Wow lots of fish.

[taxidermist]

Came off the lake about 4:00AM,Apr 21. we found lots and lots of fish.

Everything is on beds.

I mean Largemouth, Smallmouth, Kentucky, crappie, lots of crappie. We could identify some of the hybred bass. aka Meanmouth.

Found some walleye but nothing big.

But water temps run from 49 to 57 degrees F and all species of fish are on beds.

There are still a few huge stripers in Bull Shoals, I lost a monster at the boat!!! I was throwing a huge soft lure, where I had seen the fish surface earlier last month, had fished about 2 hours and bam!!!! About half way to the boat my rod shattered, not just broke but shattered. I have broken a few rods over the year but never shattered one. I managed to get the fish to the boat and we could not get it in. Everytime my wife and son tried they could not lift the fish. Yes I do know it was a striper!!! It put the reel to the test, I was thumbing the reel a bit and still worked for nearly 30 mintues just to get the fish to the boat.

We tried to get to shallow water but along the bluffs there is no shallow water. Next we decided the wife should hold the rod and I would try to lift the fish. Finally got my hand in the gill cover and the fish rolled, sticking the doral srine in my arm, I tried to hang on but could not. Wife could not manage to reel the fish in with the broken rod. So I took it back, worked the fish back to the boat, this time I thought I could maybe get my hand in its mouth, a flash and a roll and now I am cut on the hand by the razor sharp gill flap.

Now me bleeeding like a stuck pig, my wifes saying "Oh My God. thats a monster fish" my son who had never seen such a fish, we were hwhooping yelling. The fish one more time to the boat, now the fish was tired I was tired, I decided the best thing to do was head to the nearest bank I put a small rope thru the gill and into the mouth, we started leading the fish across the lake to the gravel flats. Once in the shallows I measured the beast. I decided to get into the water and lift the fish into the boat. I could not lift it.

So we decided to lead it to the launch ramp, we were within 200 feet of the ramp me holding the fish on the rope and the sob came back to life with a vengence. I thought the fish was going to dislocate my right arm.

I could not hold the fish, I was trying to hold on to the boat with my left hand and the fish in the righthand, My son jumped back to help just as I went over board.

I turned loose of the rope to save the dope, I never thought of tying the fish off on the cleats. My son pointed this out to me as I got back in the boat.

The fish did measure 67 inchs long and had a 39 inch girth!!

I will attest to the fact FIRELINE is the strongest line made!!!!

John

I changed clothes and headed back out but did not get a bite after that!!!

[Sam]

The fish did measure 67 inchs long and had a 39 inch girth!!

Uh, I don't know what to say.

The world record striped bass was caught out of the ocean at Atlantic City, NJ in 1982. Biologists estimated it to be 36 years old, and it weighed 78 lbs. 8 oz., and measured 53 inches long and 34 1/2" in girth. That's 14" shorter than your Bull Shoals fish that got away.

The Missouri state record striper weighed 51 lbs., but I don't know the length.

So, I guess you missed a chance to break both records and be famous. Hmmmmm.

[taxidermist]

It may have tied the Arkansas record, but its not no world record, there are a long of available striper replica that are over 55 inches, matter of fact I have been looking these evening for one close to the size and found 13 within a 1/2 inch. both length and girth.

I have a lot of friends that are saltwater only taxidermist with their own molds that they don't sell to just anyone. One up in the northeast did the world record and he says its small compared to some he has.

Fish are like people same size will weight in different. Slow moving open water verse ocean currents.

The shattered rod to be put on my wall.

Over the years I have mount a couple hundred big stripers and this one was huge compared to the 30 something pounds. even huge comared to the 40 pounders. Some of my speargun buddys have shot 45lbers as recent as last year in Bull Shoals. The age rings showed these fish to be the first releases and I bet this one is one of them.

They are like the califonia bass they have plenty of trout to eat and those high protien and fat!!.

[Sam]

So - your fish was 16" longer than this one????????

http://www.arkansasstripers.com/arkansas_record_stripers.htm

[drew03cmc]

Well, if the measurements are accurate, that is a true monster!

[taxidermist]

I dont know how long that fish in the pic is and dont get a rats butt.

I do know a few eeks ago I found them surfacing and thats three trips back to the same spot, this time throwing a huge plastic bait that people use for musky.

I have also mounted a lot of big stripers the largest being 54 lbs and this fish would beat that 54lb fish big time. Yesterday I went to Moutnain Home and picked up some big stripers to mount for clients. The fish I lost was much larger than the 38lber I picked up I went back and looked up the size on the 54 lber I mounted a few years back, it was 2 inches shorter and 3 inches smaller in girth than the fish I lost. So I figure I had a fish close to 60 lbs. maybe thats a big if it may have been a new state record.

I have decided one thing tshould I ever catch another big fish I will knock it in the head as soon as its on the stringer. Wish I had done this one that way!!

One of the guides at Moutnain HOme sent me this web addy.

http://www.arkansasstripers.com/striped-bass-records.htm

I checked some of the stats, yep some records are far shorter than others.

So that means I could have had a 50lb fish or even a 45lb fish.

I have caught a 15lb largemouth at Ray Roberts Res. several years ago and a 42 inch northern pike that only weighed 17lbs. many 20lb and under stripers. So I know how to measure a fish. Matter of fact I have a few nice brown trout I caught over the last year I have yet to mount, they would make all C&R fisherman scream, and catch and keep fisherman jealous.

Sammy You are invited to come down and see the brown trout, funny the difference in weights verse the measurements. On the browns I did not measure or weigh them but I will use you as a witness to the difference in sizes and they all came from White River in different areas.

I have a mold from a 21lb brown I made a couple years back, the fish was pockmarhed pretty badly and had it been mounted the skin would have looked like crap, so I molded it.

But if you want to see the difference in size verse weight I can show you with brown trout Just let me know when????

[crappiefisherman]

I have on one occasion came across what I belived too be stripers surfacing on bull shoals, we where in a 21 foot ski boat and i had been out all day on the arkansas side of the line coming back into missouri.I dont have any equipment to catch these monsters but would like to see them surfacing.Are they in missouri water or arkansas?

[Wayne SW/MO]

crappiefisherman if I'm not mistaken, the old Missouri record came from the upper area. The new one, or at least that I've heard of came from TR.

[drew03cmc]

Wow, amazing stories taxidermist! I would love to see these fish, as well as any of the stripers you have mounted!