Bass record crosses the Pacific- Tom Stienstra Outdoors
July 23, 2009 · Print This Article
The most hallowed of all fishing records – the world record for largemouth bass – has been broken in Japan, pending certification. But the West's top fishing experts believe a new record will be set in California, perhaps in the Bay Area.
A 22-pound, 5-ounce bass was caught earlier this month in Lake Biwa, Japan's largest lake, by a 32-year-old angler named Manabu Kurita. That fish tops the epic 22-4 bass caught in 1932 in Georgia by George Perry, the mailman who certified the weight of the fish at his post office.
Most anglers believe that a bigger bass is already out there in the south San Joaquin Delta east of Brentwood. This is where Dee Thomas, a pro bass fisherman inducted into the California Outdoors Hall of Fame, hooked, played and saw a bass he said was likely a world record. At the time, Thomas was testing a new lure with undersized hooks. Catching the big fish was an accident, he said, and when it made a diving burst, it dislodged the small hook.
In addition to the delta, the list of lakes that could produce a world-record bass include several from the Bay Area: San Pablo Reservoir, Lake Chabot and Del Valle in the East Bay hills; Berryessa and Spring Lake in Napa and Sonoma counties. Then there's Dixon, Casitas, Miramar, Hodges, Wohlford, Morena, Miramar, Castaic and Isabella in Southern California. These lakes have all produced some of the biggest bass in history. Other lakes in Texas, Florida and across the south are also in the running.
“We have everything in California that's needed to produce a world-record bass,” said Dan Bacher, editor of the Fish Sniffer. “We have Florida-strain bass that get huge, trout plants for food, and a mild climate for a long growing season.” That's why 16 of the 20 biggest bass ever verified were from Southern California.
“The chances of a new record right here are excellent,” said Jonah Li, a bass expert who fishes with pro anglers and owns Hi's Tackle Box in South San Francisco. “But watch what happens,” he added with a laugh. “Catching it will probably be an accident.”
Pat McDonell, Southern California editor of Western Outdoor News, agreed: “The person who catches the world-record bass will probably be some happy little kid who catches a trout on Power Bait. Then the giant bass grabs the trout and chokes on it and that little kid brings up the fish, and says, 'Look daddy, look at my big fish.' Who are the luckiest fishermen on Earth? Little kids. It will never be somebody who actually tries for it.”
The biggest bass ever verified weighed 25 pounds, 1 ounce, a female full of eggs, which was foul-hooked (snagged) and then released at Dixon Lake near Escondido in 2006. It was named “Ol' Spot” for a black spot near its head. The same fish, identified by the spot, floated up dead last year, but weighed 2 pounds less because it was no longer in spawning mode.
According to Ken Duke of Bassmaster, who first reported the 22-5 bass in Japan, it was caught on a live fish similar to a bluegill. The bass was not released, but taken home and frozen. In a YouTube video, Kurita says: “I knew it was a big fish, but I didn't think it was this big. I did not know if it was a new world record or not. Click link below for full story.
BREAKING NEWS SEPTEMBER 15th, 2009
IGFA receives documentation, photos on pending world record largemouth bass caught in JapanWeight matches current IGFA record held for 77 years by Georgia’s George Perry
Manabu Kurita hold his (pending) World Record Largemouth Bass.DANIA BEACH, Fla. USA, (September 15, 2009) — Documentation for amuch talked about 22 lb 4 oz largemouth bass, caught from Japan’slargest lake in July, has arrived into the International Game FishAssociation (IGFA) headquarters for world record recognition.
Late Monday, the IGFA, the 70-year old non-profit fisheriesconservation, education and record-keeping body, received theapplication for the largemouth bass (Micropterus salmoides), caughtJuly 2, by Manabu Kurita, 32, of Aichi, Japan. IGFA rules for fishcaught outside the U.S. allows anglers 90 days to submit theirapplications from the date of their catch.
IGFA conservation director Jason Schratwieser said the World All-Tackleapplication is currently under review after it was received through theJapan Game Fish Association (JGFA).
Schratwieser said the application stated the bass weighed 10.12 kg (22lbs 4 ozs) and was pulled from Lake Biwa an ancient reservoir northeastof Kyoto. Photos and video were also submitted with the writtendocumentation.
Kurita’s fish would tie the current record held for over 77 years byGeorge Perry caught on Georgia’s Montgomery Lake, June 2, 1932, nearJacksonville, Georgia.
In North America the largemouth bass, and especially the All-Tacklerecord, is considered by millions of anglers as the “holy grail” offreshwater fish because of its popularity and the longevity of Perry’srecord.
Largemouth bass have also been introduced in many countries and inJapan fisheries officials consider it an invasive species. In addition,because bass are not native and are stocked in Japan, many speculatedthat the big bass was a sterile triploid. However when biologists inJapan examined the ova of the big female they concluded that the fishwas not triploid.
IGFA World Records Coordinator Becky Wright reported Kurita’s fishmeasured 27.20 inches in length and an almost equal girth of 26.77inches. She said Kurita was using a blue gill as live bait trollingthrough a canal.
A decision by the IGFA of whether Kurita’s fish will tie Perry’s record may take up to a month.
“We have a formal relationship with our sister organization, the JapanGame Fish Association where they first collect and review recordapplications for fish caught in Japan,” said Schratwieser. “It worksout well because they not only translate applications but can alsocontact the angler if more documentation is needed.
“We still have a number of questions to ask them and Kurita regardinglocal laws and the area he caught it in while he was trolling through acanal on the lake,” said Schratwieser.
“We hope to make an announcement in three to four weeks.”
Annually the IGFA publishes a comprehensive list of current records onnearly 1100 species of fresh and saltwater fish across the globe in itshighly acclaimed World Record Game Fishes (WRGF) book which is dividedinto all-tackle, line classes, fly, and junior record categories.
The IGFA has been recognized as the official keeper of world saltwaterfishing records since its founding in 1939. In 1978 it added the fieldof freshwater record-keeping when Field & Stream magazinetransferred its 68 years of records to the IGFA Fishing Hall of Fame& Museum, the association’s world headquarters in Dania Beach, Fla.
The IGFA is a not-for-profit organization committed to the conservationof game fish and promotion of responsible, ethical angling practicesthrough science, education, rule making and record keeping. IGFAmembers are located in over 125 countries and territories. The IGFAwelcomes visitors to its interactive Fishing Hall of Fame & Museumin Dania Beach, Florida.
Photos in the gallery and full article in the world record bass section
Unless something is discovered that I have mentioned before by the IGFA this will most likely be certified as a tie with Perry’s record. However, after having spent the last 30 years chasing trophy largemouth bass, and having lived in California off and on for more than 15 years, I consider Dottie the 25.1 pound largemouth, the “REAL” world record. The IGFA makes allowances for accidentally fould hooked fish and this bass could have been certified if he had decided to pursue it rather than withdraw the application.