WRB-2.0

Dee Thomas introduced flipping to professional bass fishing back in the early 70's and Dave Gliebe, Dee's partner, perfected pitching when the rod lengths were reduced to 8' max length. Another west coast angler Gary Klein has continued with pitching jigs in heavy cover on the B.A.S.S. tournament trail and Denny Brauer became legendary at both flipping and pitching jigs for cash. Where I fish flipping or pitching isn't common due to the sparse shoreline cover and my preference to fish outside structure. All of the above anglers have good books and some have vedios; Google the their names for specific articles. WRB

If the females eggs are ready, they can drop them whenever suites there need. The water temps below 58 degrees at the depth the bass spawn will take about 3 weeks to hatch, that is a long time for the male bass to protect the eggs. In water temps above 67 degrees, the bluegill start to spawn and bass eggs laid in warmer water will hatch within 7 days, however fry survival is very low due to predation. The ideal window is 62 to 65 degrees at the depth of the bedding site. Very few lakes have equal water temps throughout the lake and bass tend to spawn in waves surrounding the full moon cycles at various different locations within the same lake. I have caught giant spawners in 25 feet of water and 3 feet of water in the same lake. The isn't any set rules when or where bass may spawn. The majority will spawn in 62 to 65 degree water, 3 to 5 feet deep, some colder and some warmer, some shallow and some deep. WRB

El Salto during pre spawn. WRB

Tilapia's lower core water lower limit is 50 degrees and start to go into shock at 55 degrees. If the water changes more than 10 degrees within 24 hours, bass will start to die off, if they can't located warmer water; springs, deep water etc. We have been in a cooling cycle since the mid 90's and it's predicted to continue for at least 25 more years. WRB

Take a look at Navionics paper Hot Maps; they make a traditional topo style folded map, plus their electronic maps for GPS units.

Most tandem blade spinner baits have the trailing blade too far back. The trailing blade shouldn't extend beyond the hook bend. What happens is the bass strikes the blade and misses the hook. Putting a trailer hook may solve that problem, why not use a spinnerbait that is design properly to start with? Next time you are shopping for spinnerbaits, take a close look at where the trailing blade is located. WRB

The water temperature affects the bass also, they may not die as long as the core water temps don't drop more than 10 degrees over night. Threadfin are very susceptible to winter die off due to cold water as noted. Basstrix Flash minnow and Baitfry in shad colors, drop shotted, should also work well on cold water bass. If the bass seem to be active then structure spoons, jigs, weighted Pointer jerkbait and small 3" to 4" swimbaits should also work. WRB

Bass fight hard for a very short time period and do not have sustained energy to continue fighting longer than a few minutes. A long run for a LMB is about 50 feet; bass rely on making quick turns to capture prey or escape other predators. The IGFA already has line weight and fly fishing world record categories. The all tackle world record is the Kurita/Perry record. WRB

...finding the time to go. +1 and the older you get the faster the time goes bye. WRB

The IGFA decides to list the weight as a tie; 22 lbs 4 ounces and it should be listed at 22 lbs 4.97 ounces. Lets wait and see what gets published officially. If the 22 lbs 4 ounces is listed, as stated by the IGFA, then Kurita should formally request a weight correction. Tom

During the 80s and 90s when California was in its heyday, fishing pressure was heavy and live crayfish were heavily employed. During that memorable era, Bob Crupi boated a 21 lb & 22 lb bass using live crayfish. The point being, a burgeoning fishery is tough to kill, and a fishery in a decline is tough to save. It's no secret that Japan's bass fishery is currently burgeoning, while California seems to be experiencing genetic reversion. Lake Perris is the best example that comes to mind. In years gone by, Spotted Bass were transplanted in Lake Perris, CA. which produced a freak spotted bass that broke the world-record set in the fish's natural range (Smith Reservoir, AL). Today however, Spotted Bass have virtually disappeared from Lake Perris, CA. Roger The spotted bass in lake Perris were over harvested by live bait fisherman, spots are extremely susceptible to live bait. The other factors are the introduction of red ear sunfish (shell crackers) that decimated the spotted basses spawning beds and FLMB competing for the same forage base. When a new species is introduced into a lake with excellent forage base established and allowed to get established and grow to adult size, they tend to grow to their maximum potential. This pattern is common in CA lakes where FLMB are introduced. The initial growth boom is followed by an adjustment period as the fishery balances and settles down into a normal growth period where a few giants bass continue to be caught. Tom

The Kurita bass was caught using techniques illegal in CA; live bluegill* is considered an illegal baitfish, chumming with baitfish or any parts of baitfsih is also illegal for fresh water fishing. The practice of training potential bass by hand feeding live bait fish is also illegal; chumming. Kurita's techniques are legal in Japan and in most other states like Texas and in countries like Mexico and Cuba, where using a wide variety of live baits is legal. It looks like Japan has a few potential lakes with giant bass populations that could break this new record. California's giant bass population suffers for being over pressured and over harvested, very few potential world record bass swimming in CA's trophy bass lakes today. The Kurita bass may ignite more legal bait fishing during the pre spawn and spawning periods, a time when these giant bass are easiest to catch. I would expect this to have a negative impact on already over stressed fisheries. You never know when a 20+lb bass may show up. We have a few in CA, so there is a chance it could be caught any time within the next 90 days, wait and see. WRB * Bluegill and crappie are considered game fish in CA. There are a few exceptions; Colorado river is one area where shared AZ laws allow live bluegill for bait.

Platinum Equity Group successfully bought Ranger, Champion and Stratos boats today at auction from Genmar. WRB

It should be listed with the correct weight; 22 lbs 4.97 oz. It would be unjust for Kurita to loose the record to a 22 lb 6 oz bass. WRB

Someone please correct me if I'm wrong but I thought Crupi's 22.1 pound bass came from Castaic Castaic is correct and the Crupi bass was never offically weighed or examined before it was released. WRB

Glenn, thank you for posting the story, it helps and answers a lot of questions. Someone once said a tie is like kissing your sister. I'm happy for Kurita and for having an undisputed world record bass with all the proper documentation. Why the IGFA decided to list the catch as 22 lbs 4 ounces and not 22 lbs 5 ounces is questionable and may cause some future issues. WRB

+1 A big reservoir like TB that is over 70 miles long can have more than 1 river, sometimes called creeks. These big creek/river arms are like a lake within a lake. Lake Shasta for example has 4 river arms; Sacramento, MCleod, Pitt and Squaw rivers that join onto the main lake basin and each river arm fishes differently.

A secondary point on man made lakes like high land or hill land reservoirs are points not located on the main lake basin. A major point is a point on the main lake basin that leads to the main river channel. Natural lakes that may or may not have a river or creek channel; secondary points are points inside bays or coves. Different parts of the country tend to define bass fishing terms in local jargon. For example; a primary secondary point is the point that divides 2 creek arms, located inside a major creek arm on big high land or hill land reservoirs. We all have a little different spin depending on where we live and hope this helps a little and doesn't confuse everyone.

I have been on both sides of the live bait fishing for bass issue. During the 60's and 70's I fished with every type of legal live bait because that was how trophy bass fisherman fished back then. Live waterdogs (tiger salamanders), crawdads and golden shiners where legal live bait in CA, and very effective baits fished properly. It became obvious to me that we were destroying our trophy bass fisheries by over harvesting big bass using live bait. SoCal bass lakes are small, most under 2,000 acres and hundreds of bass fisherman using live bait everyday had a major impact of the bass population. I made a personal decision to stop fishing with live bait after catch several hundred 10+ bass, releasing all that were healthy. Today, 40 years later, my belief that live bait fishing still harms trophy bass populations hasn't changed in regards to small lakes. However, today fewer bass fisherman fish with live bait, other than guides who fish for a living. The average bass angler fishes with lures. I still believe that bed fishing isn't good for any fishery, especially using live bait. I have caught a lot of giant bass on lures over the past 40 years but would have caught a lot more using live bait. That was my choice and it was right for me.

Didn't have to be: could have been an F1 (intergrade) If it was Florida strain it was transplanted one. George, the F1 or F35 is still a Florida strain if the lateral line pore scales exceed 66. The F in F1 = Florida strain. Don't get carried away with the "pure" Florida strain, we may not have any "pure" Florida strains outside of central Florida anymore. With all the bass water flowing north from Jacksonville, it's not a strecth to think interprizing anglers transplanted FLMB into Georgia. We planted NLMB into California back in the late 1890's and FLMB in 1959. My heaviest northern strain LMB was caught by in 1971 at lake Casitas and weighs 12 lbs 4 oz. I also caught a 18 lb 11 oz FLMB from the same lake in 1981, in fact with the same type hair jig off the same point. I'm just as proud of the 12 lb 4 oz NLMB as the 18 lb 11 oz FLMB because they are about equal trophy size bass. Both these bass are nearly the same length; 27 1/2" NLMB and 28" FLMB, the 6 lb difference is in the body girth! NLMB & FLMB are different bass. WRB No, the "F" stands for "filial." F1 is filial 1, or generation one in not so correct but simpler terms. Stand corrected. I don't agree that a bass with a fine scale count (69 to 73 pore scales) that grows 25%+ heavier in the exact same lakes (northern strain 59 to 65 pore scales) can be considered the same largemouth bass. The two sub species are easy to identify and the IGFA should recognize the differences, IMO. Whatever; B.A.S.S. is announcing the IGFA decision on the Kurita FLMB tomorrow, 8 Jan 2010. We can go on and on, lets just agree to disagree and continue to pursue catching bass with lures or live bait is the anglers choice. WRB

Didn't have to be: could have been an F1 (intergrade) If it was Florida strain it was transplanted one. George, the F1 or F35 is still a Florida strain if the lateral line pore scales exceed 66. The F in F1 = Florida strain. Don't get carried away with the "pure" Florida strain, we may not have any "pure" Florida strains outside of central Florida anymore. With all the bass water flowing north from Jacksonville, it's not a strecth to think interprizing anglers transplanted FLMB into Georgia. We planted NLMB into California back in the late 1890's and FLMB in 1959. My heaviest northern strain LMB was caught by in 1971 at lake Casitas and weighs 12 lbs 4 oz. I also cuaght a 18 lb 11 oz FLMB from the same lake in 1981, in fact with the same type hair jig off the same point. I'm just as proud of the 12 lb 4 oz NLMB as the 18 lb 11 oz FLMB because they are about equal trophy size bass. Both these bass are nearly the same length; 27 1/2" NLMB and 28" FLMB, the 6 lb difference is in the body girth! NLMB & FLMB are different bass. WRB

The heaviest NLMB that I know of is 16 lbs 4 oz, Mallard lake, Arkansas state record. There are at least 75 FLMB that exceed 17 lbs., 12 over 20 lbs. If the Perry bass weighed 22 lbs 4 oz., it was a FLMB strain. WRB

Correction; Florida largemouth bass; micropterus salamindes flordanus is a recognized subspecies.

No. World records shouldn't have a separate category for lures verses bait. The IGFA should have separate categories for different largemouth bass species; northern stain, Florida strain, Shoal and Red eye for examples. The IGFA has separate categories for smallmouth and Spotted bass. The argument that NLMB are the same as FLMB is simply wrong, they are as different as spotted bass. Different number of pore scales along the lateral is obvious; 59 to 65 for NLMB and 69 to 73 for FLMB. The debate over "pure" FLMB verses intergrades is no different then any other black bass species. IGFA doesn't require DNA authentication, external examination by a qualified biologist is all that is required. WRB PS: the argument that live bait gives an advantage to the angler is correct. Give a skilled bass angler the choice of fishing with live bait verses lures (shad, crawdads, waterdogs, bluegill, golden shiners, rainbow trout), in a money bass tournament verses lures; what would you choose? Lures work, that is all I fish with, but it is a disadvantage.

There should be a separate record for Florida strain largemouth bass verses northern strain largemouth bass, two distinct different species of bass. Live bait verses lures, no reason to separate records based on how the fish were caught. WRB