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World record Largemouth

28K views 49 replies 14 participants last post by  NYCBassMan 
#1 ·
World Record Bass From Georgia

World Record Largemouth Bass
The world record bass was caught near Jacksonville, Georgia on June 2, 1932 by George Perry. It weighed 22 pounds 4 ounces and was caught from an oxbow lake off the Ocmulgee River called Montgomery Lake. That is one of the most sough-after records in the fishing world.
In a trip to south Georgia in January Fritz Nordengren and I went a little out of our way to visit Jacksonville, Ga, the small town near where the world record bass was caught. There is a state historic marker on Highway 117 between Jacksonville and Lumber City, about two miles from where the record was caught.
It says: "Approximately two miles from this spot, on June 2, 1932, George W. Perry, a 19-year old farm boy, caught what was to become America's most famous fish. The twenty-two pound four ounce largemouth bass (Micropterus salmoides) exceeded the existing record by more than two pounds and has retained the world record for more than fifty years. Perry and his friend, J. E. Page, were fishing in Montgomery Lake, a slough off the Ocmulgee River, not for trophies but to bring food to the table during those days of the great depression. The fish was caught on a Creek Chub Perch Scale Wigglefish, Perry's only lure, and was 32 1/2 inches in length and 28 1/2 inches in girth. The weight and measurements were taken, recorded and notarized in Helena, Georgia and Perry's only reward as seventy-five dollars in merchandise as first prize in Field and Stream magazine's fishing contest. The longstading record is one of the reasons that the largemouth bass was made Georgia's Official State Fish. Montgomery Lake is today part of the Department of Natural Resources' Horse Creek WIldlife Management Area.
In Jacksonville, GA there is a sign with pictures of Perry, the Wigglefish plug, a replica of the fish and more information about the catch.It is an interesting feeling to be so near where the world record bass was caught so long ago. If you are ever in the area, stop by.

Article by Ronnie Garrison
 
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#2 ·
A signpost in his hometown

This is the state historic marker on Highway 117 between Jacksonville and Lumber City,
about two miles from where the record was caught.



Mike this photo was taken by Ronnie Garrison as well
 
#4 ·
read them all and make your own mind up.... http://www.chattanoogan.com/articles/article_44099.asp
http://www.roanoke.com/roatimes/news/story159770.html
http://www.fishin.com/articles/possible-record.htm

I did however find numerous articles on "The Next World Record Largemouth Bass" It appears from everything that I can find, the 1932 Record still stands. If the fish caught in california was truly a world record fish, they made the mistake of releasing it without it being verified by the correct officials.

and there is my two cents

Jeff
 
#12 ·
Yea maybe the lies were bigger too. No way that fish looks like 20 pounds to me. looks more like 11 or 12 tops. But Im sure it was weighed and scrutinized. maybe thats not an actual pic of the record.
 
#17 ·
Apparently 22 of 25 of the biggest largemouth come out of Castaic lake California and one of them twice in the same week. Makes you wonder if it wasnt the same fish because an identical fish with a black spot inside its mouth weighing 22 pounds 1 ounce was found dead a week later in the same lake.
http://www.fishingnetwork.net/top25lmb.htm
 
#19 ·
There was a show on oln where they went to some lake in califorinia and caught HUGE bass some around 20 lbs! Im not sure if it is lake Castaic, but i wouldnt be suprised. They used these huge 14inch lures that looked identical to a rainbow trout, and the game warden people kept yelling at them because they thought that they were fishing with live trout. How do you go for a record of some sort i mean after you catch the fish what process do u have to go through? I am going for the pennsylvania largemouth record 8) 8) its only 11lbs(not that thats small or anything, but not unreal) and the lake that i fish at a guy caught a 10lbs 4 oz.
 
#20 ·
Weigh it at a tackle shop on a certified scale.
Or call the game warden or the Pa Dnr on your cell phone for an official verification.
Then fill out the proper IGFA forms. Ya neva know
 
#21 ·
Kevvy said:
JIm I accidentaly just edited this post when I meant to quote it, sorry
Kev I think what i said in the post was that the lady had taken a picture of it and 3 people witnessed it . They released it thinking Castaic was a catch and release fishery, which incidently it was not. It wasnt recognized as the world record because it was not verified by an official weigh in at a shop or by am oficial of IGFA or a game warden. The IGFA agreed to recognize it as a world line class record on 12 pound test but the official record still belongs to Mr. Perrys fish caught in 1932.

jim
 
#23 ·
They talked about the record on bass center(espn2) this morning. They said that some people claim it was a striper. There is no photo of the record bass. This is said to be the most contreverisial record in the history of the sport. A few years ago a 22-0 was caught in a lake in CA, so i think the record will be broken within the next 10years. O ya and the family eat the bass 2 days after they caught it so really there is no proff anymore just trust.

and he won the 75$$ in a field and stream fishing contest :p
 
#24 ·
Another world record saga. said it was a striper. Good grief. The guy caught the fish for cryin out loud. and so did the girl. I believe them at their word.
But some guys actually cheat in tournaments all the time. Fill up the belly with a couple of 8 ounce sinkers. Crap like that makes me ill. Thats why we need recognizing bodies like the IGFA and sanctioned scales to make the cheaters pass the muster.
 
#25 ·
Now I don't profess to be an expert on Largemouth bass, but I have had to break down and learn a little about them since I moved into an area that many swear will produce the next all tackle world record. The picture that kkevvy posted was of a fish that was landed in a small lake just north of San Francisco(I believe it was called Spring Lake) The lady angler's name was Leah Trew and she caught the fish in question in August 2003. As far as I know it was accepted as the 12 pound line class record by the Freshwater Fishing Hall of Fame, but was rejected for any award by the IGFA. Back In 1997, a guy buy the name of Scott Duclos also caught a huge bass from the same 75 acre lake and weighed it on a bathroom scale at 24 pounds....well above the current and longstanding Georgie record. He photographed the fish and then released it into the lake. Unfortunately for these two anglers,(assuming their stories are accurrate)...the burden of proof for gaining the world record status of a largemouth bass is very heavy and I guarantee that if Mr. Perry's record is ever broken certifiably, the fish will either be killed in order to be certified or by a miracle only....kept alive in a tank like the world record blue catfish from Lake Texoma last year.(exept that catfish are far more hardy than bass) As to Castaid Lake, A gentleman named Bob Crupii holds the number two spot of all time with a Monster that was cought I think in the late '90's on a live crawdad. If memory servers me, it was only a few meals shy of the all time record weight. I got hooked on Largemouth by night fishing a small local pond(14acres). The fish work the top at night almost year round I think because the water clariity is so poor that it makes hunting difficult for them during the day, but at night there are millions of 3-5 inch smelt that come out of the woodwork and feed right on the surface literally ALL over the lake. After a few trips of trying to figure out how to catch bass in this "pea soup"(chartreuse spinnebaits disappear within 13-18 inches most of the time) I Finally stumbled onto a method that started to produce a reliable bite for me. At about 1a.m. one night , after catching a handful of bass up to 2 pounds, I decided to make one more cast and then call it a night. Well, that one last cast produced a bass that I measured at 26 1/4". I gently released that magnificent fish while crying for not breaking down and buying a digital scale, but the best I can figure is between 13 and 16 pounds. Catching a fish like that on 6 pound spinning tackle is a helluva rush. Come to think of it, I think the only reason I landed that fish with the small hook I was using was because the stretch in the 6lb kept the hook from pulling free or getting shaken loose. After the hookset this fish literally came head first up out of the water and basically "tail-walked" right to me. Every year around mothers' day the water suddenly clears up in the little pond I fish and stays clear for maybe 4 or 5 days and then almost overnight the algae comes back to the point of no visibility again. I don't know what makes it do this every year, but it does it like clockwork even under completely differing weather patterns from year to year. Buy ya dinner if you can figure that one out. I am gettin the urge to try em again over there since I watched about a 10-12 pounder come up and absolutely attack about a 3/4 lb. bass that I was reeling in on a smelt imitator yesterday afternoon. I will never underestimate small water again. Earlier this year, here on Lake Casitas a local angler caught and release 27 largemouth bass over 8 pounds in one day on those oversize trout lures. That is one AMAZING accomplishment, I don't even care how much luck was involved. If I can find the article I will post a link, I think something like half of those 27 were double-digit fish. Also at the end of my post here, I posted a link to the picture of the alleged 24 pound fish caught in Spring Lake in '99. Hope you guys can make sense of my rambling post and let me know if the links work. Here they are:
Water Outdoor recreation Fish Goggles Fisherman

and the story is at : Link

Code:
Angler Scott Duclos of Santa Rosa, CA, caught the fish of a lifetime on March 1, 1997. 
Duclos landed a potential world record Largemouth bass on 75 acre Spring Lake, on the outskirts of Santa Rosa. The problem is, he released it without getting official measurements and other pertinent information. 
When Duclos landed the fish he called his wife at home and had her bring the bathroom scales to the lake. They weighed the fish on the scales, and it weighed an even 24 lbs. This is where the story becomes cloudy. Duclos took photographs of the trophy fish and then released it back to the lake. 
Duclos claimed that he thought the world record was in the 27 lb. range, and told reporter Terry Knight of the Lake County Record Bee that he had never killed a fish before and he didn't plan to start with this one. 
Knight, who has interviewed Duclos extensively, says that he has had a number of photo experts Examine the photo and that they estimated the fish to be approximately 29-31 inches in length. They estimated the girth of the fish to be approximately 29-30 inches. 
In comparison to the current world record of George W. Perry, this fish definitely stacks up. Perry's Bass was caught in 1932 at Montgomery Lake Georgia. This behemoth bass weighed 22 lb. 4 oz. had a length of 32 1/2 in. And the girth was 28 1/2 in. 
No one is quite sure what will happen with this monster bass. That remains up to the California Department of Natural Resources and the International Game Fish Association. 
We will update you as new information is gathered and more facts are verified.
Tight Lines Fellas!
 
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