Matt Fly

Better get there early, they only allow certain amout of boats on the water, or used to. One guy said they only rent boats and thats why the quick release no livewells. Used to be length rule and horse power ratings when i lived there. What livewell would fit that pig fit in?

I lived in San Dog for 14 yrs, its not my first rodeo either. But witnesses say they saw him catch the bass on a white jig. Either one is fine, by law, sight fishing, when you can see the fish, its is against the law to hook the fish outside the mouth, hence snagging. IGFA says, you can't have a treble attached that is bigger than a size ? Not sure on the size. This hook had been reported to be over the legal limit. Also, it matters to how the stinger is positioned, fixed or free moving. If its my sole goal to put one of these toads in the record books, these guys know the rules better than most, or should as much press as they get. Why use something that could deem the fish illegal?

The first place I went after hearing the rumor was to the forum westernbassdotcom, southwest page. Quotes from another sight in Cali. its 100 percent true, my source was steve and dan barnett, who WERE THERE WHEN THE FISH WAS CAUGHT. they even got to touch the fish. the weighing of the fish flashed between 24 pounds and something ounces and 25 pounds. this is a 100% true story EXCEPT, this fish was NOT caught on a swimbait. still waiting on the news report when it comes. its defently a world record fish but i dont think it will stand. story says it was caught on a white jig and foul hooked outside the mouth so i dont think it will fly. just my opinion if i spotted that fish on a bed i would defentily call someone and have them video tape me catching it so their would be no doubts we are talking about a million dollar fish here and i defentily would of found someway to keep that fish alive till dfg could arrive just my thoughts..... Reportedly caught on a swim bait while sight fishing...........Why use a treble hook while sight fishing or a swim bait. Next is the white jig, who uses, or puts stinger hooks on a jig, IE.....a treble hook while sight fishing knowingly that foul hooking or snagging the fish would eliminate a possible record fish???????? Would well known WR chaser that knowingly know the rules to have a fish certified go against the theory. Sounds fishy on the story, not that a large bass wasn't caught just how or what it was caught on.

Two reports, one was sight fishing with a swimbait, and I find that bogus or hard to believe. On the westernbass *. A witness said he saw him catch it with a white jig, and I find that bogus. The treble hook was outside the mouth, when sight fishing, its illegal to see the fish and foul hook it, snagging as its called. A white jig with a treble hook????????? Details are sketchy if you see my view. Sight fishing with a bass on the nest with a large swimbait as one reported, and a white jig with a stinger hook, a treble.

I'm wowed by the toad, she is an ultimate she-pig. I don't call my self a record chaser, love to pursue big bass. I can assure you, if I caught one, I have semstress measuring tape with me, numbers to marinas and know where certified scales can be had at 2am in the morning. If I saw the hawg and they did, I would NOT be using a bait that had a stinger hook that might cost me a possible record. Sight fishing!!!!!! If that fish was caught from the deep, it would count, but sight fishing and snagging are un-sportsman like as defined by the rules. The majority of the forum, I think, can't believe a WR chaser would not be more prepared for this feat, thus the skeptics. I'm not skeptic that he caught a huge fish, just can't believe he took that approach. A treble hook used for sight fishing during a tourney or while pursuing a record is a bad tactic in my book. The chance for a foul hook is lurking. And according to the press releases, thats all they do, search for WR class bass. Just my .02.

http://www.seewald.com/california_state_record_largemouth_black_bass.htm http://sports.espn.go.com/espn/print?id=1213867&type=story http://www.californiagameandfish.com/fishing/bass-fishing/ca_aa010704a/ These articles show that the fish was caught more than once, the later article gives more info.

There is nothing wrong with taking a record class fish that millions of bass fishermen would love to see. How many of us complain when we go to the Bass Pro in Grapevine Tx and other BPS's around the country and marvel at 20lb bass in the tanks? How do you think they got there? Donated or leased? Does it matter? I have never went to a display and got mad because those fish aren't in the wild to give us an opportunity to catch those fish. We talk about skin mounts, a replica does the same thing, or the guy by all rights could have eaten her. End of Story. Don't say this is the largest bass ever caught, cause Cuba has boasted of some bigger than 25lbs also, like the current fish caught, no evidence to support the claims, Mexico had a supposedly 26 pounder found dead with a 3 lb tilapia stuck in her throat. I know this fish is supposed to have been caught 3 times now out of Dixon, and the story has been the same each time basically on why it wasn't recognized as a lake record. This does go against some of the evidence that has been reported on this forum as to large bass being caught and released and not surviving, this is the third time and she's still kicking. Third time I know of. I promote catch and release, but a world or state record fish worth millions of dollars is business, good business, and I'm gonna cash in, and that doesn't mean I don't support catch and release, It means that a state record could be viewed by millions of anglers. Sure wish someone could have viewed Mr. Perrys fish, there would be less confussion on the current record and its doubters.

That sight is not where I found the original info. But after going there, and reading what has been posted, they don't know much more than us. For two guys who have pursued the WR that long, they would know how to certify a fish for a record. You may be right, it maybe fishy, or just another huge spawning female caught at the easiest time of the year.

http://www.signonsandiego.com Possible world record. I'm only going on what I have read.

I was hoping for a little better than this one. Has the same mentality of a small bass that can whoop anything that crosses its path.

http://www.basschamps.com/ 31 pounds to win, 42 sacks over 20 lbs one week after the pros left. She's still going strong. Remember the first BassChamps stop on Amistad took 39.66 to win it earlier this year.

As long as its legal, its okay. We don't all have the same taste in music or what we watch on TV, the same with what our taste buds like as to what fish we eat. I mean in Japan, Carp is the better fish, the majority don't see it that way in the US. Any time your cleaning bass at a large BASS event, your gonna hear some grumbling from the C & R guys. Don't you think that family deserved their annual spring break vacation to Amistad, in peace without verbal comments being grumbled their way. If I was him, I'd be a tough guy after the comments he has heard during the event. Its been going on for years, and our fisheries in TX are for all to enjoy, not just bassfishermen that are catch and release. Gill nets are legal on the Mexico side for years. Does the stringers look like those waters are suffering from all the kept bass? Took 31 pounds with 42 stringers over 20 Sat to win Bass Champs this last Sat. one week after BASS was there. 197 teams.

Does the asterick denote juiced fishermen, I saw LBH grocery list for Fork, consider it a liquid lunch.

This guy got up early and was the first one to his private hole.

I'm gonna have to dig up my old arm soldiers and put trebles on them. Looks like I have been buying the wrong type of plastics, and to think, I had the right bait the whole time, just didn't know it.

I'm with RW when it comes to offshore areas that are deep. I think later in the season, big bass will feed at night. But, as their metabolism increases during post spawn, the mid day snack is a must to get them by till the table is set at night for dining out. When pursuing big bass, rarely do I beat the banks. Don't get me wrong, the grass in my state holds quality bass, and the grass beds late in the summer that are found in 20ft of water are better for numbers of quality. 12-4pm have produced my best bass throughout the summers. Big Bass are fat and lazy, slowing down gets quality bites for me. Slow rolling big spinners to emulate big gizzard shad, 10 inch or larger worms, big bulky jigs, and big cranks, swimbaits are summer deep staples I employ to catch the big ones.

I was told this wasn't, but thought it was funny anyway.

Some one mentioned "Match the Hatch". This is my topwater secret weapon, an 8 meter zara spook with dual blades. Oh yes, the 'Bait Monkey is my jockey. Killing 2 goals at once, setting a new Personal Best, and getting the monkey off my back.

My dreams are to break the state record of 18.18. 19.25lbs for the state record, and 14.3 for Personal Best.

In east Tx, if the dogwoods are blooming, the lakes have boats on them sight fishing, everyone is always asking if the dogwoods are blooming yet, there way of asking if the bass are spawning.

From the Gary Yamamoto web site on matching the hatch. Anglers fall into two camps; there are those who believe that color has little to do with the effectiveness of a bait, and there are those who believe that the right color makes all the difference in the world. Without apology, I fall squarely in the latter group. On far too many instances, I have watched several boats sit over fish holding structure, all using the same type of bait in different colors with only one catching fish. I have to make the assumption that color is a vital factor in "turning the fish on." Not the only factor, mind you, but a very important one nonetheless. My approach has always been founded on a "natural" premise. To borrow a phrase from our fly-fishing comrades, I begin my color selection by "matching the hatch." The first step in this process is to determine the preferred prey species in a lake. Local fishermen are the best source for that information. People who have fished a particular body of water for years will often know the "never-fail" live bait; minnows, craws, frogs, leeches, worms - what is it the fish hit most often at that particular time of year? While you're bound to get several different answers, keep at it and you'll get a general consensus from those you speak with. Take the top two bait species you heard about most often and then go hunting. The angler has to look at samples from the lake. Trap minnows (at several depths) do the same with craws, etc. Just what do the prey in that particular lake really look like? Once you know that, you can go to your tackle. Choose the color that most resembles the prey species, and then choose several other variations on that theme. As an example, let's say that your closest match to what you believe is the primary prey species is a pumpkin with black flake, you might then stay with pumpkin as your base color but add one with red flake, one with gold flake, one with green & black flake. To round out your selection, add base color variants - a root beer with black flake and a cinnamon. The color variations are important simply because water color and light levels have a profound impact on how your bait appears under water. I know of several pros who have such a strong belief in this point that they have learned to scuba-dive so that they can descend to their chosen structure, look at the prey and 'match the hatch' down where the fish live! However, for those of us who don't carry an aqua-lung in the boat, it becomes a process of trial and error. To be blunt, we go fish'n' with our chosen baits! Keep in mind that over the course of a day (or a tournament), the light levels will change and something like a sudden hard rain or a significant increase/decrease in water flow through a dam may alter the water clarity/color. Just because a variant doesn't work at 9:00 a.m., is not to say that it won't "turn-on" at high noon. If a particular color choice begins to fail, change off; use your variations, and finally, experiment. I recall fishing a tournament in late September. My color selection had been based on white variants since the preferred prey species were craws with carapaces of dirty white, edged with pink. Halfway through the competition, the white variants began to become less effective and finally almost shut down. After racking my brain several times, it finally occurred to me that the pink edges might indicate the craws were on the verge of molting. I switched off to light pink (218) and the fishing picked up. But, when I hooked on a five-inch Fire Orange (155) grub, the fish went wild! Are there colors that work every-where and every-when? Not that I've found, but there are colors that I believe work in a wider spectrum of lakes than others. Baits with a smoke base, for example, seem to have a high level of effectiveness, possibly due to the fact that many lakes contain a minnow prey with a smoky coloration. While I have based the majority of my professional activity around the natural color selection method, I am forced to admit that my boat never hits the water without chartreuse variants in a locker. I can't come up with a rational reason why chartreuse should work, maybe the fish hit it cause it bugs the blazes out of them, but hit it they do. So, with or without a logical cause, chartreuse always rides with me! Having said that, in competition or when guiding, I will very, very rarely ever fish a bait (or color) because I happen to like the look of it. When I'm fun fishing, fishing purely for the love of it on those fine summer afternoons, that's when I indulge in tossing the "weird and wonderfuls" that somehow seem to find their way into my tackle collection. "Matching the hatch" has been one key to many days of successful fishing. I wish you equal success! What do you think of Matching the Hatch now? Hookem Matt

I haven't been that close in Texas to 13 during the Oct-April sharelunker program. Know of some that were over 13 on digitals but not certified scales. With all my buddies scales, since I calibrate medical devices, I calibrate them or know the offset in difference. I recommend that you take a few weights to the Post Office and ask them to weigh them on their cerified scales, I will pre-attatch a string on the weights before weighing so you can hang them on the scale. 2, 5, 12.5 lb weights are excellant to get the difference, ie........over or under by how much. There is a poteniometer inside that can be tweaked if you know how to adjust, or you can remember what those weights weighed and do the math in your head.

Sorry it took so long for me to get picture up. Another nice one.

Actually, fresh water drum are good eating fish, better known as Gaspergou, they are live bait eaters, clean fish and strong fighters. I have heard white perch in this part of the country refered to white crappie, and I always thought that white crappie and white perch are totally different. Looking at the picture and googling everything, it looks like a white perch to me. Reading about them, they appear to be good eating.

this comes off the TPWD web site from the biologist. Handling Your Catch Leave the fish in the water if you can and use a tool to remove the hook. Keep the fish from thrashing without using a net if there is anyway you can. IF you must handle a fish: Use a wet rag or glove. Turn it on its back and cover its eyes to calm it. Don't put your fingers in the eyes or gills of the fish. Avoid removing mucous or scales. Get the fish back in the water as quickly as possible. Handle each fish carefully to avoid person injury.