Michigan Largemouth Bass Record ?

[J.Vincent]

I’ve been fishing for bass for about 24 or 25 years. Over this time, I’ve only met a few anglers who claim they have caught 10lb Largemouth Bass in Michigan. I usually say “wow that’s great my best Michigan largemouth is 6lb1oz” When I tell them this truth , they usually do one of a few things:

 

1) They begin inflating their story by telling me every detail about the alleged catch and by the time the story is over, it sounds so ridiculous that there is nothing left to do but chuckle.

2) or They begin backpedaling and usually say “well it looked like a ten pounder but I did leave my scale at home, but I’ve seen ten pounders and this was very close to 10 if not 10.

3)also one person even told me they ate the fish and didn’t realize it was such a monumental catch : )

 

Either way , I’ve never met a person in real life, who has convinced me there is a 10lb Largemouth in Michigan, or that Michigan waters can grow a 10lb Largemouth. I’ve seen the state record on the DNR webpage and while there are two entries for 11.94 lbs, one was in the mid 1930s and one in the late 1950s. Both of those were reported before the age of technology and well before I was born. Now I’m sorry about this long post, but my actual question is....Does anyone know the person who caught the state record or heard of the story ? How accurate is the record or record keeping ? And is it currently possible that a 10 to 12lb Largemouth Bass could be swimming around somewhere in Michigan waters ? My gut instinct tells me No but I’d like to know what others think !

[CrankFate]

I caught bass between 7 and 14 pounds and I stink at bass fishing. For the fish I fish for more often and are much better at catching, where 10 pounds is a true trophy, I’ve never got anything over 6 or 8 pounds. If you knew where I caught the bass in my avatar, it was not close to 10, but you still wouldn’t believe it, either. That said. 80-90% of 10 pound fish that you hear about were closer to 5 or 6 pounds. I carry a digital scale with me, but didn’t have it with me when I got the fish in my avatar last summer, and I didn’t have film in the camera when I got my PB, which weighed on the guide’s scale as 14lbs 2 or 3oz. So you never know, at least 1 out of 100 stories about 10’s are actually true.

[A-Jay]

I have not seen nor heard of a verified Double Digit green bass from Michigan.  May not mean it hasn't happened, just that during this period in time where news travels far & wide in seconds, if it has, that angler should be admired for the self discipline they possess for telling absolutely no one.  Other wise, I believe we'd have heard about it.  

 Also we may see a Michigan Brown bass over 10 lbs before a Green one is caught. 

 On a seperate note @CrankFate, if I landed a 14 lb GIANT with no record of it, I would need to be institutionalized; and I'm already pretty close as it is . . . . . . .?

A-Jay 

 

[CrankFate]

1 hour ago, A-Jay said:

I have not seen nor heard of a verified Double Digit green bass from Michigan.  May not mean it hasn't happened, just that during this period in time where news travels far & wide in seconds, if it has, that angler should be admired for the self discipline they possess for telling absolutely no one.  Other wise, I believe we'd have heard about it.  

 Also we may see a Michigan Brown bass over 10 lbs before a Green one is caught. 

 On a seperate note @CrankFate, if I landed a 14 lb GIANT with no record of it, I would needed to be institutionalized; and I'm already pretty close as it is . . . . . . .?

A-Jay 

 

My wife was there. So she saw it. And there’s a Disney bass guide that saw it and weighed it. It’s all well and good, but I never caught a 10+ trophy fish, of any kind, that I set out to intentionally catch. I was just looking to catch a bunch of LMB in one trip, because they are extremely hard to come by here. Couldn’t even get that right. Caught only one that day. 

[A-Jay]

2 hours ago, CrankFate said:

My wife was there. So she saw it. And there’s a Disney bass guide that saw it and weighed it. It’s all well and good, but I never caught a 10+ trophy fish, of any kind, that I set out to intentionally catch. I was just looking to catch a bunch of LMB in one trip, because they are extremely hard to come by here. Couldn’t even get that right. Caught only one that day. 

I know the feeling.

Only one - but it was the Right One ! 

A-Jay

 

[Koz]

[12poundbass]

This subject always intrigues me especially since my screen name is 12poundbass. I’m skeptical that a fish that size could be caught but optimistic there could be one. I’ve posted on other threads about the story I’ve heard from two different sources one being a park ranger at a particular lake in West Michigan that the DNR about 12-13 years ago shocked a particular lake and found a state record bass in it. My wife’s uncle first told me this 12-13 years ago, then about 5-6 years ago the park ranger told me the same thing. Hearing these two stories corroborate each other several years apart gets my wheels spinning. I’d assume this fish is long gone by now but I imagine she’s passed her genes on. 

[J.Vincent]

1 hour ago, 12poundbass said:

This subject always intrigues me 

It's a fascinating topic of discussion , especially in a northern state where the record for Largemouth goes back to 1934 and 1959. I personally question the reliability of the actual record, because No mention of fishing method or fishing lure was found in the Record ? and because of the bodies of water the fish were caught in. It doesn't seem plausible that a fish of that size could be caught in Big Pine Island Lake and if any of the records were true I would say the Alcona Dam Pond one could be. I really want to break this topic open and do more research and get more insight from others. My present opinion is, if a Northern strain Laregmouth Bass in Michigan were to grow that large, wouldn't it need to have access to deep water with higher than above average winter water temps (naturally spring fed water maybe) along with a massive forage base.....and what bodies of water in Michigan realistically offer the right conditions ?

[TnRiver46]

The right conditions are often when they first build a dam. That’s why a lot of fish records are from 30s-50s. WHen you first flood a river, the fish populations boom like crazy. There’s a dam near here that was built in ‘76 so a lot of people remember it well. They all say the fishing was easy and the fish were huge, then everything eventually balanced out . Our oldest lakes are the most infertile 

[12poundbass]

15 minutes ago, TnRiver46 said:

The right conditions are often when they first build a dam. That’s why a lot of fish records are from 30s-50s. WHen you first flood a river, the fish populations boom like crazy. There’s a dam near here that was built in ‘76 so a lot of people remember it well. They all say the fishing was easy and the fish were huge, then everything eventually balanced out . Our oldest lakes are the most infertile 

In Michigan 99.9999% of our lakes are natural glacial lakes. There are a couple impoundments.

9 hours ago, J.Vincent said:

It's a fascinating topic of discussion , especially in a northern state where the record for Largemouth goes back to 1934 and 1959. I personally question the reliability of the actual record, because No mention of fishing method or fishing lure was found in the Record ? and because of the bodies of water the fish were caught in. It doesn't seem plausible that a fish of that size could be caught in Big Pine Island Lake and if any of the records were true I would say the Alcona Dam Pond one could be. I really want to break this topic open and do more research and get more insight from others. My present opinion is, if a Northern strain Laregmouth Bass in Michigan were to grow that large, wouldn't it need to have access to deep water with higher than above average winter water temps (naturally spring fed water maybe) along with a massive forage base.....and what bodies of water in Michigan realistically offer the right conditions ?

I’m not a researcher but I’d like to see if collectively we Michiganders could dig up more information about these fish, news articles, pictures, or anything. Maybe master angler or tournament regarding other giant bass being caught. 

 

I’ve talked to a few guys who tournament fish Big Pine and they’ve said 6 pound bass regularly and some 7’s come out of there so the gene pool must be pretty good.

[TnRiver46]

@12poundbass, oh yeah, I forgot about that. No wonder you have so many toothy dinosaurs swimming around up there 

[12poundbass]

1 minute ago, TnRiver46 said:

@12poundbass, oh yeah, I forgot about that. No wonder you have so many toothy dinosaurs swimming around up there 

That’s what can be frustrating for us northerners is most tips, tricks, and discussions on forums, tv shows, and magazines are in regards to impoundments. The currents in natural lakes are minimal or non existent and water fluctuations are nil. Most of our lakes are featureless bowls. No road beds, house foundations, and rarely a creek channel.

[J.Vincent]

3 hours ago, 12poundbass said:

I’m not a researcher but I’d like to see if collectively we Michiganders could dig up more information about these fish, news articles, pictures, or anything. Maybe master angler or tournament regarding other giant bass being caught. 

 

This would be an excellent ongoing project; hopefully we can get some more information from other local anglers ! 

4 hours ago, TnRiver46 said:

oldest lakes are the most infertile 

I’ve read this before, in an in-fisherman book, I believe lakes are broadly categorized into 3 stages: Oligotrophic(young) , Mesotrophic(maturing) and Eutrophic(end of cycle). They age in that order; but I’m pretty sure the larger lakes in Michigan are still either late Oligotrophic or Middle Eutrophic with some areas of those lakes which are Eutrophic . And from what you are saying when a Dam is first built on a river and new areas are flooded those areas are very fertile, and in the beginning this would actually accelerate Bass growth rate ? I think this makes sense and could be related with the Alcona Dam Pond Largemouth catch of 11.94lbs In 1959, because according to records that Dam was built in 1924.

[12poundbass]

Looking at the master angler awards for 2017 there was a largemouth registered The was 26.75 inches long, it doesn’t give a weight on any of these bass unfortunately. It came out of Fletcher pond in Alpena county. One thing I noticed is that same lake produced 3 or 4 master angler largemouth in 2017. 

2018 Master Angler the biggest was 26.25 inches and the second was 25 inches both came out of Kent county the biggest being Versluis lake which I believe is a gravel pit/man made lake. Again be weights.

[A-Jay]

On 6/9/2019 at 2:08 PM, 12poundbass said:

Looking at the master angler awards for 2017 there was a largemouth registered The was 26.75 inches long, it doesn’t give a weight on any of these bass unfortunately. It came out of Fletcher pond in Alpena county. One thing I noticed is that same lake produced 3 or 4 master angler largemouth in 2017. 

2018 Master Angler the biggest was 26.25 inches and the second was 25 inches both came out of Kent county the biggest being Versluis lake which I believe is a gravel pit/man made lake. Again be weights.

FYI First 5 or so Master Angler sized smallies I submitted, I may have been a little less than forth coming as to their actual catch location; spots were small and I didn't feel the need.  So there's that.

I don't submit them anymore as I'm hoping my next submission to the state is more note worthy.

A-Jay 

[J.Vincent]

43 minutes ago, 12poundbass said:

Looking at the master angler awards for 2017 there was a largemouth registered The was 26.75 inches long, it doesn’t give a weight on any of these bass unfortunately. It came out of Fletcher pond in Alpena county. One thing I noticed is that same lake produced 3 or 4 master angler largemouth in 2017. 

2018 Master Angler the biggest was 26.25 inches and the second was 25 inches both came out of Kent county the biggest being Versluis lake which I believe is a gravel pit/man made lake. Again be weights.

That’s interesting , considering the length of the 11.94 lb state record Largemouth from 1934 and 1959 measured 26 and 27 inches respectively...it really leaves us guessing about the weight of the master angler catches from Alpena and Kent County. Why is it the weights aren’t listed ? and where can I get more information about the master angler program ? 

[A-Jay]

14 minutes ago, J.Vincent said:

That’s interesting , considering the length of the 11.94 lb state record Largemouth from 1934 and 1959 measured 26 and 27 inches respectively...it really leaves us guessing about the weight of the master angler catches from Alpena and Kent County. Why is it the weights aren’t listed ? and where can I get more information about the master angler program ? 

MI Master Angler deal is C & R with a Photo. 

So there is no weight requirement - just length.

Here's more info 

https://www.michigan.gov/dnr/0,4570,7-350-79119_79146_82441_82447---,00.html

 

A-Jay

[J.Vincent]

7 minutes ago, A-Jay said:

MI Master Angler deal is C & R with a Photo. 

So there is no weight requirement - just length.

Here's more info 

https://www.michigan.gov/dnr/0,4570,7-350-79119_79146_82441_82447---,00.html

 

A-Jay

Thank You A-Jay

[Mbirdsley]

i don't know how much info would be out there really.  Bass fishing is finally coming into its own in the state.  Bass for along time have taken a back seat to the silver fish, perch, and walleye.  My guess is such fish exist but, I think it will come out of either lake Michigan and lake Huron /the Saginaw bay.  Fishing big platte in Benzie county over this last week and I saw absolute monster cruising the shallows.  id throw to them and they just go the other way.  Plenty of people fishing but, another boat and I were the only ones out for bass.  Everybody else on the lake was after the walleye.  I got some really strange looks when a couple of people asked me how I did and are the walleye biting? I said " I dunno about the walleye as I was fishing for bass and did alright"  Starting to see more bass tackle in the tackle stores

[12poundbass]

I’m not finding squat on either of these fish. Thinking about what @A-Jay said about the master angler deal a picture and measurements are all that’s needed. I wonder where these pictures are? I looked on the master angler page and didn’t see anything about them. The top two bass from ‘17 and ‘18 were close to or longer than the record bass. Were these master angler bass skinny, fat, bug eyed? 

 

 

[A-Jay]

3 hours ago, 12poundbass said:

I’m not finding squat on either of these fish. Thinking about what @A-Jay said about the master angler deal a picture and measurements are all that’s needed. I wonder where these pictures are? I looked on the master angler page and didn’t see anything about them. The top two bass from ‘17 and ‘18 were close to or longer than the record bass. Were these master angler bass skinny, fat, bug eyed? 

 

 

@12poundbass

The pics are need to be submitted as part of the 'verification' (and I use that term very loosely) to establish Master Angler status and I've not ever seen them published any where. And I may be mis-remembering this - but I think they returned my pics to me with the certificate. 

More importantly, especially for the discussion here, none of the MA (Master Angler) submissions receive the type of scrutiny that a state record submission receives.  Where the fish must be witnesses & weighed on a certified scale, with affidavits filed and where a state registered biologist must verify the catch (usually means there's a carcass somewhere / at the end of this process). 

My point is, using the information published regarding MA catches, may offer some trends perhaps, however, I believe that's where it's usefulness ends.  The way the process is structured (or not) it leaves quite a bit of wiggle room for misleading  . . . . . . 

So put that in your pipe & smoke it.

(Don't know why I said that)

A-Jay 

[12poundbass]

20 minutes ago, A-Jay said:

@12poundbass

The pics are need to be submitted as part of the 'verification' (and I use that term very loosely) to establish Master Angler status and I've not ever seen them published any where. And I may be mis-remembering this - but I think they returned my pics to me with the certificate. 

More importantly, especially for the discussion here, none of the MA submissions receive the type of scrutiny that a state record submission receives.  Where the fish must be witnesses & weighed on a certified scale, with affidavits filed and where a state registered biologist must verify the catch (usually means there's a carcass somewhere / at the end of this process). 

My point is, using the information published regarding MA catches, may offer some trends perhaps, however, I believe that's where it's usefulness ends.  The way the process is structured (or not) it leaves quite a bit of wiggle room for misleading  . . . . . . 

So put that in your pipe & smoke it.

(Don't know why I said that)

A-Jay 

Must be the rain is getting to you. Lol

Looking at the MIDNR site they are pretty lax on these which is kind of disappointing. A picture of the fish and a picture of the measurement and that’s it. For a state record it’s down right pitiful! The way I’m interpreting the process is you catch the fish take it to a certified scale (it says grocery store) weigh the fish get a record of the weight take a couple pics fill out the application email it to them and congratulations Mr. A-Jay you’re a state record holder. So go down to Bacarac catch a 12-13 lb bass stuff her smelly body in your suitcase bring it up here, go to Wally World get it weighed and BOOM you’ll have your very own booth next to the airbrushed tee shirts at all outdoor shows this winter that have turned into flea markets. ?

 

Whew! We have gotten a lot of rain haven’t we? 

[A-Jay]

10 minutes ago, 12poundbass said:

Must be the rain is getting to you. Lol

Looking at the MIDNR site they are pretty lax on these which is kind of disappointing. A picture of the fish and a picture of the measurement and that’s it. For a state record it’s down right pitiful! The way I’m interpreting the process is you catch the fish take it to a certified scale (it says grocery store) weigh the fish get a record of the weight take a couple pics fill out the application email it to them and congratulations Mr. A-Jay you’re a state record holder. So go down to Bacarac catch a 12-13 lb bass stuff her smelly body in your suitcase bring it up here, go to Wally World get it weighed and BOOM you’ll have your very own booth next to the airbrushed tee shirts at all outdoor shows this winter that have turned into flea markets. ?

 

Whew! We have gotten a lot of rain haven’t we? 

LOL ~ I'm drawing up the blueprints for the Ark now . . . 

The tricky part of the state record verification process may be the hands on biologist requirement.

I believe that may help eliminate the, I caught it last week, caught it last year, caught it in another state, caught it with a cast net stuff (OK, I threw that last one in there for comic relief). 

I like to be prepared so at the start of every season I print out the current year state record info and application.  as well as the list and contact info of all the state biologists.  Who this year happens to be Jennifer Kieitich out of the Gaylord DNR office.  She covers Otsego, Emmit, Cheboygan, Charleviox & Antrim Counties - busy lady. 

And to take it a step further, I've actually discussed a potential 'weigh-in' with a supervisor at the local wal-mart.  

She said - heck ya !

A-Jay

[12poundbass]

8 minutes ago, A-Jay said:

LOL ~ I'm drawing up the blueprints for the Ark now . . . 

The tricky part of the state record verification process may be the hands on biologist requirement.

I believe that may help eliminate the, I caught it last week, caught it last year, caught it in another state, caught it with a cast net stuff (OK, I threw that last one in there for comic relief). 

I like to be prepared so at the start of every season I print out the current year state record info and application.  as well as the list and contact info of all the state biologists.  Who this year happens to be Jennifer Kieitich out of the Gaylord DNR office.  She covers Otsego, Emmit, Cheboygan, Charleviox & Antrim Counties - busy lady. 

And to take it a step further, I've actually discussed a potential 'weigh-in' with a supervisor at the local wal-mart.  

She said - heck ya !

A-Jay

Oh I missed the biologist part. When you mentioned it the first time I thought you were referring to MA not MI. I thought the lack of any biologist eyeballs on a potential state record was pretty bad even for Michigan, I guess I didn’t read far enough or overlooked it. My brain is small, my hair is blonde, and I’m left handed so cut me some slack. ?

 

The rain stopped so I can finally get out and get some fresh air, I was losing my marbles there for a minute. ?

[J.Vincent]

Okay so where is the actual evidence, information or paperwork that shows: who caught the 11.94 lb bass in 1934 and 1959 ? Who was the Biologist who verified ? Where or how was the Bass weighed ? Where are the pictures ? Why have no other Double Digit Largemouth been reported in Michigan in 60 years ? When some or all of this stuff starts to emerge , I will be more inclined to believe the MI State Largemouth Record : ) Also after talking with my Mom , who was born in 1955. We determined that if the person who caught the 1959 Largemouth Bass from Alcona was 30 or younger when they caught the fish, they could technically still be alive today and/or have children or grandchildren who are alive. So shouldn’t someone have a photo or a story about that catch ?