The current World Record Largemouth

[5bass]

I've read alot of the articles about Perry's record catch and although it seems fishy that there was no pic,I still believe it.Aside from the "no pic,no fish" theory,I've not heard much else that would disprove it.

Is disprove a word? :-?  

[nwgabassmaster]

The only thing that worries me is the fact that so many people are going about calling people liars.  It was 1930's, people.  Sure, I believe the record is legit.  Is there the outside chance that something was done to the fish, just like the poor muskie that ate lead (unwillingly)................yea, there's that chance.

However, last time I checked, I am not perfect.  It's almost like saying that if you were in the same shoes as Mr. Perry, that you would have done things differently.  Kinda convienent, don't ya think?  

Sure, he tried to play the system, because ANY fish that is 22 lbs. is going to be talked about.  Whether it be a striper, a catfish, a gar, etc.  It will be talked about.  Any fish that is much over 10 lbs., even these days, is considered a trophy fish.

Is the record legit, yes, it is.  You can have all the holes you want to have in the story...........doesn't mean that it's not legit.  There were holes in the reasoning behind the 2nd war with Iraq............yet, it doesn't disprove that Saddam Huessin wasn't a dangerous man.

You can take any angler on these forums, look at a picture that they post of a 5 lbs. bass, and there will be those few that will say it's not 5 lbs.  Have a scale attatched to the fish, and they will still say it.  Have them looking at the scale, on video-tape, with an IGFA certified scales, and there will still be people that say that the fish in question did not weigh what the scales said it did.  They will claim that the scales were tampered with, or some other excuse.

Get over it.  Perry has the record.  If you don't like it, keep it yourself.  Until the day the record is broken, the record belongs to George W. Perry, and it was caught at Montgomery Lake, in Georgia.  And even when it is broken, there will be people on here (except for all them Cali boys), that will say that it's BS.

[nwgabassmaster]

Oh yea, just for another thing................just because you don't see something, doesn't mean it doesn't exist.  How many of you all have seen a million dollars?  Does that mean that it doesn't exist?  How many of you all have seen a 250 B&C class buck?  Does that mean that there isn't one walking the forests of this country, at this very moment, getting something to eat?  

Just because we do not have "proof" that a 20 lb. class largemouth exists in Georgia, doesn't mean that one doesn't.  Just because we haven't seen one, doesn't mean that there isn't one swimming around.

I know where a 15 lbs. class largemouth is swimming right now, and I know of another pond where a 12 lbs. class largemouth is swimming.

Senko77, my buddy, cause a 14.7 lbs. bass.  There are certainly those class sized bass swimming around, just that people aren't catching them.  

Oh yea, and we got one thing about our bass that them Cali bass can't touch.................ours aren't hand fed and called by name.  

[cgs2004]

I'm feeling a little "state pride" attitude going on in this room ;D

[Triton_Mike]

lightningrod,  I didn't say the lack of bigger fish in Georgia PROVES anything I am just saying it is unlikely.  LEts use Texas top 16 fish as an example.  

1

18.18

25.50

1/24/92

Lake Fork Barry St. Clair

2

17.67

27.50

11/26/86

Lake Fork Mark Stevenson

3

17.64

28.00

4/1/89

Lake Fork Stan Moss

4

17.63

26.25

8/29/90

Lake Fork Jerry L. New

5

17.29

0.00

2/14/88

Lake Fork Larry Barnes

6

17.08

25.50

2/26/91

Lake Fork Troy Coates

7

16.90

27.66

2/16/86

Pinkston Lake Earl H Crawford

8

16.86

25.50

2/8/93

Lake Fork Bryan Turner

9

16.80

28.75

5/31/97

Sam Rayburn  Tommy Shelton

10

16.77

0.00

3/1/90

Mill Creek Herchel Brickey

11

16.75

25.50

3/8/90

Lake Fork Stephen R. Trepkus

12

16.63

27.00

2/28/99

Lake Fork Flo O'Brian

13

16.59

26.00

5/15/87

Lake Fork Guy Weatherspoon

14

16.54

25.00

2/27/91

Lake Fork Bill Reed

15

16.44

26.50

3/10/96

Lake Fork Chris Adams

16

16.17

26.00

1/15/88

Gibbons Creek  Troy Johnson

Notice how the weights all creep upward to State Record of 18.18lbs...

Lets do California

22 pounds, .5 ounce Bob Crupi Castaic Lake - California March 12, 1991

3 21 pounds, 12 ounces Mike Arujo Castaic Lake - California March 5, 1991

4 21 pounds, 11.2 ounces Jed Dickerson Dixon Lake - California May 31, 2003

5 21 pounds, 3.5 ounces Raymond Easley Casitas Lake - California March 4, 1980

6 21 pounds, .5 ounce Bob Crupi Castaic Lake - California March 9, 1990

7 20 pounds, 15 ounces David Zimmerlee Miramar Lake - California June 23, 1973

8 20 pounds, 14 ounces Leo Torres Castaic Lake - California February 4, 1990

9 20 pounds, 12 ounces Mike Long Dixon Lake - California April 27, 2001

10 20 pounds, 4 ounces Gene Dupras Hodges Lake - California May 30, 1985

11 20 pounds, 4 ounces Johnny Garduno Miramar Lake - California March 25, 1990

Again they all creep upward to the current record..

Lets do Florida

1 20 pounds, 2 ounces Fritz Friebel Big Fish Lake - Florida May, 1923

2 19 pounds Riley Witt Tarpon Lake - Florida June 21, 1961

(I can only find 2 fish listed out of florida but it still goes with the logic I am trying to get across)

Again they all creep upward to the current record..  I can go on and on with every state but Every state but Georgia has weights creeping up to their current state record which atleast has a 5lb gap.  The second biggest Bass in Georgia I don't even think is 18lbs which I believe came out of Dodge PFA doesn't even make the top 25 biggest bass of all time.  I'm just using logic in my answers.  You are correct it doesn't prove it wrong but the odds are certainly stacked against it if you look at the previous stats/records.  

My prediction my good friend Mike Long from California will eventually break the 22lb 4 oz record..  

T Mike

[nwgabassmaster]

And when they do, there will be people on here, and around the world, that will dispute the validity of it.  

Personally, if I did catch a WR LM, I wouldn't let anyone know.  Sure, the fame and fortune would be nice, and being in the spotlight would be nice, no doubt, but having people say that it was a setup, that I somehow fixed the fish, or the scales, or paid people off.......etc., I wouldn't want it.

So, if he thinks that he wants that kind of attention, more power to him.

[KYbass1276]

Playmaker, that's where I will disagree with you. I've done a ton of research on this "record". Perry told Creek Chub he had photos of the fish in his many letters to them requesting free baits. He seemed to be hellbent on getting his due for catching this fish, he knew how or attempted to play the system, so he was at least aware that there was some stake in this record and tried to benefit from it.

He was even quoted several times telling people he caught the fish on several different lures. The thing was that he never produced that photo. Any idea why? Because he never caught a 22lb 4oz bass. The only photo I have seen of Perry holding a fish was one of him and a good fish of about 10lbs. Perry didn't submit this fish for the record, Field and Stream did and it took about a year and a half to be recognized.

Take this a little further by considering the recent trashing of the World Record smallmouth by the IGFA and its sudden reinstatement. Now this fish was indeed legit, weighed and photographed but a feud between fish camp owners suggested there were discrepancies in the story. The only thing was that it was an issue that had nothing to do with the fish or the gent who caught it. This record was ultimately reinstated due to pressure and public outcry.

My question is this and it is the point why I made this post in the first place......how could the smallmouth record be tossed despite the steps taken to certify it and the largemouth record has not been challenged in light of the holes in that story? No photo? C'mon.

This isn't a Cali vs. Georgia thing, the story just doesn't jive. I'd love to see a photo and since Perry claimed to have them, why hasn't one ever surfaced.

Oh yeah, I caught a 40lb largemouth here in Florida on a golf course using a Chuck Woolery Moto lure. I have a photo but I'm not posting it, can I have my all tackle record please??? LOL.

Hey earthworm77 where did you get your info on your research I'm not trying to dispute you or anything I would just like to read it if i can Maybe it might make reconsider my opinon. and in the interest of not starting a new post If someone thought they caught a record fish what would be the steps you would take to insure it was stated as a record. What I mean does it have to be alive when brought to the scales who has to weigh it to make it offical, what do you do if your fishing private waters and there is no close scales nearby what would someone do in that situation Me I don't have a boat and fish private ponds and lakes. I highly doubt that I will ever catch a world record fish but I am aiming for the state record.

[Triton_Mike]

Now John,  I would challenge ANYONE on this board to go to California and see how easy it is to catch a 10lb fish much less a 15lb fish.  Yes they are fed trout but that doesn't make them stupid and easy to catch.  THere are still TONS of serious anglers in California that still haven't caught a double digit fish.    I for one would love to see Georgia start gorging our spots with rainbows

Earthworm is right on.  There is alot of story swapping on George Perry's record.  He also stated for a while that he caught the big bass on one particular Creek Chub bait then it ended up being another model creek chub.  Sure anyone can doubt the legitimancy of a fish but when you start swapping stories thats where the red flag goes up.  

T Mike

[earthworm77]

Listen, Georgia guys, calm down, don't take it personally. I believe none of what I read and half of what I see and since this formula equates to a faux World Record, I don't buy it. It's my opinion. You can cry all you want about hand fed bass but when a California fish breaks the record, Perry's will be officially a footnote in history and nobody will care about the vitamin "T" raised bass in CA. After all these fish aren't in a 1 acre pond and you still have to catch them yourself. This being said, Triton Mike brought up a great point about the next largest bass being 5lbs smaller than the WR. The facts against this fish are suggesting it was not this large. I'm not saying Perry was a liar, maybe he was, that would explain the lack of a photo evidence despite his maintaining he had them. I'm sure he caught a big fish. I'm just convinced that the steps taken to acurrately and correctly verify this fish were not legitimate or lack too much detail for it to even be considered a record. Had it been done correctly we likely wouldn't be talking about it now.

This isn't some guy coming on a website and piping off about a 10lber he caught and doesn't show photos, this is the most cherished of records, maybe at the time it was an afterthought but to make a claim and actually be given this record, without proof casts doubt on the credibility of this sport. Most of you guys who are OK with this are from Perry's home state, it is understandable but looking in from the outside, it is a shame that this hasn't been challenged for almost 75 years. I just want to see the photos that Perry claimed he had. Why hasn't one surfaced. How can anyone be OK with that?

I wanted to compare the smallmouth and largemouth record. I couldn't understand why the smallmouth record was thrown out despite far superior documentation. I also thought it was laughable that it was reinstated after much public dismay. Politics swaying the IGFA? if that's the case, I just can't understand any record on the books without meeting a proper standard of documentation. Can anyone wholeheartidly support the mere story of the events that took place. Even if you are from the Georgia Motherland, you have to have doubts.

Bassnut, the first thing I would do is contact my Fish and Game commission to get an officer and certified scale and witness verification to certify the fish. IGFA has specific rules to follow, of which I am not too informed about. However, if you take that first step it will hold a lot of weight in the long run. When I lived in NY, I certified a tremendous number of fish over 5 pounds this way. Unless you get a true giant, it becomes a hassle. If you are shooting for a record, you deal with it. I took the steps to correctly certify several hundred large bass so I could provide a sense of credibility in case I did come across a record. I wanted to cross the "T"'s and dot the "I"'s. Like Mike Long, nobody is going to be too surprised when this guy catches the record, we all see it as when, not if.

[RoLo]

T_Mike

Lets do Florida

1 20 pounds, 2 ounces Fritz Friebel Big Fish Lake - Florida May, 1923

2 19 pounds Riley Witt Tarpon Lake - Florida June 21, 1961

(I can only find 2 fish listed out of florida but it still goes with the logic I am trying to get across)

It's even worse than that, because both of those bass are "uncertified".

Sobering but true, the largest certified Florida-strain bass ever taken in Florida weighed 17lb, 4oz.

(Billy O'Berry - 17lb, 4oz - 7/6/86 - Polk County, Florida)

That is to say, no certified 18-pound Florida-strain bass has ever been taken within the state of Florida!

Roger

[earthworm77]

RoLo 100% correct.

[Rattletrap]

I'm feeling a little "state pride" attitude going on in this room ;D

It seems to me that some are jealous that we own the record. We got the title that did not require an enlargement program. Perry earned it the natural way. ;D

[earthworm77]

Let me reiterate, this has nothing to do with any specific state, it has everything to do with credibility. d**n, some of you are so accepting of it that it is scary. If there was a photo.......

[Rattletrap]

IMO. I think there ought to be an astericks for any non-native species record.

[Rattletrap]

Hey. We own the record. Stop trying to disprove it and get over it.  

[earthworm77]

Hey. We own the record.

George Perry owns the record.

Rattle Trap, just curious, do you believe the WR was a Northern Strain Largemouth? That asterisk would likely apply to the current record. And a sidenote, as a former police officer, I spent a great deal of my time having to prove cases beyond a resonable doubt to make sure they were legit, this record doesn't even show a proponderance of evidence to support it. I'm from Florida, and I would want nothing more than my neighboring state to have a credible record. All points suggest otherwise though. Sorry, be proud for the time being, you have every right to. But don't you question why the second largest Georgia bass is more than 5lbs lighter? Nothing has come close and there is a reason for that.

[George Welcome]

Many large bass have been caught and never reported. The simple truth is there are many that don't know about the record and could care less.

The sad thing in this post is that none of you knew George Perry, more than likely, and yet you attack his character.

One other note in reference to strain: check with biologists to find the line where F1's start occuring. The bass caught by Mr. Perry was more than likely an F1, although it could also have been a Northern.

[janalon]

Now that's a great comment, yes, I would say if you have a problem with the record, then run break it man! I am sure the people from Georgia would be happy for you and your state. I doubt they would call your catch a scam, perhaps someone 70 years from now might.  

Many large bass have been caught and never reported. The simple truth is there are many that don't know about the record and could care less.

The sad thing in this post is that none of you knew George Perry, more than likely, and yet you attack his character.

[Captain Cali]

Now John,  I would challenge ANYONE on this board to go to California and see how easy it is to catch a 10lb fish much less a 15lb fish.  Yes they are fed trout but that doesn't make them stupid and easy to catch.  THere are still TONS of serious anglers in California that still haven't caught a double digit fish.    I for one would love to see Georgia start gorging our spots with rainbows

That is so true. Trophy hunters out here go many days without a single bite. Try getting 0 bites in 5 outings and having the will to do it again on the 6th outing. That's where most people don't have it in them.

This has nothing to do with Georgia vs. California. The only time they have anything to do with each other is when California breaks the record some people will say Georgia still holds it because we feed our bass with trout.  ;D   That is a whole other topic and debate though.

[earthworm77]

George, I'm saying the facts around this fish are suspect, I'm not knocking Perry. He may have been the most honest man in the world, or he may not have been, I don't think anyone commented on his character in this thread. My problem is the authenticity and facts or lack of surrounding the record the reason it stands as opposed to the reason the Smallmouth record was struck down. I'm certainly not accusing Perry of wrong doing although by changing his story and not providing a photo he claimed to have, one would be well within his right to at the very least be suspicious as I am. If you are sound with it, more power to you. I'm not.

As long as the record doesn't fall to Cuba, South Africa or Spain, I can at least be happy that a fish this large came from the USA.

[janalon]

I could have sworn the small mouth record was thrown out because of a bogus affidavit

Thank goodness it was re-instated.

Hey that's the ticket, go fill out an affidavit!

The real topic should be the soon to be breakage of the record, not that the orginal is a fake.

[Rattletrap]

What state owns the world record? GEORGIA!!! Stop trying to disprove our State record. I'm proud of our records. If you don't like me standing up for it, there are other forums you can move on to. If another State takes it, I can live with it. Geez guy..... >

[KU_Bassmaster.]

I don't think he has a problem with Georgia holding the record.  He has the problem with the RECORD itself no matter where it was.  The record (story) just happened to come from Georgia.

[janalon]

Most think it is legit I think, most give it the benefit of the doubt.

The fact being that there was not a whole lot of money involved would cause one to ask, why lie?

Now today that would be a different story yes?

Also, the research that I did some odd years ago, pointed out in a letter written by George to the fish and game commission that a photo was taken and sent in and never returned.

I guess George should have went o the local wally world and had a copy made?

[Triton_Mike]

rattletrap,  If you look at my avatar you'll clearly see that I am from Georgia myself.  I have no issue withwhatever state that has the record.  Just the facts or lack of that surrounds the so called record.

T Mike

Acworth, GA