Largemouth Record Bass Broken

"George Perry" the name associated with the world record largemouth caught on June 2, 1932 that weighed 22 pounds, four ounces -- a record for over 7 1/2 decades, and a record some thought would never get broken. Well, it looks like it may have finally been broken.

The previous Japanese bass record tipped the scales at 19.15 pounds, a fish that was caught by Kazuya Shimada from Lake Ikehara on April 22, 2003 on a swimbait. A Japanese angler "Manabu Kurita", fishing at Lake Biwa in the Shiga Prefecture of Japan reports landing a 22-pound, 5-ounce bass. Manabu Kurita, a pro staffer representing Deps Tackle Co. in Japan claims to have caught a bass that measured 29.4 inches long, but girth measurements were not given. It reportedly was weighed on a certified scale, but no other details were given, such as what he used to catch it. There is no information yet on what lure Kurita caught the big bass on, although a swimbait would be a logical guess given all the Big Bass that have been caught on this type of bait in the past. The fact that Kurita's bass reportedly weighs an ounce more than George Perry's current world record, Perry's name still may not disappear from the No. 1 spot as the IGFA rules state that a bass must weigh 2 ounces more than Perry's to break the record. So Kurita's catch would tie it, coming in at an ounce over Perry's current record.
The fact that Japan may have produced a world record size bass shouldn't be that surprising to anglers who follow largemouth bass fishing. Japan has been stocking the largemouth bass for a number of years and in particular "Lake Biwa" is a massive 259-square miles, and is one of the 20 oldest lakes in the world. A beautiful clear lake and over 300 feet deep in spots, it is home to Biwa trout (salmon), huge catfish, ayu, and more than 50 species unique to the fishery. Largemouth bass were introduced there years ago. There have been many close calls of largemouth bass that were not certified, were foul hooked or were just plain rumor, it appears this may not be.
Assuming the Big LargeMouth Bass is in fact certified by the IGFA the new bass would top the record bass list and the top ten record largemouth bass (black bass) catches would be:
1. 22 pounds, 5 ounces, by Manabu Kurita; July 2, 2009, at Lake Biwa, Japan
2. 22 pounds, 4 ounces, by George W. Perry; June 2, 1932, at Montgomery Lake, Ga.
3. 22 pounds, ½ ounce, by Bob Crupi; March 12, 1991, at Castaic Lake
4. 21 pounds, 12 ounces, by Mike Arujo; March 5, 1991, at Castaic Lake
5. 21 pounds, 11.2 ounces, by Jed Dickerson; May 31, 2003, at Dixon Lake
6. 21 pounds, 3½ ounces, by Raymond Easley; March 4, 1980, at Lake Casitas
7. 21 pounds, ½ ounce, by Bob Crupi; March 9, 1990, at Castaic Lake
8. 20 pounds, 15 ounces, by David Zimmerlee; June 23, 1973, at Lake Miramar
9. 20 pounds, 14 ounces, by Leo Torres; Feb. 4, 1990, at Castaic Lake
10. 20 pounds, 12 ounces, by Mike Long; April 27, 2001, at Dixon Lake
Not on the list is a 25-pound, 1-ounce bass caught by Mac Weakley on March 20, 2006, at Dixon Lake, but because the fish was foul hooked, Wekley chose not to pursue the record.
Because all the facts are not known yet and this is not the first time a buzz has started around the fact the largemouth bass world record may have been broken, BigFishTackle.Com has started a post in it's forum to hear your thoughts. Click here to weigh in on your thoughts about this catch and what you think the prospect of this record standing 77 years is? Drop by the fishing forums now and tell us your thoughts on this world record bass!!

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