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[url "http://www.bigfishtackle.com/fishing_articles/Freshwater_Fishing_Articles/Bass_Small_Largemouth_/New_World_Record_Largemouth_Black_Bass__722.html"]77 year old Largemouth Bass World Record Broken[/url]

"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

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 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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I think its good. It's about time somebody breaks it even if its not the official record breaking weight.
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I hear ya, so many fish have been close or over and there always seems to be some controversy. I was really thinking there was no way to break this record if you released the fish but apparently he did catch and release the fish.

I wouldn't have guessed this fish would have come out of Japan though?

One thing I find pretty strange is that technically the fish "ties" the record because it was only one ounce heavier? In my mind heavier is heavier?
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Hey Mike,

That angler looks like a different guy than the one who broke the bass record on April 1, 2004.[]
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LOL, Yeh this ones not an April fool's joke, although my that bass was almost as pretty even after a bit of photoshop work
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Im not tryin to bust no ones eggs, and naw Im really not jelous anyway cus i know i wont ever catch a world record fish where im fishin lol. But, he DID catch and release? Who all saw this fish? Where can I get more pics? Cus this one has the smell of photoshop.
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The fish was NOT released;It is under speculation that it was caught on LIVE BAIT,and it is FROZEN!Japanese commecial fisherman think Bass are an invasive species;(Why the hell did they put them there in the first place?)Resturants around Lake Biwa? offer Bass on their menus though...I imagined this pissed off alot of Bass hounds......I wann see someone bust the WORLD RECORD CRAPPIE!!!BEAT THAT JAPAN!!
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Hello Guy's,
Would it matter if it was caught on live bait? I didn't know it couldn't be caught on live bait, but from what I have heard the word was he caught it on a swimbait?

I haven't been able to find other photo's yet either but if I do I will post'em here.
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Nevr said that "IT" mattered;Just relaying info....Bass are overated anyway....Here is some more pics,nut you might not need them because you "Know" it all.... This guy is on top of the hooplah
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Heres got a video and more pictures. Asm uch as I hate to say the rude ole boy dogrockit was right, he was, it was off live bait. However the ole jap record was off swimbait.
Hey dogrockit, people gon get their wires crossed, its a new story. So Just explain and move on, dont be rude bubs.
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Just replying [url "mailtomart@,no"],no[/url] harm done...Not trying to be rude.Give and you shall receive..Just trying to be helpful
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LOL DR, That was half a question, I wasn't sure and was just looking for confirmation.
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Sign me up for a trip to Japan..
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Book it for 2 bubba.[fishin]
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I think that the dumb Jap should of put it back! How can u possibly keep a fish that old, its not right. Get your weight and measurements, then put the damn think back. Selfish ass.
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I did nt think we could put up links?? Anyway, I have some new current info and pics as well as articles and videos at my site. Tight lines, Steve Delawaretrophybass.com
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[quote dogrockit]Nevr said that "IT" mattered;Just relaying info....Bass are overated anyway....Here is some more pics,nut you might not need them because you "Know" it all.... This guy is on top of the hooplah
[url "http://www.delawaretrophybass.com/apps/photos/album?albumid=6437320"]http://www.delawaretrophybass.com/...lbum?albumid=6437320[/url][/quote]

Did the rules change while I was away writing a new article for Big Fish Tackle and my site on the new World Record Bass?? I thought we couldn't put up links to other sites?? I see several?? Oh well, I like it guess I was wrong or something changed. tight lines, Steve all new info at my site now.
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I am sure that anyone who follows bass fishing at all knows that the previous world record largemouth bass caught by George Perry 77 years ago, is being challenged by a Japanese angler by the name of Manubu Kurita. The angler is sponsored by Deps Lure company in Japan.
The IGFA, The International Game and Fish Association, is the deciding voice in this whole matter, and everyone is awaiting news from them on the certification.
"I heard about it, but we don't have any details," said Jason Schratwieser, the IGFA's fishing records and conservation director. Schratwieser said the bass would have to be 2 ounces heavier than Perry's catch to establish a new record.
"It will tie it if that's the weight," Schratwieser said, indicating that IGFA rules stipulate that for record fish weighing less than 25 pounds, the replacement record must weigh at least two ounces more than the existing record.
"It looks like the real deal," said San Diego County bass angler Mike Long, recognized as one of the top big bass anglers in the world."The girth looks right. Everything looks right about it" said Ken Duke, senior editor for BASS publications:" It seems closer and more of a real deal than any situation we've seen."
Lake Biwa is Japan's largest lake and covers more than 259 square miles. It's also said to be one of the oldest lakes in the world. It is surrounded by mountains and famous for its scenic environs. Its crystal-clear water is more than 300 feet deep.
The thing about catching this in Japan is that it really goes against the grain of most hard core trophy hunters and bass anglers here in the United States for many reasons other than it wasn't caught in this country.
The first being that we already caught the world record in California a few years ago in Lake Dixon, which was 25.1 pounds, (on videotape), and it was not certified due to a technicallity.
The other thing is that Japan considers largemouth bass to be an invasive species and the bass are taken out and eaten! The restaurant on this particular lake serves largemouth bass on its menu!
And third, after spending thousands of hours fishing for these bass in California with swimbaits and other finesse techniques that require a great deal of patience and skill, to see it caught on live bait would just add fuel to the fire so to speak.
Lake Biwa is Japan's largest lake and covers more than 259 square miles. It's also said to be one of the oldest lakes in the world. It is surrounded by mountains and famous for its scenic environs. Its crystal-clear water is more than 300 feet deep.
In recent years Japanese officials have reacted to concerns by commercial fishermen there and tried to eliminate invasive species from Biwa, and black bass, or largemouth bass, are on that list of invasives. An unconfirmed report indicates that a 25-pound largemouth bass may have been netted by one of the commercial fishermen. The Lake Biwa Museum Restaurant serves largemouth bass on its menu.
The previous Japanese bass record weighed 19.15 pounds and was caught by Kazuya Shimada from Lake Ikehara on April 22, 2003, on a swimbait.
My personal take on this is that this bass was caught on live bait as first stated and when the angler suddenly realized what was happening, and being sponsored by Deps lures, he decided to change his story just a little bit.
This bass will most likely be certified as a tie at a minimum by the IGFA, but I would not take any bets that it will stand for 77 years as did Perry's record!! I think that as soon as the spring arrives in California in 2010, you will see a new world record largemouth come from Lake Dixon, most likely by Mike Long, Mac Wheatly, or Jed Dickerson.
In the meantime, we will just have to wait and see how all this turns out. All the most recent photographs and videos of this bass are available at Delaware Trophy Bass website at [url "http://delawaretrophybass.com/"]http://delawaretrophybass.com[/url]
Steve vonBrandt
Sponsored by: GYCB (Yamamoto),Okuma, TTI-Blakemore, and Ambush Lures.
Steve was the owner of a bass fishing Guide Service in Wilmington, Delaware, Anglers Radio in Delaware and New Jersey, and Delaware Tackle in Delaware. He is a tournament angler and freelance outdoor writer. He has over 40 years of fishing experience in the Northeast and California. He has fished lakes, ponds, and rivers from 1962 until the present. His new website offers over 150 bass fishing instructional videos for free at Delaware Trophy Bass.
[url "http://delawaretrophybass.com/"]http://delawaretrophybass.com[/url]
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i believe it. i lived in northern japan for 4 years, and when there wasent 19 feet of snow on the ground, the little pond (only big enough for a canoe and oars) had some of the best large mouth fishing i have eer experianced in my life... oh yea, Aomori Prefecture, between Hachinohe and Misawa japan, on the back side of misawa Air Base, north side housing if someone happens to be reading this from there [laugh]
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BigPike,
I think it would have been great to if he would have released it also but it seems people have claimed breaking the record before and released the fish only to find it not certifed. There were a couple in clear lake not to long ago. It's kinda a double edge sword.

Steve, after it's all said and done what do you think that fish will be worth financailly to that angler?
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