The current World Record Largemouth

[Rattletrap]

The only reason Cali is producing big bass is because of the program they have in place. Which I think is a good program. But without it, Cali would not even be mentioned as big bass state today. 20lb bass are not the norm without human help. That's the facts.

Rattletrap, You don't know squat, Cali doesn't have any programs in place for Bass. If you know of some, please post them. What human help? What facts? Cali stock trout in the winter for everday people to catch. IE.....they make alot of money off of park use fees and fishing permits each time you go, not like in my state, you only need a fishing license once. In So Cal., every time you go fishing, you need a day use permit, fishing permit, and a ramp fee if launching a boat.

What are the bass eating in the spring, summer, and early fall? Not stocked trout. Only the ones that survived, and most of them averaged a half pound when stocked have grown. So that would eliminate some bass that feed on trout. Those that do survive (trout)go as deep as 70 ft to escape summer temps and that means those super bass would be living that deep also which I don't find hard to believe, cause in the winter we would fish 50ft deep on a regular basis.

Those are the facts!!!!!!! And the fact is, yours don't add up.

Thank you Matt_Fly.

20lb bass did not just appear in the 90's. Before the 90's you did not here anything from Cali. It was the human help of stocking non-native Florida strain bass into Cali lakes. Human help man. Facts again....

[earthworm77]

Unfortunately the idea you brought up is true for many. Bass Master does little more than adorn my bathroom for some quick reference. I've paid little attention to it. It is not the higher authority or even a hugely credible one. Hell, it is a horrible barometer for the pulse of bass fishing as a sport. If you know anything about me, I'm no fan of the accolades Pro's get. Like I said earlier, I don't believe anything that I read.

My point is a fish that big, that close to the world record, would generate interest and it would surely get a footnote, likely in several mags. It would get people swirling about more fish that big at that location, it is certainly newsworthy. Consider that there have been 4 or 5 20+ bass caught ever and now perhaps you can understand the magnitude of it. We are talking about the most pursued record of all time.

[earthworm77]

RattleTrap, your Georgia bass are Florida F1's...man made help. Your throwing stones at your own Glass House.

California does not stock trout to feed the bass, they have a tremendous trout fishery and bass happen to benefit from it. At one time there was talk about eradicating bass to protect the trout.

Please stop the insanity.  :-X

[Triton_Mike]

I am going against what I have said about Japan.  After thinkign about it I don't think Japan will have much of a chance at the WR.  #1 reason is the lakes are fished extremely hard.  I don't think there is a lake in the US that is fished as hard as the lakes in Japan.  Primarily due to the lack of big lakes in Japan and the amount of anglers in Japan.  I had a decent talk with Minoru Segawa the president of Lucky Craft about fishing in Japan and the stories he told me of fishing pressure just blew my mind.  THere is a reason why Lucky Craft has so many technique specific baits to cater to Japan ie due to extreme fishing pressure in Japan.  Now there might be a private lake type deal in Japan that might be able to produce.  But who knows.  I don't know enough about Africa to comment on them.  

T Mike

[Rattletrap]

I'm not sure about your F-1 stuff, but Largemouth bass are native to the East coast. George Perry's was a native LMB. It was not stocked. All states West of the Mississippi got stocked. Georgia has been stocked (to replenish the natives that have been there from the beginning of time) since George Perry's record, not before. Georgia's owns the all natural World Record LMB. Hopefully for 70 more years. Man, all you guys getting upset because Georgia maintains the record. There is more to life than Bass fishing.  ;D

[Matt Fly]

When on Fork, I try to be seen at numerous marinas, I give my business to lots of owners.   Not trying to be seen or boast about catches, but maybe learning a tid bit, a morsel of info where some of the better ones have been.    People have a tendency to give more info to those they know or think they know.  

The last thing I want to do is drill some owner for having a replica of a dead bass and a sign that said " 20 lber found floating dead".   I am already seeking info and the last thing I want to do is drill the owner with 20 questions,  Was that scale certified, who originally found it.   Why did it die?   What marina weighed it? Do you really think it weighed 20lbs?  What was the measurements?  

Theres a replica at Mustang resort of the dead 20lber.  Does it make it so?   Don't care, because I like to believe theres one out there with my name on it.   And you guys are raining on my parade, LOL

One thing that separates a lot of big bass being caught is live bait.   Most of the original trophy hunters used crawldads in Cali,   #1 bait.   Don't care what they say, I know what I saw every time I went fishing.    Most bass fishermen turn up their lip to livebait fishermen.    Since I grew up with a cane pole and worms, I don't care if you are carp fishing and caught the world record bass.  If its legal catch, its legal.     How many 20 lbers are there out there?    Artificial or live, the odds of catching one is astronomical.   The records attest to that.

The right climate, forage base, and the right location will grow the largest bass.  

Mexico has partnered with Tx biologists for the past years trying to raise bigger bass.   They have less pressured waters, Tilapia for a food source, restricted harvest and restricted season lengths,  anotherwords, they protect bass with all means.  Like deer season, its not an open season year around on bass.   Mexico has seen an interest in Mexican bass fishing, the amount of money it brings in.   Money being spent in Mexico has stepped up that program.    

[Rattletrap]

I am going against what I have said about Japan. After thinkign about it I don't think Japan will have much of a chance at the WR. #1 reason is the lakes are fished extremely hard. I don't think there is a lake in the US that is fished as hard as the lakes in Japan. Primarily due to the lack of big lakes in Japan and the amount of anglers in Japan. I had a decent talk with Minoru Segawa the president of Lucky Craft about fishing in Japan and the stories he told me of fishing pressure just blew my mind. THere is a reason why Lucky Craft has so many technique specific baits to cater to Japan ie due to extreme fishing pressure in Japan. Now there might be a private lake type deal in Japan that might be able to produce. But who knows. I don't know enough about Africa to comment on them.

T Mike

I saw a photo of a tournament going on in Japan. It was hard to see the water with all those boats in it. Talk about fishing pressure.

[Triton_Mike]

Trap,  I really don't think any of us having a problem with Georgia holding the World Record.  Heck I would love for nothing more to say it was caught out of Allatoona my home lake and that there was a WR or 3 in there LOL.  It's the fact that their are some variations of stories and lack of evidence that we dispell the validity of the world record.  I personally don't care which state the next World Record comes out of as long as it is documented properly and the background of the fish is shady.

Mike

[RoLo]

I have my druthers about Perry's record bass (to say the very least),

but if that record is indeed factual, it would not be attributable to man's intervention.

The Florida-strain bass was named after the state of Florida, but quite obviously

bass do not obey political boundaries. The natural range of Florida-strain bass

embraces the state of Florida as well as the southern reaches of Georgia.

Further, there is a band in Georgia where the natural ranges of Florida-strain

and northern-strain bass overlap and naturally interbreed. These natural cross-breeds

are known as "intergrade bass". Though a hard line cannot be drawn, I've read that

natural intergrades may extend as far north as Lake Chatuge, SC, but this is conjecture.

Roger

[RoLo]

T Mike,

I am going against what I have said about Japan. After thinkign about it I don't think Japan will have much of a chance at the WR. #1 reason is the lakes are fished extremely hard.

Are there no private lakes in Japan?

Roger

[Vyron]

 The Japanese Record Bass!

           19.15lb!

[RoLo]

Now I know where my lunch box went!

[Lightninrod]

"Lightninrod make no mistake about it Dodge County has some TOADS in it!! I hope Varner can produce those kinds of fish in the near future."

Ft. Stewart fish

Mike: Just to be sure others know, that first link was to Bass caught at Ft. Stewart, GA. I need to get my lazy butt over there ;D!

Dan

[Rattletrap]

I'm just a little over zealous with this record thing. I don't like agruing with my fellow bass fishermen. I apologize if I offended anybody. I just hope the record remains in the United States. Keep on Bassin!!! Tightlines!!!  

[KU_Bassmaster.]

I don't think anyone has offended anyone. It's just a good ole' fashion debate. Consider it sitting at the bar, throwing back a few beers with your buddies, debating on something that no one can prove 100%. 8-)

[dodgeguy]

e.w,i'm still trying for a new york state record out of titicus!!!never mind trying for that world record bass!!! ;D

[Mattlures]

Rattletrap. I am not wrong about the measure ments not adding up. Here are some numbers for you.

George Perrry

22 lbs. 4 ounces

Length: 32.5 inches

Girth 28.5 inches

Mike Long

20 lbs. 12 ounces

Length: 27 inches

Girth: 27 inches

Jed Dickerson

21.11.2 lbs.

Length: 28 1/2 inches long

Girth: 26 3/4 inches

These are the largest bass that I could find measurements and weight for.

first compare Dickersons bass to Long's

Dickersons bass is an 1 1/2 in longer and 1/4 in less in girth and the diference in weight is about 1 pound.

Now compare Dickersons fish to Perry's

Perr'ys fish was 4INCHES LONGER!!!!!!!! LET ME REPEAT THAT 4 INCHES LONGER!!!!! ok now look at the girth.........ok it is 1 3/4 in fatter........... So lets get this straight. Perry's fish is 4 inches longer and 1 3/4in fatter. but it only weighs 1/2 lb more? To me this is the most obvious proof that the record is a hoax.

BTW bass weight calculators are never accurate through the intire range of bass weights. They are usualy good at fish under 10 lbs and become less accurate as the fish get bigger.

Now do you see why Perr'ys fish should have weighed at least 25lbs

[Rattletrap]

I guess that measurement stuff does not work. I never tried it out in the field yet. It must be something about how dense the fish is also. Oh well. As long as the record stays in the US. Right?

[dodgeguy]

it's entirely possible for a longer fish to be lighter than a shorter one.there are to many variables.what time of year were they caught?did any of them have eggs?if you catch one that was just feeding it could be heavier.maybe perry's scale was wrong and his fish was actually heavier?

[Vyron]

For humans, muscles are heavier than fat.

if u compare 2 people that have the same size,if the one is more muscular than the other he ll weight more.

If the same applies for bass 2 ,the nutrition of the bass (protein) will affect its weight.

This is I believe the reason  u c differnces 2 the weight of bass that have the same length and girth

[Mattlures]

Perry's fish was way longer and fatter! It wasnt just longer. It could be off by a little but thats not a little. Perry's fish should have been at least 25lbs.

[buzzbaitfool12]

Great post...took me ten minutes to read everything.   My comments on a few things...T-Mike..I dont think that just because we havent accumulated catches close to the record it debunks it...I mean Mr Dunahoo caught a 17lber out of lanier like in the 60s and nothing near that has come out since...The gentlemen in a earlier post commented on the ecological enviroments of each lake...To me each lake has a certain span when it will produce top quality bass...If we did ever stock trout in our lakes it would probably "juice the population" but I dont think that Lanier would ever produce a wr bass...Its kinda like a seven foot people it just doesnt happen to often but it can and I think that any of the states mention have a chance at the wr in the right circumstances...

To earthworm...great points, however pictures are in no given terms, are actual evidence of how big a fish is..Heck when I take a picture it adds 20lbs to my frame...My point is even with the technology of todays cameras can be ok at best ,how about pictures back in the 20 and 30.  I dont think there was ever a picture taken of the fish, I think he played it up so he could get more equipment to fish...Heck when the fish was supposedly caught him and his friend shared one rod and reel and one lure..Think about that if you had to do that today..You might try to parlay that catch into a few more rods/reels and lures...but to question everything that happens is insane..its kind of like the oj simpson case..I wasnt there so its hard to make a solid argument but I know in my opinion the sob was guilty but no matter what i think the facts will never change....But I do know one thing whether it is true or not im gonna go out each time hoping that the next bucket mouth I catch is the wr...lol

[earthworm77]

Buzz, you are right, such a prestigious record should have at least a photograph for proof.

[Guest bigtex]

I am checking into the validity of 4 dead 20lbers found at Fork. I know a gentleman that has guided on fork since 1990. If theres a dead 20lber he would know about it and like Earthworm stated we would have heard about it somewhere!!

I think Duclos claimed his fish to be 24lbs cause he thought the record was 27lbs so he snapped a few pictures and released it.

T Mike

Have you found any information on the dead fish floating?  I remember hearing something along that line but can't recall enough information to comment on it.  I will check around on it myself.  I got a few gamewarden friends.  If I'm not mistaken I believe that a game warden found the fish.  I also believe that they said it looked like a big with trash bag floating in the water so they went by to fish it out and found that it was a bass that was later weighted at over 22 lbs or pretty close.  Like I said before I don't have all the facts or correct information on it and if I find out that this is just a  myth I promise to post it.

But as far as Texas getting the WR bass,  it is in my OPINION that it is very possible.  The biggest bass is an 18.18 lbs in Texas which is only 4 lbs away from the record.  You will see soon that Cali will have a run for its money.  

Just ask LBH about Lake Fork.  He is coming down and will catch the WR out of Fork.  LOL ;D

[roadwarrior]

Good luck Texas, Florida, Georgia and Mexico. California is within ounces, not pounds.