Let me all tell you a little story.  I have a cousin who has lived his entire life on the Southern Oregon Coast.  One elk season about 25 yrs. ago.  He killed a monster bull elk.  He cut the horns off, and hung them over a ceiling joice in his basement.  That is where they stayed for almost 20 yrs.  Finally after a few years of getting bugged to have them measured, he went to a Boone & Crockett Measurer.  You can now find his name in the Boone and Crockett Record Book, in the top 20 of the World.

Keep a state or world record???  IN A NEW YORK MINUTE!!!!!!!!   Especially since I have yet to catch one in the double digits.  I may have to sit in my boat for an hour to calm the shakes down enough to get that baby to the scales, but I would.  

World record, state record? Hmmm, let me think about that for .0001 seconds. I believe I'd keep her!

The Michigan smallmouth record will be hard to beat probably as theres only 3 main smallie bodys of water that hold the nice sized ones and one of the three hold lunkers so the smallie record is possible but I know one of these years our Largemouth record will be shatterd. I have seen some monster Largemouth coming out of here. I dedicate a good two hours to finding this one before I go off to smallie land. Id get a replica or mold if at all possible then release it if not I think this is the one time I would keep a Bass.

Release it? NO WAY!!

I'd sign it and deposit it in the bank.

LOL!  ;D  ;D  ;D

Me too.

I'd mount it. Then I'd apply for sponsorship with all the good companies. I'd quit my job, b/c hell, I'm sponsored now. I think I'll just get paid to fish all day.