World Record bass contender under review by IGFA

36 °F and Mostly Cloudy
Complete Forecast

READ FULL EDITION

Saturday, November 21, 2009

Other Categories

Reservoir Blogs - George Thwaites blogs about fishing, hunting, conservation and outdoors

World Record bass contender under review by IGFA

Published Tuesday, October 6 2009 - (0) Comments

George W. Perry's longstanding all-tackle world record largemouth bass hasn't exactly been eclipsed, but a massive Florida-strain largemouth bass caught in Japan this past summer may soon join it at the top of the list.

The monster largemouth was caught by 32-year-old Manabu Kurita in Lake Biwa on live bait (either a koi or bluegill, depending on the reports). The fish weighed 22 pounds, 5 ounces -- a mere ounce heavier than Perry's 22-4 bigmouth caught in 1932.

The International Game Fish Association is currently reviewing Kurita's world record application and submitting it to the kind of scrutiny one would expect.

The IGFA has ruled that Perry's record has to be beaten by a full two ounces to replace the longstanding record. So, if certified, Kurita's fish will be considered to have tied the world record.

It remains to be seen whether Kurita -- a Deps rod company pro staffer -- will be able to cash in on his world record bass to the degree one might have imagined for such an accomplishment. Evidently, Deps has already claimed exclusive rights to marketing the story of Kurita's catch. Furthermore, the fish was caught on live bait. So much for a lucrative lure endorsement.

Perry's record largemouth was reportedly caught on a Creek Chub Wiggle Fish, although Perry indicated in a 1972 interview that the bait may have been a Creek Chub Fin Tail Shiner. Either way, for over 70 years Creek Chub enjoyed the prestige of having produced the plug that caught the World Record Largemouth Bass.

Discuss This Story

Be the first to comment: Sign In or Create Profile

To comment, you must register.

Comments are the sole responsibility of the registered user participating in online discussions. You agree not to post comments off topic, abusive, obscene, defamatory, vulgar, threatening or an invasion of privacy. Violators may be banned.

Click here to review our complete user agreement.