Deserved ...got nothing to do with it

I would keep it and get it certified. If it was a public spot I would give them the location, and I wouldn't worry about keeping the fish alive. If a fish is old enough to have grown that big then it would have a very small chance of surviving with all the stress from dragging it to scales and such. It would have spawned plenty of times anyway, so the genetics would still be in the lake.

i would claim the state record, if the fish died, so be it. there are plenty more bass swimming around. im not worried about added pressure or the likes, and i cant stand that "put it back so someone else can catch it bigger later" crap. you mean put it back so the same fish can become someone elses record later on when it couldve been mine? no thanks. im keeping the fish, having it certified, and if after all that i get to keep the fish i am having a skin mount made, dont like replicas at all...

 

in fact, i think bass fishermen take catch and release too far at times, i prefer to subscribe to selective harvest myself, that said i dont eat fish but i have no problem keeping and giving my catch to friends or family who may want some fish. a 20,000 acre lake isnt going to miss 5 bass...

 

sound selfish? probably, but i really dont care. if its a legal catch, then im free to do what i want with it...

I'd let it go, odds are the record is just going to be broken again in a year or so and your spots going to get hit hard by everyone around. Does anyone really pay that much attention to their state records? I mean can anyone in here really rattle off the current record holder in their own state for every game fish? probably not. Most of us are aware of the what the record weight is but the name is usually forgotten, once again because a new one is there all to often. I was actually in the same situation only for a hybrid bass instead of a largemouth(fish in profile pic) and chose to release the fish. In my situation the record I broke was only 2 weeks old itself and odds are mine wouldn't last long either. I can't tell you the name of the record holder or the name of the guy before him and to that I say fame? what fame. We don't need people to tell us we know how to fish, knowing that your a true outdoorsmen and have the respect to you craft and your environment are far more rewarding than having you name on a piece a paper for a year or two. I'd say you made the right call, congrats! by the way

I'll just say, I catch a NY record fish, it's going on ice.

I am torn between Speedbead and A-jay on this one.

I could 100% agree with both of their wordings....... it is a good problem to have, that we all agree on.

All trophy bass lakes go through boom & bust cycles and It's naive to assume disclosing the lake a record size bass came out of will severely impact the fishery. Few bass anglers have the skill to catch record bass, the thinking everyone fishing the lake will harm it isn't a fact as long as the local wardens prevent netting, electro shocking or any other illegal activity.

Keeping a record size bass alive and healthy during the certification process takes pre planning. Authenticating a record bass requires examination of the fish to determine the species and there isn't any added weight inside the bass. You need to know phone numbers and locations to arrange examination and certification. If you self certify with a certified scale and photos, most states will not authenticate the catch without examining the bass. Bob Crupi's 22.10 FLMB is a good example, CA state record is Mike Arugio's 21.75 lbs FLMB.

Be prepared to put the old bass on ice and get your catch authenticated, you owe it to yourself and the bass.

Tom

I'll just say, I catch a NY record fish, it's going on ice.

I'm going to catch that record soon! And I'm letting that beauty swim another day

I'd let it go, odds are the record is just going to be broken again in a year or so and your spots going to get hit hard by everyone around. Does anyone really pay that much attention to their state records? I mean can anyone in here really rattle off the current record holder in their own state for every game fish? probably not. Most of us are aware of the what the record weight is but the name is usually forgotten, once again because a new one is there all to often. I was actually in the same situation only for a hybrid bass instead of a largemouth(fish in profile pic) and chose to release the fish. In my situation the record I broke was only 2 weeks old itself and odds are mine wouldn't last long either. I can't tell you the name of the record holder or the name of the guy before him and to that I say fame? what fame. We don't need people to tell us we know how to fish, knowing that your a true outdoorsmen and have the respect to you craft and your environment are far more rewarding than having you name on a piece a paper for a year or two. I'd say you made the right call, congrats! by the way

Exactly. Recognition as a state record holder would literally mean nothing to me. I would measure it, weight it, take a bunch of pictures and release it. And I would only share my story with a select few.

The current NY record bass is not from public water. Why it's in the books is beyond me. I'd like it to see it knocked off by a public water fish.

The current NY record bass is not from public water. Why it's in the books is beyond me. I'd like it to see it knocked off by a public water fish.

I have a real hard time believing that record will ever be broken. I just don't see it. I've tried like hell to find a spot on that lake...Buckhorn I believe?

Good luck if you even find it, it's not too hard to find. You want get access. It doesn't matter though, it's a run off pond in a private community. I think once some of the Westchester county ressies cycle back into prime fisheries, that's where the record could be caught. They're churning out near 8's, even in bad years.

I'd take the record. That way I could cash in on bass record groupies chicks.

Exactly. Recognition as a state record holder would literally mean nothing to me. I would measure it, weight it, take a bunch of pictures and release it. And I would only share my story with a select few.

select few meaning us on the boards right???

I'd take the record. That way I could cash in on bass record groupies chicks.

Man, how sleazy....lol.

Just kidding

By the way, are there record groupies chicks for real?

Hootie

Man, how sleazy....lol.

Just kidding

By the way, are there record groupies chicks for real?

Hootie

I'll let you know as soon as I break a record. Don't hold your breath my man.

select few meaning us on the boards right???

Of course! BR would be the first (and probably only) to know!

Back in the late 80s-early 90s, my college roomates and I would fish a small lake in a park in suburban Hartford, CT where we would catch a handful of 1-2 pounders each trip.  Always from shore.  As we got to know the lake better, we found a great place to wade so we could get to a dropoff where we saw some big fish hitting the surface from time to time.  All three of us caught at least one 6+ pound bass on plastics at this spot (the biggest was around 8), but we all knew there were bigger fish out there.  Knowing the state record in CT, I would think that this tiny lake, that doesn't even have a name, can produce a bass near or larger than the record fish (12-ish pounds).  However, I definitely don't want the entire world descending on this place. 

 

If that happened today, with cell phone cameras and digital scales, I don't believe I would  do anything other than take some photos and weigh it and throw it back.  Then I would tell anyone who would listen that I caught a big fish and leave it at that. 

I guess I really don't care that much about a Tennessee State Record green fish, it would not compare

to the true giants in California. However, brown fish are an entirely different story. A new Tennessee

State Record would also be The World Record. That fish is a keeper!

I guess I really don't care that much about a Tennessee State Record green fish, it would not compare

to the true giants in California. However, brown fish are an entirely different story. A new Tennessee

State Record would also be The World Record. That fish is a keeper!

14 lbs 8 oz LMB back in '54, start trolling those A-rigs and set both!

Tom

I would keep it to myself and my main fishing friend. If the pond/lake was private I would go public but if it was my local and favorite public place there is no way that I would let word of that get out. I value my quiet fishing time way to much for some publicity 

A new Tennessee State Record would also be The World Record. That fish is a keeper!

We all know that fish was caught across the state line in KY waters.

We all know that fish was caught across the state line in KY waters.

 

Yep, that might be the case. Just makes it more interesting for both stated to claim the World Record.

 

Touche!

 

 

Yep, that might be the case. Just makes it more interesting for both stated to claim the World Record.

Lol...I hear ya. I think Tennessee did recognize it first if I remember right.

Lol...I hear ya. I think Tennessee did recognize it first if I remember right.

Wasn't that fish disqualified for a period of time? Later on acknowledged and reinstated.

Hootie