Can you see someone taking home a 22 lb bass and eating it today??

Hey Reel Cowboy I respect you have not been here long , let me explain. There have been many,many Catch and Release threads here closed. There are many Tournament Fisherman and Trophy Hunters who get aggressive when people talk about things like taking a few 2 lb's for a trip and cooking them. This is legal, and on a lot of waters a good management tool I am not talking about frying 20 lb bass

Would I throw back a 20 lbr, not in a lifetime, I would get a real mount. I have been buying a licence for many years now, always obey the law and always catch and release. I have killed a grand total of 4 bass in 12 years, all gut hooked, all eaten

If I catch a huge trophy, it's gonna be a real mount on my wall, the one I have been dreaming of my whole life. I do not believe it is my sworn duty to let another guy catch the same fish. We are talking one fish, first one over 10lbs in my life, ain't no ones business but my own

I am out there fishing for me, and while I respect others, if they have to depend on the one fish of a lifetime I decide to keep, than they have issues I can not fix

I live in the North East, I do not get to fish until APRIL!!! If I am lucky. I have nothing against bed fishing, I get no personal enjoyment in staying with one fish, I can see for over an hour, not for me.

Thanks , and by the wy WELCOME to the Site 8-)

I do share your enthusiasm but I have faced the reality that 18.18 is a long ways from 22.04

I'm of a different belief or maybe just more enthusiastic... That argument used to come up a lot... but comes up much less, ever since Ca went from 21-7 to 25-1 lbs in a single fish.

I'm a huge believer in this... just because she hasn't been caught, doesn't mean she's not there. The odds of catching the biggest fish in the lake FAR EXCEED the odds of ever catching her.

And yes, at 37 years of age, I still wake up before 5 am on Christmas morning.

And yes, at 37 years of age, I still wake up before 5 am on Christmas morning.

Same here  ;D

Anyway, as far as the off topic comment about bed fishing....I think its wrong to assume that all fish are spawning during the spawn.  Many do not spawn at all.

Everyone has a price.

there is a really good article on nationalgeographic.com (just type in largemouth bass in the search) about the 10 days the nat geo photog spent with jed, mac and mike during this hunt. dennis green the head coach of the vikings was involved as well. those cats spent 8 YEARS chasing 1 fish. my wife would have left me for sure.

I totally understand your point of view...

At the same time I just cant understand when I hear people say they wont fish a bed-when in fact they are doing it all day long,to a degree.

If you check my website the two bass you see on the wall were not meant to be,one is 7 lbs and one is 8 lbs and both were caught during the spawn and both hit a Rattle trap so hard that they needed surgery to get the Rat -trap out of them...so they went on the wall.There are two things I have tried to accomplish in my 48 years-one is a ten pound bass the other is a drop tine buck-BOTH have eluded me to this date....but I have my dream. ;D ;D

I dont hunt or fish to target these two-if it happens it happens if it dont I will leave them for my grandchildren.

ps: whats wrong with taking a couple of fish home to eat??

The large majority of fish in any given lake during this time are not on beds.

But I agree this is a topic for another thread.

Great show and back on topic.

flechero you know as well as I do that Barry St. Clair's 18.18 was caught in 1992 and is the only 18 lb+ ever caught in the state of Texas and only 5 over 17 lb has ever been recorded in the state with the latest being in 1991. Do I think there is a 20 pounder swimming around in Texas waters? Why Certainly!

But if we can't break 18 how are we going to break 22-4?

Comparing Texas to Cali aint even close all of their top 20 bass are larger than our top 1

True -everyone has a price...I could go kill a droptine buck 2morrow. It just wouldnt mean anything to me after killing it behind some high fence...

BINGO! (You beat me to it.)

Welcome. Pleasure to have your experience, and diplomacy, on board.

Take a real close look at the documentary again--did you happen to notice that all the boats had small trolling motors and nothing else ??

Did you happen to notice that there was no one else on the water??

the pressure that the fish have to put up with is the key to California's success..and diet.They have no where compared to the boat pressure that Texas has etc etc.Its like going to a really large stock tank and catch a 15 lb-er and claim victory on a stock tank nobody hardly gets to fish or is closed to the public.If you think I am kidding -Google the lake they mentioned and read about it...nuff said. Catch ya'll later.

:-X

I will go ahead and add this -then I need to shut it down.

We (texas) can catch one bigger than 18 + anyday now..they are there.Yes there is  20lbs bass in texas -RIGHT NOW.

Take a real close look at the documentary again--did you happen to notice that all the boats had small trolling motors and nothing else ??

Did you happen to notice that there was no one else on the water??

the pressure that the fish have to put up with is the key to California's success..and diet.They have no where compared to the boat pressure that Texas has etc etc.Its like going to a really large stock tank and catch a 15 lb-er and claim victory on a stock tank nobody hardly gets to fish or is closed to the public.If you think I am kidding -Google the lake they mentioned and read about it...nuff said. Catch ya'll later.

They only have trolling motors because you are not allowed to bring your own boat. Only rent those jon boats with trolling motors. Also, did you ever think you didn't see anyone there because of the filming process? Ask Mattlures or Bizz or Branuss or anybody from Cali how many people fish that lake during the spawn. I bet you'd be surprised how much pressure actually hits that lake. That lake is only 70 acres at full pool. I would be willing to bet everything I had there are more people fishing Dixon per acre then Fork.

I'm not trying to be rude, but I don't think you understand fully what you said. You were saying that part of the reason the fish in California get so big is because they don't have the pressure that those in Texas have. Do you really think that the potential to catch a World Record Bass would not attract a LARGE amount of people to that body of water? Documented proof that it lived there and that it could be caught, and you don't think that lake would attract numerous anglers? It may be a pond compared to Fork, Falcon, Rayburn, Toledo Bend, or even my KY Lake and that makes for an unfair comparison. But I do think you are disrespecting it and the anglers. That's 70 acres of super clear water with lots of guys throwing everything day in and day out.

Take a real close look at the documentary again--did you happen to notice that all the boats had small trolling motors and nothing else ??

Did you happen to notice that there was no one else on the water??

the pressure that the fish have to put up with is the key to California's success..and diet.They have no where compared to the boat pressure that Texas has etc etc.Its like going to a really large stock tank and catch a 15 lb-er and claim victory on a stock tank nobody hardly gets to fish or is closed to the public.If you think I am kidding -Google the lake they mentioned and read about it...nuff said. Catch ya'll later.

:-X

Dont take that out of text-I am not bad mouthing your pond.But when you compare Lake Livingston Tx to the 75 acre pond on the show..well there really is no comparison..

I'm not trying to take that out of text, and this will be completely off topic from this thread, but....

Our "Ponds" become EXTREMELY over fished.  After Dottie hit the spotlight, that "Pond" blew up.  And at 75 acres there it was easy for it to become over fished.  A 75 acre pond simply cannot absorb all the pressure.  A lake the size of Livingston is able to take A LOT more fishing pressure and not even feel it.

The lake that pooped out the new Cali state record smallie went from a "Kokanee Fisherman's Dream Lake" to a "Wannabe Trophy Hunter Lake".  The lake became extremely popular to the casual angler and got slammed the last couple years.  

These are some examples of why "Most" of us Cali guys don't go telling everybody where we fish... this is why you will see me editing my backgrounds on my fish pictures.  California is so populated with fisherman that will go wherever the "Bite" is.  

I've seen this happen to a half dozen lakes, a absolute giant is caught, people get word there are big fish, everybody and their mother flocks to the lake and the lake becomes over fished.  Obviously we have  water like the Delta and Clear Lake and Folsom that are big enough that can take the pressure on a daily basis and still consistently produce giants.

But to say our lakes aren't pressured is absurd.  We've shown the world that we HAVE world record bass.  That alone brings everybody out of the woodwork to catch her.

Reel Cowboy---- No harm intended.  

{Rant Over}

To pursue giant bass requires you to be dedicated to catching them. Otherwise you would simply give up when the fishing gets tough.

Dottie as noted was found dead and weighed 19.3 lbs at that time. To this date no one has been able to confirm Dotties measurements; length and girth. Dottie is frozen and stored, so comfirmation shouldn't be that difficult.

IMO Dotties never weighed 25 lbs, maybe 22+ lbs is within the relm of possiblilty.

Dottie was snagged with a trap hook rigged jig and snagging bass outside the mouth is illegal in California, end of world record.

The bottom line is Perry's bass is established as the world record, without any evidence the bass actually existed. We accept this bench mark and target it. Dottie was the heaviest LMB ever weighed, too bad she was caught illegally.

WRB

notes; California, SoCal, lakes receive more bass fishing pressure; man hours fishing for bass verses availble water, then any other state.

Pure FLMB ot F1, F2 intergrates have the highest potentail to grow to over 20 lbs.

Planted rainbow trout are not essential to growing over 20 lbs, but they help.

My 2 Pb bass are larger then the Texas state record; 18.6 & 19.3. It's always possible for Texas to set the next record, however California has a much higher % of potentail WRB.

I clicked on the general bass fishing section just a second ago, and saw this thread (which I posted at like 2am) had 4 pages already.  I thought, "Oh sh!t".  I thought there was a chance it could turn ugly, but to my surprise everyone has kept their cool for the most part.  Kudos...

You do what you have to do.

There is a guy in Virginia who is trying to set Virginia's state bass record.

I know where he fishes and it is off limits to all.

He has been arrested but he stills goes back.

It is an obsession with him.

Funny thing is that the current record was caught way down in southern Virginia, totally 180* from where he thinks the big lunker lives.

Sorry guys, but I was told where he fishes in confidence so I can't tell anyone.  :'(

flechero you know as well as I do that Barry St. Clair's 18.18 was caught in 1992 and is the only 18 lb+ ever caught in the state of Texas and only 5 over 17 lb has ever been recorded in the state with the latest being in 1991. Do I think there is a 20 pounder swimming around in Texas waters? Why Certainly!

But if we can't break 18 how are we going to break 22-4?

Comparing Texas to Cali aint even close all of their top 20 bass are larger than our top 1

Catt,

I certainly didn't mean to compare Tx. and Ca. potential, only that there doesn't have to be a gradual rise in weights of biggest fish caught in any one location.  I think the fact that cali jumped 3-4 pounds would suggest that Tx could jump 2 lbs.

Oh and I wasn't suggesting that we would or even could break the world record, only wanted to suggest that there are probably fish here that are several pounds bigger than we have caught.  TPWD shocked up a 19 at meridian state park last year (according to their park office) and it's not much more than a pond.  The previous record there?  I don't think they even have a sharelunker.

Just food for thought.

Sorry Cowboy but Gibbons Creek Reservoir has not produced a ShareLunker in the last 14 yrs. and even the mighty Lake Fork with it's state record 18.18 hasn't produced a bass over 16 lbs since 2002.

I do share your enthusiasm but I have faced the reality that 18.18 is a long ways from 22.04

Well said  

We don't argue. it's just that we are all always right, you will fit right in here, the greatest bunch on the Internet and it has everything to do with how Glenn and the Mods keep the place together

Reel Cowboy,

I'll admit it might have been somewhat of an argument but not in any means was there any bad blood involved   we all agree to disagree here. I guess we just didn't understand each others point that we were trying to make. All is fun here.

First off in the last 5 or so years lake dixon has been the most preasured lake in the country and probably the world durring the spawning months. Every boat gets rented and the shorleines were filed with guys. That filming was when the spawn was over.

To Muddy and bocabasser You are right and also verry wrong. I completly aggree with you that just becuase somebody has money or a better boat or are in a tournament etc does not give them any more rights to spot period. I never said that and I am also very annoyed when somebody comes in on my spot. I am also very curtious towards others guys on the water. IF and this is a big if, they presured or bothered the guy then that is wrong. if they simply made an offer and did not persist when they were denied then I dont think they did anything wrong. I wasnt there that day so either way you guys and my self are just geussing as to how that went down. I do know after talking to a 100 guys that that guy was not bothered by them so I assume they just made the offer and accepted his NO.

Now as for somebody coming up and flipping on a world record bass when I am there first and working the fish, Yes I would get physical over that. I am verry easy going but that would definatley fire me up.

Also to clear up some of the misunderstandings, Mike long caught her first, at 20 lbs. the Jed caught her at 22.7 thats the time and weighing that bothers me, then Mac caught her at 25.1

somebody reel ly doesnt make any sense.

somebody reel ly doesnt make any sense.

Dont just say that and back out..Elaborate your opinion.Its a open forum-go ahead and say whats on your mind.

No... please don't invite him back in   :

His post made it sound like he was confused about something-something didnt make sense to him-and since he could not comprehend whatever it was -I was going to explain it to him.He made a point of using (reel ly ) so I figure it was directed at me..I could be wrong...I must be wrong,out of 5 pages,only one person got confused.

I know your new here and all, but everybody has their "Bassresource Personality".  You will learn that each and everyone of us has a unique characteristic that defines who were are and how we act on here.  "99%" of us mean no harm or foul by the way we act.  Take NOTHING by heart.  It's all fun and games around here. JUST LET IT GO!!!  

there are really 2 issues with fishing pressure, one of which people usually overlook.  the first is the quantity of fishing pressure - i.e. how many people fish the lake in question.  but to me the second issue, the one that is overlooked, is perhaps an even bigger factor.  that is the quality of the fishing pressure.  

i would 10-1 rather fish a lake that is pressured by 50 novices than i would one that is pressured by 25 "sticks".  

when you take a look at the pressure cali receives, you must also factor in the quality of the fishermen there - particularly in a world record scenario.  the "hot" lakes in cali not only get hammered by average joe fisherman.  they get hit by guys like long, kerr, dickerson, etc.  these guys are the best in the world at what they do.  they SPECIALIZE in catching trophies.  they are not trying to win a tournament.  they are not trying to catch a nice fish or even a fish that most of us would consider the "fish of a lifetime".  they are after THE fish and they have honed their skills to a razor edge to specifically target big bass.  so the big bass in cali not only see a ton of lures, they see a ton of lures from the best trophy fishermen on the planet.  

i'm not saying that texas does not have any great trophy hunter fishermen, b/c i'm sure they do.  matter of fact, i know of at least 2 good ones on this very board.  but the best trophy hunters are in cali b/c the best trophy bass are in cali.

if my goal was simply to catch a 10- 13 pound bass and i had to choose between texas and cali, i wouldn't even have to think about it.  it'd be texas for sure.  but to try (and i emphasize TRY) to catch a 20, i'd be a fool not to go to cali simply because that's the only place 20 pounders have been legitimately caught.

but since i'm a poor boy, i guess i'll just stay here in tennessee and continue to wish and hope. ;D  

this is a cool discussion.