Missed World Record?

http://www.signonsandiego.com/sports/outdoors/20060321-1100-bn21bass.html

Hopefully readers of this board will read up on IGFA rules and avoid the problems these three guys evidently got into Monday on Lake Dixon. Foul hooked, no measurements, no certified scales, no biologist species certification, and maybe the list of problems that could prohibit his World Record status goes on and on (help landing it, lure/line status, notarized application, etc. are all possibilities). As more stories about the catch go public, we'll probably find out more of their sad story.

You can bet that the IGFA will conduct exhaustive studies and analysis for any all tackle world Largemouth Bass record. Let your mind wander as to the nature of "exhaustive studies" they may fund. IGFA told me that they use independent testing laboratories to verify line strength. There are lots and lots of hoops to jump through to get an IGFA certified world record and there are a lot of people behind the scenes who will try to take it away from you.

"Must be caught legally" is one big obstacle. I just hope any readers here persevere and do all the right things they have to do to get the world record they deserve. It would be a shame to get caught up in the excitement of the moment and loose a potential world record. Calmer heads would have kept it alive and taken this gorgeous fish to the Marina in their live well so it could be kept alive and put on display so fishing families everywhere could enjoy it. The living World Record fish on display would sharply contrast with the current picture of the three Lake Dixon Stooges - Larry, Moe and Shemp who squandered HIS big chance!

Good luck to all! John

Certainly, it is a big fish, but if he didn't provide ALL of the criteria, length, girth, weighed on a certified scale, etc., then he has no hard proof that he actually caught a new world record. Without proof, then there should be no record. AND, it was foul-hooked for God's sake!!!! "California Department of Fish and Game regulations state that a fish, to be legally caught, must be hooked in the mouth while it tries to take a bait, lure or fly." is what the article states. So according to California law, it wasn't a legal catch to begin with! I don't care that he "didn't intend to" snag the fish, as attested to by his fishing buddies, he still did, unless he can convince the IGFA that the fish struck with it's pectoral fin!

Jeez, back in the 70's, I submitted an application for a line class record king salmon to the IGFA and it was rejected because the line sample I sent was 4 inches too short! It didn't matter that I had everything else required, photos, measurements, verification by a Wisconsin DNR official, etc, it was that the line sample didn't measure the "proper" length.

I know that there is a lot of money on the line for a new world record largemouth, but I don't see how the IGFA can even consider it! If they do, then the entire process is tainted in my estimation.

Had he made a legal catch, followed ALL the rules as required in the IGFA submission process, and then was awarded the World Record, I would be leading his cheering section.

John K

What would have been cool is if it was donated to an aquarium. 25 pound bass on display for all to enjoy, yet the record would remain intact. That would have been classy. This fish is a sitting duck, on a lake populated with duck hunters. If for some reason it is recognized, I'll be highly disappointed too

John K

I can see how this fish could be a "release division" record, but the all-tackle, all-time world record? NO WAY!!! Come on! In order to be in the record books, it's based on a fish's weight. In this case, the fish was never weighed on a certified scale, so that in and of itself should disqualify the catch. Anyone can buy a Boga Grip, send it in and have it certified to IGFA standards. I don't know about you, but if I was fishing waters where a potential world record "ANYTHING" was swimming, I'd have spent the couple hundred bucks for a certified Boga Grip.

I'm still not buying it.

Also compare it to other 20 pound fish caught...like the 21.7 pounder he caught on Dixon a few years back: http://sports.espn.go.com/outdoors/bassmaster/news/story?page=b_fea_bass_CA_21.7lbs_030604

-- Dwayne E. Cooper, Atty at Law Indianapolis, IN Email: dwayne@cooperlegalservices.com Web Page: http://www.cooperlegalservices.com Personal Fishing Web Page: http://www.hoosierwebsites.com/OnTheWater Dog Fishing: http://www.hoosierwebsites.com/onthewater/fishing040.htm 1st Annual ROFB Classic Winner

John, These guys are serious big bass hunters, and I am sure they didn't intend to snag the fish! But once they did, they had a choice to make, and they released it. Yes, they did get in front of everyone else by buying a camping permit...legal, but it did pee some of the other guys off. They did know the fish was there, they had been there the day before, but someone else was on the fish. There is a rumor, and I don't know if it's true, that they tried to pay the guy to get off the fish that day. With any really big bass catch, there is always controversy, and only these guys know the truth. I don't have any reason to doubt their story...yet. Go to bassfan.com and read the inteview with a wittness to the catch...draw your own conclusions.

John K

PLONK!

I've learned that I don't suffer from insanity, I enjoy it! (That is what my X-wife told me) danl4x@charter.net Remove the x for e-mail reply www.outdoorfrontiers.com www.SecretWeaponLures.com A proud charter member of "PETAF", People for Eating Tasty Animals and Fish!!!

I hope the record falls to some 15 year old kid out fishing a popper one early summer morning :-)>

bedding bass are like picking grapes

I spit in disgust at the whole enterprise.

I've learned that I don't suffer from insanity, I enjoy it! (That is what my X-wife told me) danl4x@charter.net Remove the x for e-mail reply www.outdoorfrontiers.com www.SecretWeaponLures.com A proud charter member of "PETAF", People for Eating Tasty Animals and Fish!!!

And right after I made my post, it did come to me that fish from different regions are sometimes built differently. We've all seen fish (and other animals) from different environments with different proportions. The very biggest bass I've seen were from Florida and it's possible that a Florida bass might have much bigger head/mouth than it's California cousin.

However, it still just doesn't look big enough to me. BTW, a good site to look at what some of these very big bass look like is at: http://www.worldrecordbass.com/ But I'd love to see more pics of this fish (surely, more were taken) and, of course, I would love to be fishing in an environment right now where a world record bass was a possibility. (especially since I'm sitting on 6 inches of snow).

I'm pretty sure that Perry's fish was recorded at 32 1/2 inches long.. Can't remember where I read that but that number is stuck in my head and I believe its girth was around 28 inches. So, if those dimensions are correct or even close, Perry's fish was very long and very fat.

On a somewhat sidenote - When I was younger, I was fortunate to have fished some of the sloughs, ponds and lakes where George Perry caught his world record bass (although not the exact same spot bc I was told that there was not enough water in there now). One of my uncles who lived down in that area swore he knew where Perry's general fishing spot was and pointed me to a very small creek running through a nasty-looking swamp around the Ocmulgee River area. We're talking snakes, gators and hardly any water and a good half a mile to mile walk thru some very ugly country. (not that that has deterred me before). Although I wanted to "chance it"....age (and probably wisdom ruled) and we instead often hit a body of water callled "Brown's lake" (a relatively small pay lake) that was also close nearby that was rumored to be a likely candidate to have a bass in it big enough to eclipse Perry's fish. I remember wading that entire lake and using a belly-boat (huge inner tube) back then to cover its water throwing every "special bait" I had back then (particularly a black jig n' lizard) in a crazy attempt to catch that monster hawg. My dad caught a lot of little fish from that lake...and I mostly frothered up a lot of water. It seems to me the store or house there had a replica of the fish (along with a ton of indian artifacts from that area too) and maybe a small memorial plague of Perry's record fish. I remember seeing it somwhere down that area...possibly at the store and/or as a historical marker. It's been a long time since I've fished that lake so I'm not sure whether it still is around or not or even who owns it...but it could be worth a "World Record Hunt" visit if anyone is ever in that neck of the woods with a couple of hours/days or whatever to kill...

-- Dwayne E. Cooper, Atty at Law Indianapolis, IN Email: dwayne@cooperlegalservices.com Web Page: http://www.cooperlegalservices.com Personal Fishing Web Page: http://www.hoosierwebsites.com/OnTheWater Dog Fishing: http://www.hoosierwebsites.com/onthewater/fishing040.htm 1st Annual ROFB Classic Winner

Sure, the catch is full of controversy, but maybe the bass record is supposed to be. Sad fact is that there's a very real chance that the bass will be caught again, and the record will be upped by another ounce or two.

Warren

Sure, the catch is full of controversy, but maybe the bass record is supposed to be. Sad fact is that there's a very real chance that the bass will be caught again, and the record will be upped by another ounce or two.

Warren

Forget the record and all the technicalities, I think these guys should be commended for their sportsmanship. Yes, they did foul hook that fish but they worked hard for years on that same lake to catch a leviathan just like it.

Their decision to release the fish quickly in order to minimize stress and increase its chances of survival is something I deeply respect. By releasing the fish they have given themselves and others a chance to catch it legitimately.

Would you rather see them hold the fish in some makeshift livewell in the off chance that their record gets recognized and place the life of that fish in danger or release it to fight another day?

These guys made the right decision.

The guy didn't take the fish fairly-- he doesn't deserve an IGFA record.

Probably about 5 - 6 years ago (it might even be longer ago), the regulations were changed to catch and immediate release on all bass species from the first Saturday in May to mid-June. The bass "keep" season usually opens around my birthday, so I say the state gave me a birthday present, even though I rarely keep a bass.

But there is a movement afoot to eliminate all bass fishing until they're off the beds.

"Scott Seidman" <namdiesttocs@mindspring.com> wrote in message news:Xns978E92F6DC2B4scottseidmanmindspri@130.133.1.4... ..

This lists the proposed regulations. You won't see the justification for the regulations here-- that's something the DEC guys told me when I asked about it at the "State of the Lake" meeting in Region 8, and it's only one justification out of a few.

Will it actually come to pass? Hard to say. The relaxed bass regs are getting the most comment in the public comment phase (which I think is over). I know the NY State Council of Trout Unlimited wrote them a strong letter, with some citations showing that its bad to pull bass off of the beds.

Myself, I think the bass population can handle some more mistreatment than the current regs allow for, but we shouldn't allow fish to be taken off the beds. These proposed regs are a very dramatic change. I think that they could certainly close one month or six weeks to try to protect the spawn-- and in some years, they'll just miss anyway.

In fact, now my memory is coming back. The Register publication isn't even the legally binding regs being discussed. The Register does point you to where the real proposal can be found, though. You can get the REAL proposal and the analyses from Shaun Keeler, DEC, 625 Broadway, Albany 12233, (518)402-8920.

"Scott Seidman" <namdiesttocs@mindspring.com> wrote in message news:Xns978EABDDFAF80scottseidmanmindspri@130.133.1.4... > Scott Seidman <namdiesttocs@mindspring.com> wrote in