Ha ! I did catch the lake record Smallie !!!

[Grey Wolf]

That is one beautiful smallie!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[BucketmouthAngler13]

Great job! Simply amazing!

To remove any doubt from anyone's mind, here is a close up i did. It is sertainly the same fish.

Notice the bottom left one. No doubt about it.

[Fish Chris]

Thank you Bucketmouth. As I have said, one of my specialties is in being able to compare bass (ususally Largemouths) side by side. In some cases it can be much more difficult, with the fish being "washed out" in one photo or the other.... or bad lighting, or simply, a bad photo.

But in any case, on a scale of 1 to 10.... 1 being the easiest to identify as the same fish, and 10 being the toughest, I'd consider this compairison to be about a 1 or a 2.

Apparently some people can see that the blotches are in fact, the same on both fish, but don't have enough experience to know that these markings are unique among every individual fish. This is the only thing that would explain why some people will look at photos like these, and still not be 110% sure.

Peace,

Fish

PS, There are several other ways to confirm a match though, such as pigmentation (birth) marks, old scars or injuries, irregularities in the fins, etc.

[Bassassasin12]

That's awesome. Hope you find the perfect replica! Will there be a link for the newspaper article??!!?

[john087]

How much did that fish weigh? It's a total football, reminds me of a fall great lakes smallie!

[Fish Chris]

Hey John, if you haven't already, you can read the full "Whooo Hooo" thread below, with all the details.....

But to answer your question specifically, she weighed 8.50 lbs on a certified digital scale.

Peace,

Fish

[FatBoy]

Now I have got to meet this kid, and thank him profusely for releasing that fish...... and I think I am even going to have to like buy him a sweet new rod and reel or something !

A new combo AND your going to have a replica made for him?  Wow!

Um, now that I think about it, I caught that very same fish myself.  I think I even have a pic.  Yeah, here it is.

See, that's definitely the same fish.  No doubt about it.  Do I get a combo too?

Fish, you are one amazing angler!!!

[Fish Chris]

Ha ! :-) LOL

That oughta' at least be worth like a Snoopy combo or something, huh ? :-)

Honestly though, I was thinking about getting the guy a nice rod and reel combo "before" I came up with the idea for a replica. Not both. I mean , yea', I'm a nice guy and all, but I'm also a poor guy ;-)

Now the big problem is, we haven't been able to find a replica for a Smallie this size and shape :-( There is such a technology as 3D laser scanning, and CNC milling, or Rapid Prototyping (which would allow us to choose a 6 or 7 lb'er of the right proportions, and scale up by any %)..... But we might be looking at $5000 to $6000 for two replicas !!! Yikes ! I guess for some guys, that might not be a problem...... But for me, 5 to 6K is a LOT of cash !

But anyway, its pretty much like sticking a big bass in the first place..... If their is a will, their is a way ! :-)

Peace,

Fish

[SteveFinMD]

Wow, Chirs, what a problem!  Your fish is so big it broke the mold.  Keep searching the net, you may luck out and find on the right size.  I totally understand your concern about the cost.  I'm afraid I would just have to hand a life size photo on my wall.  Wait a minute...my wall might not be big enough for that catch.  Good luck.

[zara spook]

Awesome fish chris, and an even more awesome gesture for the kid.  You deserve a hand

[woodpro1102]

That is the same fish and is amazing to say the least.  Awesome job my friend.

Alex

[TheNextMikeIke]

Absolutely incredible.  Way inspiring.

And--with no scientific expertise whatsoever to back this up--I'm 100% convinced that fish is a hybrid of some sort.  My money is on a largemouth & smallie cross.

Drums,

Sorry if the fish is certified Lake record then it is a smallmouth my friend

[roadwarrior]

Wrong...

It's just a very nice smallmouth. Go back and take a closer look at the Hayes' fish, the World Record. In terms of shape and coloration, they are very much the same. The smallmouth Fish_Chris is a very nice fish, but it is a pure smallmouth...No doubt about it.

[Ozarkie]

Chris what are the measuremnts of that fish?  I do some prelicas and have some molds of big smallies. I also have some friends taxidermist that dont sell their blanks to just any old taxidermist. I may be able to find one from one them.

The problem with what most replicas that the regular taxidermist has access to is that the maker will sell to anyone and you end up with production.

Anywhay whats the measure,ments and I will check for you.

[Fish Chris]

Hey Ozarkie, it had a 22" length, and a 20" girth.

Thank you for checking,

Peace,

Fish

[Guest btlva]

I'm with drums...that fish looks like a hybrid. Either Largemouth/smallie or spot/smallie. My money's on spot/smallie. Smallmouth are well known to cross-breed with both species. There have been certified state record fish caught before that were later determined to be hybrids, or in some cases, a different species altogether.

Whatever the case, that is one fantastic bass, absolutely beautiful. Congratulations on an awesome catch!

[roadwarrior]

I don't understand why this keeps coming up. Hybrids are actually VERY rare in nature. I have only caught one and no one else I have ever meet has ever seen a meanmouth, few have even heard of them. This particular SMALLMOUTH shares nearly every observable characteristic with the pictures posted of the CERTIFIED World Record. Do you think the Fish_Chris really looks much different than the picture of the fat fish in my avatar? I don't.

[Dan:]

Come on, RW, it looks very different from your fish--much stouter and different general color and patterns. This is  stupid to argue, there's no way to tell for sure now. Who cares anyway, it's a fantastic fish no matter what.

BTW, Chris, will you be keeping up the smallie fishing now that the weather is getting warmer or are you gonna go for the greenies?

[Fish Chris]

Hello btlva. I tried finding my long answer, to why I believe the fish is a pure Smallmouth..... but lost that post now.

Anyway, the gist of it is, it is exceedingly uncommon for Smallmouths to "naturally" interbreed with Largemouths..... a little more common with Spotted Bass, but there are no Spots in this lake.

The other thing is, so many people (most) will look straight to the color, as the first indicator, while any trained biologists will barely consider this aspect, noting that colors can vary so much, depending a whole long list of factors.

I remember when I first saw the WR Spotted bass (not the current one... but the one right before that) I got all bent out of shape, and was hollering, "These idiots don't even know the difference between a Spotted bass and a Smallie" !!! ...... So then I got in touch with the Ca DFG Senior biologist at that time, a buddy of mine by the name of Dennis Lee. Dennis explained the whole list of things they used to determine the actual species.... Scale counts, fin rays, teeth patch on tongue, etc..... Then went on to say, "Yes, the color sure looked a lot like a Smallie".... Which just goes to show why color is so "not to be trusted".

......To which I replied, "You da' man..... But I'm learning" :-)

Oh hey, I just found that picture ! Here was the official, certified by trained biologists, World Record "Spotted Bass" of 9 lb 9.6 oz ! Can you see why I thought every one was losing there minds ???

Interesting stuff....

Peace,

Fish

Oh hey Dominion, I'm pretty much chasing the big green ones now :-)

[Dan:]

Do you like LM more than SM? I think I prefer catching SM but I haven't caught trophy sizes of either fish so I don't know how they would compare at that level.

[roadwarrior]

Pound for pound, NOTHING to talk about...but smallmouth don't get to be 15+ lbs!

[Fish Chris]

Hey Dominian, I'm not sure if you were directing that question specifically towards me, but anyway..... I like LM's, SM's, Catfish, Sturgeon, Halibut, Stripers, Bat Rays, Leopard Sharks, Crappie, Carp, Bluegill, etc, etc. Pretty much the determing factor for me is whichever of these species is biting the best at that time.

For a period of about 8 years straight (from 97' to 05') I fished SO hard-core for nothing but trophy LM's. And it was all good. No regrets. But nowadays, I have kind of reverted back to my roots, which is to say, if it will bite my hook, and pull my string, I'm down with it :-) That said, I'm still always shooting for the biggest individual of whatever species I'm targeting at the time.

Peace,

Fish

[sal669]

Green-monster: Youngman, I raise my hat to you !!!

Just my opinion, Fish Cris: I think the youngster would get more fun out off a nice combo than a replica that hangs on the wall and colects dust ( he'll never forget that fish anyhow !!!). Or you might teach him how to catch an even bigger LMB. Or both... Nice gesture to give the youth credit !!!

[Guest btlva]

I like LM's, SM's, Catfish, Sturgeon, Halibut, Stripers, Bat Rays, Leopard Sharks, Crappie, Carp, Bluegill, etc, etc. Pretty much the determing factor for me is whichever of these species is biting the best at that time.

amen

[rvrnr64]

That is exactly why I throw 'em back. If I want to eat fish I'll go to a restraunt or the grocery store.