these TN fish could have showed up as a world record in GA.  

I've seen a 16.75 fish in a fish tank taken from Orange Lake.  Florida should start stocking trout into Kingsley Lake in the winter.   It's deep cold spring waters would grow true monsters in no time.

This really had me thinking; should Florida strain lmb have their own separate record, and be treated as their own species? Up until recently I thought bass were bigger down south just because they don’t really have a winter freeze over down there. The more I read it sounds like it’s almost a different bass completely, genetically (in regard to growth capabilities).

[Captain Phil]

1 hour ago, David 7 said:

This really had me thinking; should Florida strain lmb have their own separate record, and be treated as their own species? Up until recently I thought bass were bigger down south just because they don’t really have a winter freeze over down there. The more I read it sounds like it’s almost a different bass completely, genetically (in regard to growth capabilities).

 

Florida strain bass are genetically different from LMB found in other parts of the country.  Many years ago, Florida LMB were stocked in a few California lakes.  I heard this was done by members of the Air Force carrying tubs of bass on cargo planes.  I'm not sure if that is true.  Those huge bass that are being caught in California, Texas and Mexico are decedents of Florida strain fish.  The State of Florida has a large bass hatchery in Central Florida where they raise fish to export out of the State.  I believe there has been so much interbreeding that having a separate record would be difficult.

[Zcoker]

16 hours ago, J Francho said:

Record size bass don't become records by getting caught. I think there are fish out there that never get caught. 

 

Actually, this is a scientific fact. There was an interesting study done and published by David Philipp, an ecology and conservation researcher at the University of Illinois which showed that certain largemouth bass can avoid being captured. The study went on over the course of twenty years on a 15 acre impoundment. They knew the exact amount of largemouth bass that were in the impoundment on day one and started from there. Blocks of anglers would then fish the impoundment and tag/measure/release their catches. Over the course of years the lake would eventually be completely drained, and the fish would then be collected and accounted for. Many fish were captured more than once. But there was a specific group of fish that always avoided all lures. The lake would then be refilled and the whole process would resume, over and over. They eventually concluded in the Journal of Science that specific groups of fish always avoided being captured!

[David 7]

52 minutes ago, Captain Phil said:

 

Florida strain bass are genetically different from LMB found in other parts of the country.  Many years ago, Florida LMB were stocked in a few California lakes.  I heard this was done by members of the Air Force carrying tubs of bass on cargo planes.  I'm not sure if that is true.  Those huge bass that are being caught in California, Texas and Mexico are decedents of Florida strain fish.  The State of Florida has a large bass hatchery in Central Florida where they raise fish to export out of the State.  I believe there has been so much interbreeding that having a separate record would be difficult.

Yeah that’s a good point, I think logistically it would be too hard to determine the difference by anglers just by appearance anyhow. I think just focusing on an anglers own state record is the simplest pollution if that is their thing to chase.

[WRB]

1 hour ago, David 7 said:

Yeah that’s a good point, I think logistically it would be too hard to determine the difference by anglers just by appearance anyhow. I think just focusing on an anglers own state record is the simplest pollution if that is their thing to chase.

If you go back to page 3 of this long thread I took the time to explain how FLMB were transplanted to California.

You can visually separate NLMB from FLMB by counting the lateral line pier score ( scales with a hole ), 58 or less = NLMB, 59 or more = FLMB. Purity requires DNA evaluation.

Tom

[flyfisher]

3 hours ago, J Francho said:

Line classes are where it's at. My buddy holds a few and I've been out with him chasing one of them. 

only problem is i would have to still catch a 10lber as it is minimum of half the pound test of the line strength.  I might have to ask them though because I rarely use actual tippet for bass and just use straight mono or flour or copolymer so not sure if that would matter.