World Record Bass Announcement: IT'S A TIE!

From The International Game Fish Association (IGFA):
"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 finally been tied.
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 caught this bass.
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 tied 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..this one was not.
The Big LargeMouth Bass is in fact certified by the IGFA as a tie the new record bass list and the top ten record largemouth bass (black bass) catches are:
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.
The announcement comes six months after it was caught July 2, 2009, by Manabu Kurita of Aichi, Japan, and nearly four months since the documentation was received at the IGFA's world headquarters in Dania Beach, Fla. USA. What followed was extensive research and information gathering by the IGFA and its sister organization the Japan Game Fish Association (JGFA). For more on this significant announcement please go to the IGFA web site at: http://www.igfa.org/Records/World-Record-Largemouth-Bass.aspx