World Record Largemouth

[Sam]

Yahoo News is running this International Game Fish Association picture of Manabu Kurita who caught a 22 lb. 4 oz. largemouth out of Lake Biwa, Japan last summer. After six months, the fish has now been certified as tying the 77 year old world record for largemouth bass.

Wow, Japan's a cold country - I wonder why bass would grow so big there. Here's a 22+ lb. bass and a blond-headed Japanese guy in the same picture, a couple of real rarities.

http://i632.photobucket.com/albums/uu41/Ozark_photos/capt_d722a77fd1b7488d889794f4bee583.jpg

[Wayne SW/MO]

personally I think its BS to call a fish a world record when it doesn't come from native waters. I think the same applies the bass in California.

[fishgypsy]

I read somewhere it was caught trolling a live bluegill through a canal somewhere in Japan. Screw sparkle flake and 200 hp motors

personally I think its BS to call a fish a world record when it doesn't come from native waters. I think the same applies the bass in California.

Why? And if I catch an 11 pound spotted bass in the Meramec River, will you let me count it as the world record?

[troutfiend1985]

personally I think its BS to call a fish a world record when it doesn't come from native waters. I think the same applies the bass in California.

So was the brown trout that was caught in the Little Red BS? I don't have a problem with a world record fish coming from non native waters. Fish are so spread out that they are constantly in non native waters and it doesn't seem fair to hold it against a guy because someone decided to stock a certain species of fish to waters that they were'nt native. Personally, I would take any record fish that I could get.

[WoundedOne]

There was a bass caught at lake dixon in escondido california that weighed in at 25lbs + but it was not lipped hooked. it was snagged at head area on a pig and jig. and then a year or so later the fish was found floating. I have also heard that there was a multi million dollar payout for who ever broke the 77 year old record that has since been cancelled since they found out about the monster bass at lake dixon her name was dottie.....

[tunchi]

personally I think its BS to call a fish a world record when it doesn't come from native waters. I think the same applies the bass in California.

Bet if you caught a potential world record you would try to get it, native waters or not. I sure would. This guy did beet the record by 1 or 2 ounces but you have to beet it by more than that to count as a new record.

[MstStudent10]

personally I think its BS to call a fish a world record when it doesn't come from native waters. I think the same applies the bass in California.

Why shouldn't it count as a world record? Last time I looked I think Japan was part of the world... That's like saying the United States or England should automatically win the gold medal for Baseball or Softball in the Olympics because that's where it technically originated. Or we could have the "Guinness Book of 'Country Specific Originated' Records."

[eric1978]

Wow, Japan's a cold country - I wonder why bass would grow so big there.

Japan is not that cold, in fact it is actually more temperate than our part of the country. It sounds like a perfect LMB climate to me.

Winter, from December to February, is quite dry and sunny along the Pacific coast and the temperatures rarely drop below 32°F. The temperatures drop as you move north, with the Central and Northern regions experiencing snowfall. Southern Japan is relatively temperate and experiences a mild winter.

Spring is from March to May. Temperatures are warm but not too hot, plus there isn't too much rain.

Summer begins in June and the country experiences a three to four-week rainy season during which the farmers plant their rice. It is hot and humid during this time and temperatures are often in the high 90's. Summer wraps up in August.

Autumn is from September to November and is characterised by light breezes and cooler temperatures of around 46-50ºF.

I don't care about the world record coming from a non-native country...of course, I don't care about the world record at all.

[Sam]

I don't care about the world record at all.

I don't care about the record either, but it's interesting to see what a 22 lb. bass looks like. I'm sure that picture's the closest I'll ever get to seeing one.

So far as record fish only coming from native habitat, that's not gonna work. If you think about it, the native bass habitat here in the Ozarks has been changed enormously. Before the lakes were built, bass were in the White, James, Kings, and all the other rivers and creeks - but they didn't grow to anywhere near the size or numbers they do in the reservoirs. Building dams and creating big lakes changed everything, and that's just as artificial as stocking bass in far-away places where they never existed before.

[OzarkFishman]

I agree with many of you. Being native has nothing to do with it. What does matter to me is the fact that George Perry caught his bass on an artificial lure, while the new world-record bass (tie) was caught on a bluegill.

“It was not long after noon, maybe 1 o’clock,” he said in the crackly recording made at Perry’s aviation garage in Brunswick , Ga. “I had a True Temper rod and a Pflueger reel. The lure was a Creek Chub Fintail Shiner.” (http://www.mrlurebox.com/GeorgePerryBass.htm)

Either way, I would love catching a big bass (10+).

So that begs the question: Does it matter whether or not the bass was caught with live bait? I would assume most of you all would say yes; I would have to agree.

Looks like we got a warm up ready to set in ... it's about time!!! 30+ degrees ... I am going to have to wipe off my face next time I am outside !!

OzarkFishman