roadwarrior

Paparock, If you can find 'em you can catch 'em! You have all the right tackle. Good luck!

I fish dark and natural colors (which brings in white and clear combinations) year around in all water. I have very little or no success in muddy water and I rarely fish in those conditions anymore.

I like big baits. Action, depth, profile, sound (vibration), retrieve speed and sometimes color are factors to consider. Smaller baits, I'm told, usually catch more fish. I like big baits. Matching the hatch seems logical. Matching the colors to native baitfish seems logical. Smaller baits may seem logical. I like big baits. I don't match the hatch, I don't care about the color as long as it's natural or dark or outlandish, but NEVER pink. Did I mention, I like big baits?

If he hadn't weighed that fish, the guy could claim any weight he wanted. Man, that's a hawg!

mgmoore7, Trout are repeatedly stocked all over the country. First of all, most people who fish for small trout keep them and eat them. They are VERY easy to catch and for every 10 trout caught and released, one or two die. Blue Heron are responsible for 30% of the stocked trout mortality on the White River in Missouri and Arkansas (10,000 birds X 365 days= 365,000 per year). Commorants are resposible for killing millions of stocked and farm raised fish throughout North America. The point is, to have a readily available (catchable) trout population, they must be restocked constantly. I cetainly agree that this is the #1 reason California bass grow so large, but it is a coincidental aspect of the trout stocking program.

earthworm77, I read a follow-up on this story, I think it was by In-Fisherman, that established estimated weights based on the measurements of the top twenty or twenty-five largest documented largemouth bass. Rather than using a formula to calculate weight, they used the actual weights to create a formula just for big bass, based on these specific fish. The bottom line, as I recall, according to this analysis was that Trew's bass probably weighed around 18 1/2 lbs.

Do doubt, rattletrap. (Paul Duclos) That is probabably the most ridiculous big bass story I have ever read. Well, now I have forgotten the California chicky's name that claimed the World Record, but that story (and picture) ranks right up there, too. When (if) someone with a brain, even a very small one, catches The Bass, it ain't going back! BTW, According to IGFA rules, record breaking fish must weigh two ounces more than the previous record. Do you think they will make an exception for a 22 lb 5 oz largemouth?

Yes, a couple, but they were small. The ones I've caught fought just like a smallmouth and both were almost black, which is not necessarily a characteristic of the fish.

For water <12', Senko and Fat Ika are VERY effective and are fished basically the same (just different profiles and action). You should fish both of these baits weightless and weedless. For wate 12'>, Kreature, T-rigged with a bead. I prefer the weight unpegged, but I have a DVD from GYCB that features some of the staff and Gary Yamaoto using a pegged weight. Do you think he knows anything?

No. These "rumors" are like an urban myth, told over and over again throughout the region. I have heard this same story about the Tennessee River below Wheeler, Wilson and Pickwick over the years, but I have talked with a number of TWRA officers and although they occasionally hear the same thing, it's not true. Let's look at it this way for a moment: There has been no claim of a smallmouth being caught weighing 11 lbs over the past fifty years. There is only one fish that has ever been reported to be that size and it is the World Record weighing in at more than 1 LB heavier than #2. 11 lbs 15 oz. is absolutley mind boggling when you compare it to the next largest or the top ten that have been documented.

In-Fisherman and Inside Line are my two favorites, Bassmaster is a distant third. My two favorite fishing books are both from In-Fisherman: #1 Smallmouth and #2 Largemouth. TV show? Well, NO...I don't work for them...but In-Fisherman is my favorite show (Sunday morning at 6:00 around here).

Good luck Texas, Florida, Georgia and Mexico. California is within ounces, not pounds.

I don't dispute the story, but that particular fish is dead. My partner landed a 10 lb smallmouth in November of 2003, which I netted and weighed. If that fish is still alive, it has the potential to be the next World Record! So, no doubt it is possibel that one or more are out there or will be in the future. The biggest problem is that smallmouth don't live as long in the Mid South as they do in northern waters. They grow much faster, but only live to about ten years of age. That is the main reason we have lots of 5 lb+ smallmouth, but so few over 10 lbs. Ten pounds is huge, but it's also a weight that coincides with life expectancy. A bigger fish is an anomaly.

Dale Hollow is a Cumberland River reservior, but like reserviors of the Tennessee River, each impoundment has somewhat unique characteristics and I'm wondering if there is enough isolation at Dale Hollow to have a slighly different DNA profile than the smallmouth of the system as a whole. I don't know if that is possible, but it would be interesting to investigate.

The fact that Mr. Hayes has "THE FISH" speaks volumes. I would hope at some point a thorough DNA analysis would be undertaken, comparing this fish with the smallmouth of Dale Hollow in particular, and that of the Cumberland and Tennessee River systems in general. I would think the age of the fish could be easily determined and maybe additional insight will be forthcoming. Bassmasters deserves most of the credit for having the Hayes World Record reinstated. Without their support and determined investigation I don't think the IGFA would have revaluated their position. That sets the bar pretty high for anyone trying to catch a new record, but it might be out there. I sure hope so!

My two favorite artificial lures are jerkbaits (Pointer, Husky Jerk,Rogue and possibly soon to be, X-Rap). Number two and the most productive bait I have fished at Bull Shoals, Gitzit (baby diaper yellow, Mizmo's Kent's Classic). In low light I have also had some success catching trophy smallmouth on a Zara Spook and I think a Sammy would be equally effective. On the Tennessee River I fish live shiners on a split shot rig. The gear is a medium power/ fast action spinning combination, #4 Yo-Zuri Hybrid Ultra Soft, #4 split shot (more or less depending on water flow) and #6 Gamakatsu Octopus Circle Hook. In the pre-spawn, which is right now, the majority of the biggest smallmouth are caught in 10-25' of water, in strong current and near structure. I don't fish bedding fish and I don't fish gravel bars this time of year, but that's where the vast majority of the smaller buck bass are caught. On a lake, and particularly Bull Shoals, I would concentrate on main lake points. The best tend to be rocky, steeply sloped and on the north side of the lake, but none should be ruled out. Although I haven't caught any big bronzebacks on C-rigged lizards, I have caught some numbers and many Kentucky bass, too, using this rig. Everyone claims small jigs are deadly, but I haven't found that to be the case. Maybe I don't fish them enough, but I think there are better alternatives. Live crawdads is another bait I would think might be awesome, but I have not fished them for smallmouth. Another bait that is highly recommended are grubs and Hula Grubs (spider jigs). Again, I have caught smallmouth on these plastics, but no monsters.

Redtail, My comments were not directed at fishing for the World Record largemouth, but "big" bass in general. That means 5 lb + to me, not 20 lbs. I target big bass, but still catch lots of fish and they are not all 5+. My point is this: In order to consistantly catch bigger bass, whatever that means to you, it is necessary to fish lures/ bait in areas where they are most likely to live. That includes fishing water that holds big bass, heavy cover and deep structure or near deep water. "Deep" is relative to the general depth of a given body of water. The most important factors for me have been fishing larger lures and focusing on structure, not cover. I know that plenty of fishermen, including several on this forum, catch big bass on small jigs, concentrate on grasslines and have caught their biggest bass in low light. There are many ways to skin a cat. All but one of my biggest bass have been caught between 10:00AM and 2:00 PM, all but two on a 6" Senko and every one in deep or very near deep water relating to structure.

Dark. 42, 194J, 208 & 297 will cover it all.

If you are interested in an IGFA record, go to the website and it's all spelled out. The basics are a certified scale, measurements and witnesses. You have to provide a sample or your line and fill out the paperwork on a timely basis, it's not that complicated. I don't have any chance of catching a World Record largemouth bass, but I fish every weekend for the smallmouth. That record is far more challenging, there has never been a smallmouth caught that comes within a pound of the World Record.

I'm considering Nashville, TN. It's surrounded by some of the best smallmouth lakes in the country, including Dale Hollow. Old Hickory, the home of the World Record walley is close. The Cumberland River produces huge stripers and catfish. The Tennessee River and associated reserviors produce crappie, sauger, striper, catfish and trophy smallmouth. Largemouth, Kentucky, and white bass are native to all of these waters. The Smokey Mountains and trout fishing streams are just a few hours away. If you are looking for a safe city with all of the ammenities for health care, shopping and entertainment, this is an interesting option. I also enjoy the four seasons as long as the winters are short and mild and Nashville meets that criteria, too. Being close to a metropolitan area and within three hours of waters that offer a variety of fishing opportunities appeals to me. Housing costs are moderate, but if you're from a high priced market, may seem cheap. Tennessee has no state taxes! This is a great region for sportsmen, yet has other options that make it appealing to your better half: Great shopping malls, world class entertaiment and other activities that can keep the ladies busy.

RoLo brings up a very interesting point. In order to produce a 22 lb 4 oz bass it seems that there should be a number of bass approaching that size and many +/- 20 lbs as we see in California. Following that same line of reasoning, there should be a number of smallmouth well over 11 lbs, the World Record being 11 lbs. 15 oz. In fact, there is only one... There has NEVER been another smallmouth caught that has weighed 11 lbs.

The fact that bass have been caught in California approaching the mark set by Perry's World Record suggests that it IS POSSIBLE. However, a 22 lb 4 oz monster seems UNLIKELY without the protein base that has been created by California's trout stocking program. Perry's bass probably had the right genetics and conceivably it was a freak of nature that lived to maturity. Since there is no way of proving that he did not catch the fish and the documentation at the time was accepted, I think we have to give this record the benefit of the doubt.

What surprises me is that fisherman that don't specifically target big bass still catch one occasionally. I suppose if they put in enough time fishing and cover a lot of water, they might be at the right spot at exactly the right time. I guess that's why it's called the "fish of a lifetime". In addition to what Murphy, earthworm77, Triton_Mike and dodgeguy have said and written, I think that in order to consistantly catch big fish you must also go out of your way to avoid placing yourself in situations where you catch too many smaller fish. Sometimes you will find a place or a pattern on a body of water where the bite is on and honestly, who moves away from that kind of action? When catching bass gets easy, we sometimes lose focus on our objective. If your goal or your obsession is big bass, you have to fish for them all of the time. F+L+P= Success.

Thank you, Matt. That's perfect!

Black & blue Micro Munch Jig w/ GYCB Fat Baby Craw 021 (black with blue flakes).