World Record bass dead

[burleytog]

http://sports.espn.go.com/outdoors/fishing/news/story?page=world_record_bass_dies

From the article:

Jed Dickerson had just left Dixon Lake exhausted and was about to sit down for lunch when he got the call from Jim Dayberry, one of the Ranger supervisors with the park's lake division.

"You might want to come back down here," Dayberry told Dickerson at around 11:45 a.m. PT on Friday. "We just found Dottie floating on the north side of the lake."

There was a group of Rangers, including Dayberry, waiting for Dickerson on the dock, shaking their heads. Dickerson picked up the 19-pound dead bass and looked for the spot on her gills that had famously earned her the nickname "Dottie."

"Yup, that's her," Dickerson said. "It's over."

[Denea]

Thats a shame, a new dottie will be born soon and hopefully be a size and a half bigger.

[JerseyBassin]

ill just take my post from the bass pro shops forum and copy and paste it here:

sad to hear, agreed. however, after reading that article i got the vibe that this guy felt the fish was a personal belonging of his and he was the only one who could have it. almost sounded like he had an emotional relationship with the fish. i don't think he deserved to catch her and now im glad he can't.

also,

a lot of hype around that lake, anyone think it's going to become over fished, decreasing the chances of the world record bass coming from there? most people thought thats where the next record was going to come from. the article stated people from all over the US and Japan to try and catch the next record bass at dixon.

[burleytog]

That was Dickerson's fish as far as I'm concerned.  He put in his time.

[fourbizz]

it kicked her out in 2001 at 19 and change, you think that didnt make an 80 acre lake close to a metropolis heavily pressured?

it has been beat hard for a decade, and it will keep getting beat. there are  other very very big fish there.

[Mattlures]

That poor little lake gets beat to death. It would be nice to see it get some rest. HMMMM I wonder if any of her spawn might have a black birthmark under her mouth. HMMMMMMMM I wonder if they might get real big too. HMMMMMM what do you guys think

[Low_Budget_Hooker]

No Matt, I doubt it,.....now put the black sharpie away   ;D

[Josey Wales]

what was up with that bass's eyes? when they get that big do they bug out like that?  Freaky lookin IMO

[SenkoBasser]

i don't think he deserved to catch her and now im glad he can't.

Why do you think he didn't deserve to catch this bass? Just curious.

[Popeye]

Extremely saddened to hear of Dottie's demise! I still think there are some huge bass in Dixon. In fact, I hope to fish the lake a few times later this year. Bad thing is they don't allow float tubers or any personal boats. Bummer! Guess I'll have to rent one of their motorboats.

[X-Rap]

RIP Dotty

[dumb_dog11]

what was up with that bass's eyes? when they get that big do they bug out like that? Freaky lookin IMO

it bugs out bc its dead

that sucks to hear that this bass is dead

[fishfordollars]

That sucks, was hoping they would catch her later on

[Lavrax]

this is the same bass right??

--->

http://www.avidangler.net/photos/bass220.jpg

[dumb_dog11]

this is the same bass right??

--->

http://www.avidangler.net/photos/bass220.jpg

yes

[T-rig]

what was up with that bass's eyes? when they get that big do they bug out like that? Freaky lookin IMO

it bugs out bc its dead

It's because of old age.

Same bug eyes.

[hawgonaline]

Oh man, the magic of Dixon has lost something special this week.  It will be a long time before the fishing gods present another opportunity like this one.

I am just happy to be a part of it and to have had my chance.  After 5 seasons, I had my chance on March 19th, 2006 (the day before she was brought to the surface).  At around one o'clock on that day, I actually showed Mac and Jed where the fish was in return to use their cell phone to call my wife to tell her I wasn't coming home anytime soon.  Unfortunately I wasn't able to clost the deal that day and I wasn't able return the next day.  Then I got the news the next day that they snagged her and it was 25 pounds!  You want to talk about nightmares and could-of, should-of, would-of syndom.  The horror, the horror.

Every drive up to the lake the last 8 seasons has always been met with the recognition that perhaps this could be the day.  the day the world record gets broken!  That is probably the coolest and most inspirational feelings for me as I fisherman,  I WILL miss that feeling.  It is the reason I fished Dixon, religiously, all the time.  

It has been a great hunt and I will miss the tireless hours and competivenese of this once in a lifetime experience.  It is a memory that I will carry with me for the rest of my life.

And to think, I was just at the lake yesterday and went over the spot where she floated up twice!  I apparently was just a hour early.  

So goes the chase and the obsession.  It ends with the greatest largemouth showing her massive size size off one more time for all of to gaze upon!  Thank you Lake Dixon for providing so many of us with chance at the dream!

Kyle Malmstrom.  

[thetr20one]

Sad because a fish actually live long enough to grow that big? There is no way anybody on this earth could make me believe that there are not many, many largemouth in that weight range. Am I wrong to think multiple bass in the same year class, in the same lake and eating the same forage are present? IMO the next world record will be out of Mexico because of the much larger less pressured lakes. Tilapia get at least as heavy as a 12" rainbow trout problably.   HHHMMMMMMMM? Maybe Dottie had been give FGH (fish growth hormone) over the course of being caught a couple times. Honestly I think the next world record will be caught by some lucky guy on a vacation to mexico. Could be anybody!

[roadwarrior]

Hawgonaline,

Great post.

Welcome aboard!

8-)

[reelnmn]

Mattlures, hawgonaline, and others close the situation,

Is Dottie being scientifically examined?  IE tissue samples, aging, etc.

If so will it be released publically?  There is a lot to learn from this incredible fish.

[hawgonaline]

Yes, apparently that is all going down on Monday.  I am supposed to get a call to go up there for when they unwrap her.  

i would imagine they will publicly release that info.

km

[rondef]

What a shame, hopefully her offspring will get just as big if not bigger.

[Tin]

what was up with that bass's eyes? when they get that big do they bug out like that? Freaky lookin IMO

it bugs out bc its dead

that sucks to hear that this bass is dead

Her eyes are bugged out after they snagged her also. You see it a lot with those El Salto bass as well. :-/

[TheBeast]

Have to agree with IronWalnuts, Dickerson deserved that fish as much as anyone and had good reason to have a strong emotional attachment to it, it has been his whole life for the past many years.

I have to agree as well that the record will most likely come from El Salto or Falcon or one of these bigger more southern lakes that have the extremely long growing seasons and with the evergrowing awareness of the world record and the measures anglers take to preserve big fish and release them in good shape to keep growing.

[paul.]

what a shame.  well, i guess they all have to die sometime.  i also believe there are more state and world record bass swimming around out there than most folks believe or realize.  my money is still on cali for the world record with texas second.  the general opinion among experts that i have read is that mexican water gets too hot to produce a record class fish.  they grow fast and big, but "burn out" quickly due to the extreme temps.  but i also saw a video of wild bill skinner (i think that's his name anyway) have one on that he lost that was a possible world record.  it jumped right beside the outboard motor of the boat and looked at least as big.  i'll have to see if i can find that.  it's on you tube i think.    

it is not often that an animal of any kind reaches the celebrity status that this fish did - especially a wild animal.  tragic loss.