IGFA announced Florida strain LMB is a separate bass species available for both line, weight and length record classes.

IGFA also added Alabama or Southern Spotted as a separate species eligible for new records same as the FLMB.

Long time coming as both Black bass are separate species.

Tom

Separate northern vs. FL species recognition going forward - great.

Vacating all existing historical IGFA LMB records to the northern category and opening up a new FLB category - joke.

No mention of vacating any existing records or creating a Northern LMB category. IGFA is opening a new going forward record category for FLMB and Alabama Spotted bass. Lots of opportunities for record seeker's!

Tom

It's kind of similar to the recent addition of catch & release length records requiring the purchase of their vinyl cloth measuring device. It creates more interest & offers more membership opportunities for the agency as well as more potential records.  

If you fish in Knoxville, you don’t even have to worry about records 😂 

15 minutes ago, TnRiver46 said:

If you fish in Knoxville, you don’t even have to worry about records 😂 

That's because big bass like spinnerbaits

On 6/24/2024 at 10:24 PM, Team9nine said:

Separate northern vs. FL species recognition going forward - great.

Vacating all existing historical IGFA LMB records to the northern category and opening up a new FLB category - joke.

 

Do you have information indicating this is actually what they will do to existing LMB records? 

2 hours ago, MIbassyaker said:

 

Do you have information indicating this is actually what they will do to existing LMB records? 

Basically, what we know as the largemouth bass is now Micropterus nigricans - the equivalent of the northern strain. Existing all-tackle WR (Perry & Kurita) fish are going to be placed in this category. It will likely forever close off those records to being broken. New separate species is the Florida bass, now Micropterus salmoides. The new all-tackle record for that species will have to have genetic testing data to support the record. Other line class records in that category won’t. Alabama bass also becomes a new species, separate from spotted (Kentucky) bass. Also, “hybrid” bass (FL x northern, F1, Fx, etc) will no longer be eligible for all-tackle WR consideration in either category as I understand it. Finally, not all states will follow these guidelines, so each state’s DNR will decide the future path for that state, which might be different from its neighbors - even to the point of possibly not recognizing ‘largemouth’ as two species.

You can Google search to find several recent stories that touch on the highlights of the changes, or watch this podcast for an in-depth discussion: 

 

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=EkcOfgFOE

 

 

 

 

 

 

2 hours ago, king fisher said:

That's because big bass like spinnerbaits

4 lbers don’t raise the eyebrows of the IGFa 

Until someone fills the category it’s wide open.

Tom