The 25lb Bass

[rippin_lips]

This thread is defiantly an interesting read.  As with any sporting achievement, there are always going to be questions surrounding a record.  Just look at Barry Bonds and the whole steroid situation.  In all, I think it is amazing how much time and effort these guys put into catching this one fish.  

I also just ordered the book Sowbelly, it looks like a very interesting read during winter.

[paul.]

a couple of questions for thought:

do ya'll think that with all the scrutiny there will ever be a bulletproof, airtight certification of a world record bass?  this record seems to have become almost sacred.  will perry's mark stand forever?

this record and more specifically the guys who chase it seem to polarize people in their opinions.  either they are adored almost to the point of worship (i understand mike long has a cult following in japan) or they are hated, ridiculed, and distrusted.  when it's all said and done, how do y'all think history will judge the man who finally breaks perry's mark?  

the rewards that will come with this record will be nice.  but when it comes right down to it do y'all think that anyone who is seriously chasing the fish is doing it for any reason other than just to be the one who caught it?  i mean these guys have achieved almost celebrity or rock star status.  but it comes with a price.  all the secrecy they have to maintain inevitably leads people to believe they are cheating or lying somehow.  otherwise why wouldn't there be pictures?  if there are pictures, why don't they show up until months or years later?  why are the backgrounds altered?  why can't they "prove" any of the things they've supposedly done?  these are only a few of the questions these guys have to deal with on a regular basis i'm sure.  i can't see another reason in the world (other than monetary perhaps) that someone would want to chase this record.  it would have to be simply because they wanna be the guy who catches it.    

[Muddy]

Hey Paul it is just another part of a wide ranging spot. Bass fishing ain't so simple anymore for some

I fish to have simple enjoyment.

Manipulating headlines, trying to get people who are already on a spot off it, trying to cash in with a Lloyds Of London (Gambling) Policy, is a bit over the edge for me, not for the Trophy Hunters

Claiming a World Record Bass, not on the list is stretching things a bit.

And saying it was broken more than once, but not recorded, again it leaves me uncomfortable. If is does make the list then I will apologize, until then I just ain't feelin it,

Also: These guys can chase those trophies BECAUSE THEY ARE THERE. Look you can catch a Stripped Bass in a lot of impoundments, but the big ladies are caught in Oceans and Rivers from Maryland < North. THEY LIVE There, in order to catch a giant they have to be there in the first place. Cali therefore holds the edge in the chase for the next record , because that is where the bigguns live.

There are more fish over 10 lbs in Texas on The Fork alone than my whole state.

[Mattlures]

Muddy.....Yep you are correct sir. I consider myself a very good deer hunter. However we only have small bucks where I live I will never be in any record books.

Paul You sir are also corect. For myself, I want to be the guy who catches it. Its not about the money. I dont think anybody would just hand over money because you catch the record. You would have to earn it by doing seminars and talking at shows ect. I wouldnt do that. I dont like being in the spotlight. I might do some interviews and maybe do some adds but that would be it. I dont think I would make much money off of it. For me its the hunt, the chase and wanting to be the guy who caught the biggest bass. I absolutley believ the record can and will be broken and certified. I think the IGFA wants the record to be broken(good for buisiness) It will just take it happening legitimatley. If Duclos would have killed his fish he would be the record holder. If Mike Long or John Kerr was on Dottie that morining I belive they would have broken the record. I also would have liked my chances.

WRB You are correct sir. The IGFA has several rules about aditional hooks. I bleive you can have a single trap hook on the back of a jig as long as it does not extend past the skirt. I have several special bed baits rigged to give the best chance at landing a giant bass. However I keep one bait on hand that I know will be IGFA aproved.

You bring up an interesting piont though. The spirit of that rule is to prevent lures being used to snagg fish. That is why all trebles must be free swinging. I wonder what would happen if somebody caught the WR on a swimbait with an imbeded hook. On the surface the catch would not be allowed but if it came down to that I wonder if the IGFA would budge? I think they would.

[Muddy]

Hey Mat can you help me out here; What is an imbeded hook?

If any one breaks it I hope it's you or Fourbizzle 8-)

[Mattlures]

An imbeded hook means that one hook of a treble hook is pushed into the plastic body while the other two hooks of the treble are exposed. This makes the hook less visable and more weedless. The IGFA states that all treble hooks must be free swinging

[Muddy]

Thanks.

[5bass]

 If Mike Long or John Kerr was on Dottie that morining I belive they would have broken the record.  

Matt, now that you mention it, I wonder why Long and Kerr were not there? They obviously knew that Dottie was in there and in spawning mode.  

[NYfishwow]

Jed Dickerson and his two compadres on his show kind of goofy in my opinion for a bass fisherman to use a scuba diver and UV... come on! the dude doesn't need all crap. show is boring in my opinion.

[Mattlures]

Its not a matter of knowing she was in there. We all knew she was in there. Those guys just worked harder then anybody else for their shot at her. They were there everysingle day during the spawning months. can you imagin that? It cost about $30 to rent a boat plus your daily permit. They were the first ones at the lake every morning Also about a week before Dottie was caught at 25.1 Mike caught one from the same lake at 21.5. He never reported it because he knew that was not the one he was after. He also said a scale sample showed his fish was older then Dottie. Mike also took a scale sample when he caught Dottie and I belive she was around 10 years old at 20lbs 12 oz

Nat Geo asked Mike to use his picture of him and Dottie for this show but he didnt want to be in it.

[5bass]

Its not a matter of knowing she was in there. We all knew she was in there. Those guys just worked harder then anybody else for their shot at her. They were there everysingle day during the spawning months.

Thats what I'm saying....why werent Long and Kerr the first ones in line at the park each day? Or at least on the lake somewhere. Not bashing, just wondering why they wouldn't make the same effort as Jed & Co.

[fourbizz]

Its not a matter of knowing she was in there. We all knew she was in there. Those guys just worked harder then anybody else for their shot at her. They were there everysingle day during the spawning months.

Thats what I'm saying....why werent Long and Kerr the first ones in line at the park each day? Or at least on the lake somewhere. Not bashing, just wondering why they wouldn't make the same effort as Jed & Co.

Because they have real jobs and a functional family life ;D

[WRB]

Matt, adding a trap or stinger hook to ant lure that is not designed specifically for that purpose is illegal in accordance with IGFA rules.

Bass jigs do not come with a stinger hook, some walleye jigs do.

Swimbaits can have an optional stinger hook hanger, most don't. My interpretation is you can add an imbedded stinger attached with a line or wire; if you attach it to a hanger manufacturered for adding additional hooks. You can't add a stinger attached to another hook or hook eye. Several trophy bass fisherman have modified swimbaits that are illegal I.A.W. the IGFA rules.

There is no excuse for trap hooking a jig, or fishing with a treble hook in a bed.

Lake Fork is past it'e prime, no bass over 15 lbs in 10 years.

WRB

[Triton_Mike]

Hey Paul man i like your way of thinking.

Did you read the book Sowbelly?

If you look at my first post when i said "The Game"

thats exactly how i look at it.It just wasn't about

Dottie.It was a big Mental, physical (meaning two

to three hours of sleep a nite) and political game.

You know, we just talk about three or four day's of their

life.But think of how much time they spent out there?

800+days for one fish. WOW

The book sowbelly is a joke.  I know Mike Long threw Burke out of the boat when they fished together as all he was interested in was dirt.  If you want a good book get Bill Murphy's book.  

Mike

[Triton_Mike]

BTW,  If you want a better video quality of the 25.1 fish I saved this link that was made about her shortly after Dottie died.

http://mfile.akamai.com/12922/wmv/vod.ibsys.com/2008/0511/16227749.200k.asx

[Mattlures]

five.bass.limit They knew she was in the lake. They probably didnt know she was up spawning. Kyle had found her the day before. I am sure that the guys who were at the lake that day didnt go home and tell everybody. They kept it quiet in hopes that they would be the first to get their the next morning.

Plus Bizz is correct. Both Mike and John have wifes kids and Jobs. Mike runs a construction Co and John is a manager at a grociery store.  They could not be at the lake every day like Jed and Mac could.

However I am sure if they knew she was up they probably would have made an effort.

The spawning season can last 3-4 months on a lake Even though you know she will come up you dont know when, plus you dont know is sha already did and you never know for sure if she is still alive. Prety much the only way to give yourself the best shot was to be the first one at the lake EVERY SINGLE DAY. That to me is not how I wanted to live nore could I afford it. I picked a few prime days each month and drove up there to look for her. I obviously never found her but I did find others and caught big fish. I also lost a monster while throwing a big swimbait that I will never know how big it realy was.

[Catt]

WRB for your information

ShareLunker Archives Lake Fork

02/28/1999 Flo O'Brain 16.63

04/04/1999 Terry Dale Garner 15.17

03/22/2002 Jim Harrell 16.12

03/22/2002 Johnny Six 15.65

02/21/2006 Billy Pfeil 15.5

03/10/2007 Michael Gray 15.32

I wouldn't call it past its prime when you can't determine if it's the lake, the anglers, or the bass. At 27,300 acres its a little harder location 1% of the bass population than it would be in a 70 acre pond.

paul great observation on Trophy Hunters while I have never been around true trophy bass hunters I have been around some amazing Deer, Bear, Duck/Geese, Elk, & Alligator hunters. To be a trophy hunter after any species you must be willing to spend an above average amount of time in the field because becoming a successful trophy hunter can not taught in a class room. I don't think it can be taught at all; think it's something you're born with, a second sense if you will.

[Boogey Man]

I have a question but it's kinda off track. Are the trout stocked in these lakes for trout fishing or primarily to feed these giant bass? Or both?

[Jaheff]

Crankenstein,

Trout was stocked in So. Cal for recreational purposes.

It was later they thought something was wrong with the

the bass in the lakes because they were getting fat.Im sure

it didn't take long for them to figure out the bass were eating

the trout.

During trout season, on hodges the trout anglers out number the bass anglers 8/1

[Muddy]

Hey Jaheff I have noticed a similar correlation between the intake of large quantities of home made Ravioli and all my fat uncles!

[Jaheff]

I meant to say Dixon not hodges.Hodges has

no trout but has a Bass on the top 20 list.

[5bass]

five.bass.limit They knew she was in the lake. They probably didnt know she was up spawning. Kyle had found her the day before. I am sure that the guys who were at the lake that day didnt go home and tell everybody. They kept it quiet in hopes that they would be the first to get their the next morning.

Plus Bizz is correct. Both Mike and John have wifes kids and Jobs. Mike runs a construction Co and John is a manager at a grociery store. They could not be at the lake every day like Jed and Mac could.

However I am sure if they knew she was up they probably would have made an effort.

The spawning season can last 3-4 months on a lake Even though you know she will come up you dont know when, plus you dont know is sha already did and you never know for sure if she is still alive. Prety much the only way to give yourself the best shot was to be the first one at the lake EVERY SINGLE DAY. That to me is not how I wanted to live nore could I afford it. I picked a few prime days each month and drove up there to look for her. I obviously never found her but I did find others and caught big fish. I also lost a monster while throwing a big swimbait that I will never know how big it realy was.

Thats what I was looking for. I thought Long and Kerr had abandoned all else and just went around fishing for the WR all the time, stopping to win a tournament here and there.

[Muddy]

This thread, touching many edgy topics has been one of the best give and takes here in a long while. I have learned much and i just want to thank all who have participated,GREAT THREAD FELLAS>

[5bass]

This thread, touching many edgy topics has been one of the best give and takes here in a long while. I have learned much and i just want to thank all who have participated,GREAT THREAD FELLAS>

I agree.

[Jaheff]

In my closing....

I tried to give a perspective of a trout turned bass angler at dixon.

I would have one pole out for trout and drop shot for bass most of the

time with my bass rig.( that right there on the political side of it, would be scrutinized if i accidentally hooked the big one.Was he using trout as

bait?)I fished Dixon 40-45 times a year. Most of that was after work for a few hours.

There is only four things I can draw from for my conclusions of this whole thing.

1. Meeting Jed a couple times

2.seeing the game being played with my own two eyes.(In the book,They touch a little bit on it,And Matt knows what I'm talking about.)

3.What I have read about.

4.Dock talk

I will touch on number four.Dottie to us stupid dock anglers was known

as the million dollar fish.Why, I have no idea? Not Dottie.The times I

was there,I have only had one conversation like we are having here.It just was not talked about.If you went to Dixon on any given day you would not know there was the world record in that lake.It was just another lake, on just another day.When Jed would go by The dock in his boat he was just another fisherman to everyone on the dock.

Ok, I'm rambling on and don't know where to End, but I hope you understand a little bit. This is just a lousy bass fisherman's perspective, but

I'm getting better thanks to all you guy's at BR....