New Cali. State Record!!!

[preach4bass]

This is the story from "another site."

A new California state-record smallmouth bass was caught on July 3 at Pardee Lake by Stockton angler Harold Hardin. The 9.83-pound brute eclipsed the 31-year-old bronzeback standard by nearly 3/4 of a pound.

Hardin, who's fished Pardee for 40 years, hooked the monster on a charcoal-colored swimbait just off of Leveque Point at the mouth of the Mokelumne River. He's quoted on the Pardee Lake Recreation website as having hooked and lost an even larger fish shortly thereafter.

The previous state-record smallmouth (9.1 pounds) was caught by Tom Brady at Trinity Lake in 1976. The former Pardee record was an 8.91-pounder caught last March, also off of Leveque Point.

Pardee Lake Recreation president Dennis Johnston said the fish was weighed on the certified scales at the Pardee Lake Marina, and was taken to Sacramento today for official measurements by California Department of Fish and Game officials. He said Hardin plans to have the fish mounted.

Pardee is a foothill reservoir east of Stockton operated by the East Bay Municipal Utility District.

[Cajun1977]

wow  thats a toad

[BucketmouthAngler13]

Yikes when i saw the title I thought it was a largemouth and I almost threw up a part of the cheesesteak I had for dinner. Thats a hog just the same though. I'm happy with a LM half that size.

[Randall]

If I am not mistaken that is the same fish that Fish Chris had caught earlier this year as well as another guy who also turned it loose. Shows what catch and release can do!

[5bass]

Are there pics of this fish anywhere yet?

[Bryant.]

Heres a pic of that toad

[T-rig]

Great fish! Too bad this guy is going to mount such a beautiful fish!

I believe this is the same fish caught by fish chris and other guy before him.

[Guest ncbass24]

Thats a good looking fish. The size isn't bad either!

[NJfishinGuy]

eh cant blame the guy for mounting a state record like that. im all for catch and release but when you fish a place for 30 years and land that thing. if they send it out someplace for measurements isnt it dead anyway?

[ejtaylor822]

That is impressive. Agree with others, take the pictures and put him back.

:'(

[bpm2000]

I'm normally one to say that if you get a record like that I'm not opposed to someone keeping it (although id rather a repro) but with the story behind the fish, 2 awesome c&r's, it saddens me a bit to hear this pig is going on the wall.

Great catch nonetheless.

[grimlin]

Well least there's an even bigger one in there according to him...Kinda sad to see it mounted as well.It's his choice as well,for fishing that lake for 40 years i say he deserves it.

[Cajun1977]

im all for catch and release   but if i get a state record  its goin on my wall so noone can beat it

[Bassassasin12]

that guy should thank fish chris and the other young man for giving him a memory he can always remember. That is what catch and release is all about 8-)

[Mattlures]

What makes you guys think thats the same fish that FC caught? I dont think it is at all. That fish is a pound heavier and caught after the spawn. That fish is much bigger than the other bass.

NO THE FISH DOESNT DIE IF YOU MEASURE IT. you takr a few good pictures. You get a lenght and girth mesurement. You weigh it on a certified scale with witnesses and then you release the fish. That fish actualy had the potential to challenge the world record next year when she was full of eggs, but not anymore

[Captain Cali]

Great fish and catch. Congratulations to Harold Hardin. Man, what a freak of a lake!  8-)

That being said, I'm with Mattlures on this one. While it's possible (anything is), I doubt this is the same fish that Ryan L. and Fish Chris caught within days of each other.

[Randall]

What makes you guys think thats the same fish that FC caught? I dont think it is at all. That fish is a pound heavier and caught after the spawn. That fish is much bigger than the other bass.

NO THE FISH DOESNT DIE IF YOU MEASURE IT. you takr a few good pictures. You get a lenght and girth mesurement. You weigh it on a certified scale with witnesses and then you release the fish. That fish actualy had the potential to challenge the world record next year when she was full of eggs, but not anymore

If you take the photos of the fish and match up the markings its the same fish. Each fish has its own markings and no two fish have the same markings. The fish has a unique mark on the tail and although the fish has a different coloration when caught this time the markings are the same for the ones that you can see this time. That fish has just been eating real good.

[Gatorbassman]

[Mattlures]

Sorry Randal I have to say that theese pictures prove its a diferent fish.(your still my best friend though ) I am looking at the markings on the bigger fish. look at the top markings above the lateral line. The first 3 or four top markings are high and then the next 3 are lower and then high again. Now look at FC's fish. its markings are even through out the body. Also on the bigger fish look at the second marking along the lateral line. It looks like a big V. FC's fish does not have the big V also the facial markings are diferent. This tells me its not the same fish. Remember FC also said he saw a bigger one next to his. Plus this guy said there was a bigger one too. I guess this lake just grows BIG smallies. Maybe the next WR will come from there.

[KU_Bassmaster.]

I agree with Matt

[Fish Chris]

been playing on the camera forums.... since I just bought "two" new ones :-)

First off, what an absolutely gimongous Smallie ! Congrats to the angler who caught her.

Nope. Absolutely NOT the same fish. That fish is much more impressive than mine was ! A fish cannot lose a huge pre-spawn belly, and "gain" 1 to 1 1/2 lbs at the same time. Pretty much an impossibility. That fish just had a WAY bigger frame on her.

Honestly, I bet that fish weighed in the low 11's, in April, while me and Ryan were playing with that "little ol" 8.5 to 8.94 lb'er :-)

Yea' its pretty goofy when they said, > the fish was weighed on the certified scales at the Pardee Lake Marina, and was taken to Sacramento today for official measurements by California Department of Fish and Game officials < Huh ? They couldn't get an official measurement right their at the lake ?

Now, I know their are actually some other stuff they do too.... Like get a small DNA sample, scale counts, fin ray counts, etc, but so far as I know, they don't do anything which could not be performed at the lake.

Put it this way, if it were me, I'd have kept the fish alive, and drug all of the Ca DFG officials that I possibly could to the lake. I'd let them weigh her, measure her, scale counts, fin ray counts, etc.... Whatever they thought they had to do, but when they were all done, back in the lake she'd go. I'd be really surprised that the Ca DFG actually has some kind of internal regulation handed down from Arnold, that says a State record fish "has to be killed". I'd bet any amount of money that this is simply for their conveniance. I'm sure that "IF" the Ca DFG wanted to, they could let a state record fish be released, and still certify it.

.......if not, I'd tell them, "Okay, I'll pass on the state record for whats behind door # 2"...... The possibility that I might catch that fish again when it has grown to be the new All tackle World Record Smallmouth.

And BTW, I'd have no problem (well, I might have some problem... but I'd still do it if I had to) killing the World Record Smallie, Largie, etc, as that fish has no greater thing to achieve. A world record, is a world record. Wouldn't matter if it were 12 lbs.... or 23.

So anyway, that ones gone..... But my 8.50 will be 10.0 when I stick her again next year, and she becomes the "new" State record Smallie :-)

Peace,

Fish

[roadwarrior]

Well, I can't get that jazzed about "lake records" but state records are something special. I guarantee you that anyone catching the "state record" smallmouth here in Tennessee is going to be having that fat girl autopsied!

Hope it's me...  :

p.s. The exception would be the "lake record" at Dale Hollow.

[Randall]

Someone pointed this out to me this morning that a few California guys that fish the lake also think this is the same fish because of the markings. They posted it over on the Bass Fishing Home Page in the Other Topics. At least I wasn't the only one that thought it was the same fish.  It still looks like the same fish to me. But I guess we will never be able to ask the fish where she was earlier this year. Chris I will take your word for it. Just thought it was interesting that I wasn't the only one.

[senile1]

You guys must have better eyes than me.  The lighting is so different in the picture of the state record fish that I can't see all the markings to make a fair comparison to FC's fish.  

[eastkybass]

That thing is awsome  

I have to say that if I had caught something like that I would have had a hard time letting it go too.