posted by Gary on Sep 20

As many fishing enthusiasts in the United States try everyday to break George Perry’s 77 year old record for the largemouth bass, someone in Japan may have done just that.
 Documentation for a much talked about 22-pound, 4-ounce largemouth bass, caught from Japan’s largest lake in July, has arrived into the International Game Fish Association headquarters for world record recognition.

Late Monday, the IGFA, the 70-year old non-profit fisheries conservation, education and record-keeping body, received the application for the largemouth bass caught July 2,  by Manabu Kurita, 32, of Aichi, Japan.

IGFA rules for fish caught outside the U.S. allows anglers 90 days to submit their applications from the date of their catch.

IGFA conservation director Jason Schratwieser said the World All-Tackle application is currently under review after it was received through the Japan Game Fish Association.

Schratwieser said the application stated the bass weighed 10.12 kilograms and was pulled from Lake Biwa, an ancient reservoir northeast of Kyoto.  Photos and video were also submitted with the written documentation.

Kurita’s fish would tie the current record held for over 77 years by George Perry caught on Georgia’s Montgomery Lake June 2, 1932, near Jacksonville, Ga.

In North America, the largemouth bass, and especially the All-Tackle record, is considered by millions of anglers as the “holy grail” of freshwater fish because of its popularity and the longevity of Perry’s record.

Largemouth bass have also been introduced in many countries and in Japan fisheries officials consider it an invasive species. In addition, because bass are not native and are stocked in Japan, many speculated that the big bass was a sterile triploid.  

However, when biologists in Japan examined the ova of the big female they concluded that the fish was not triploid.

IGFA World Records Coordinator Becky Wright reported Kurita’s fish measured 27.20 inches in length and an almost equal girth of 26.77 inches. She said Kurita was using a blue gill as live bait trolling through a canal.  

A decision by the IGFA of whether Kurita’s fish will tie Perry’s record may take up to a month.
— Pete Johnson, IGFA.

A decision will be made soon enough, in the meantime I’m sure there is another “Doty” somewhere swimming in  a lake in California and Georgia still has its own monster bass just like the one George Perry caught so long ago for supper.

Tight Lines and Squealin’ Reels

Gary,

Gone Fishin Club

posted by Gary on Jan 7

Northland teen lands whopper of a fish!!!

Maddy Herlihy struggles with his prized catch

A 14-year-old Northland boy is waiting for confirmation that he has broken a world record after landing an enormous kingfish off White Island.
Maddy Herlihy’s prized catch was the result of an all-night fishing effort in the eastern Bay of Plenty.
After battling for twenty minutes, the fish was hauled in.
Maddy comes from a fishing family, with he and his two sisters part of a junior team and compete for the Whakatane Sportfishing Club.
Last year the pair caught a record-sized trevally and are hoping their latest catch will set an official record as well.
The kingfish weighs 40.26kg – much bigger than the standing world record of 34kg.
The process to ratify the weight of their catch could take several months, but in the meantime the family will be dining on the fish.

That’s awesome that’s quite a catch, check the video cause they have pics of other big fish he’s caught, Happy Hookin Gary