10 Lbers ? 2025
Mainebass1984 reply :
I was wondering if anyone on here has a picture of a largemouth bass over 10 lbs caught from New England.
A-Jay reply :
I'd love to see one myself - DD fish from up there are a rare creature for sure and major accomplishment.
I grew up in Mass. The first 20 years or so of my angling adventures were all in New England.
After joining the service, we moved & fished all over but have always followed the fishing up in the north east.
The current Record LMB catches in New England looks like this ~
Maine 11.6 Caught in 1968
NH 10.5 Caught in 1967
Conn 12.875 Caught in 1961
RI 10.3 Caught in 1991
Vermont 10.25 Caught in 1988
and
Mass where the record is a whopping 15.5 lb freak of a bass caught in 1975.
So it's been at least 20 years since any of these state records have been broken.
None in this century - (that sounds weird . . . . .)
But if anyone's been on the right kind of fish - It's been YOU.
A-Jay
geo g reply :
There was one caught in up-state NY recently. The picture is floating around somewhere on the site. 
RMcDuffee726 reply :
I'm also very curious, I'm pumped when I pull a 5 lb. from Southern New Hampshire. A DD most be incredible.
SPEEDBEAD. reply :
On 9/22/2014 at 10:03 PM, geo g said:There was one caught in up-state NY recently. The picture is floating around somewhere on the site.
Think I saw that pic and if it's the one I'm thinking of.... 
J Francho reply :
The last big one I heard about was around a decade ago, caught in CT, and it was a little over 9.
Mainebass1984 reply :
I think every year there are 8s and even 9s caught but very very very few of them. I got a 9-1 last fall and that thing was huge. Last year there was a 9-2 caught in Sebago Lake in Maine. Weighed on a tournament scale. Back in 1998 there was a 9 lb 9 oz weighed in at a club tournament on Kezar Lake. A couple years ago there were 2 9 lbers weighed in during the same tournament on Long Lake. I couldn't imagine getting a 9 lber in a tourney and not getting lunker. I was hoping someone lurking on here had caught one over 10 in New England. I know they are out there....
SPEEDBEAD. reply :
There are a few guys on the swimbait forums and others that remain relatively quiet that have caught fish around 8 or so. I've heard of a couple guys with 9's.
I know the fish are there too, I just don't believe there are many guys actually fishing for them.
Dwight Hottle reply :
I know of a guy in PA who is fishing for them. Also a guy in VT.
Mainebass1984 reply :
8s and 9s are huge huge bass. 10 lbers though seem almost mythical. True 10 lbers, weighed, measured, no guestimation allowed.
J Francho reply :
The biggest I've seen was an 8-5 weighted in at a tournament on Keuka.
Djf3864 reply :
I have seen some photos of 7's through 9's in MA and NH, but never heard of a 10+lber being caught anywhere in New England.
Driftb reply :
I'd love to hear the measured length on all of these jumbo fish, along with weight. Weights will vary depending on conditions, but an individual fish's length won't. A female fish is going to lose somewhat between 10 and 15% of her body weight during the spawn and post-spawn period, but her length doesn't change. Tackle box scales are also notoriously inaccurate, and it's easy to cheat on weight. A fish on a ruler is harder to fake.
J Francho reply :
Quote
A female fish is going to lose somewhat between 10 and 15% of her body weight during the spawn and post-spawn period, but her length doesn't change.
If she spawns. 75% don't spawn at all.
einscodek reply :
Heres one supposedly out of a lake right nearby ..
http://www.stripersonline.com/t/808531/i-think-i-just-released-the-state-record-largemouth-bass
At 25" and it looked like it had a girth enough for a 10 pounder..
I think in the NE anyone catching a 10 pounder, were prob gonna hear about it cause its a near state record fish
Logan S reply :
In 2008 an 11-2 was caught in the spoils cove on the Potomac during a tournament...not really New England though.
Picture at link...
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/01/31/AR2008013103260.html
J Francho reply :
Are bass more dense than other species? I'm serious....the pics of some large bass always look smaller than other species of fish with similar weights. Shouldn't a 10# bass be at least 25"?
Here's what I mean...
Here's a 14 lb (33"). rainbow, a 13 lb. pike (37"), and a 9# (28") lb. brown:
Mainebass1984 reply :
On 9/23/2014 at 1:53 AM, Stratos20SS said:In 2008 an 11-2 was caught in the spoils cove on the Potomac during a tournament...not really New England though.
Picture at link...
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/01/31/AR2008013103260.html
That thing is huge. I wouldn't mind catching that fish. Not really New England though. One heck of a north east bass. Fish of a lifetime.
Mainebass1984 reply :
On 9/23/2014 at 1:45 AM, einscodek said:Heres one supposedly out of a lake right nearby ..
http://www.stripersonline.com/t/808531/i-think-i-just-released-the-state-record-largemouth-bass
At 25" and it looked like it had a girth enough for a 10 pounder..
I think in the NE anyone catching a 10 pounder, were prob gonna hear about it cause its a near state record fish
Looks like that thing has some girth.
Mainebass1984 reply :
On 9/23/2014 at 2:03 AM, J Francho said:Are bass more dense than other species? I'm serious....the pics of some large bass always look smaller than other species of fish with similar weights. Shouldn't a 10# bass be at least 25"?
Here's what I mean...
Here's a 14 lb (33"). rainbow, a 13 lb. pike (37"), and a 9# (28") lb. brown:
Some very nice looking fish. I think with bass and weight it is all about the girth.
The longest bass I have caught was 25 1/4 inches. It was very very skinny and weighed in at 8 lbs 10 oz. I wish it had some girth.
Usually when I get a 23 inch fish it is right around 7 lbs. Earlier this year I got a 23 1/2 inch bass that was so thin. I am sure it was sick. It weighed 5 lbs 4 oz. Last fall the 9 lb 1 oz fish I caught was 23 3/4 inches with a 19 1/2 girth.
Its all about the girth
einscodek reply :
On 9/23/2014 at 2:34 AM, Mainebass1984 said:Looks like that thing has some girth.
Are you feelin like you've hit that 10 lb wall? You look at the state records in the NE and there seems to be an asymptote near the 10 mark so its gonna be a bit of effort..
I would guess that by the size of the fish youve been pulllin out in that lake you frequent, there must be an apex bass in there somewhere over 10..
TBO reply :
In Mass.anything over 7lb is a pin fish. so you would be hearing of ecstatic people with bass over 7lbs. weights are at bottom
http://www.mass.gov/eea/agencies/dfg/dfw/hunting-fishing-wildlife-watching/fishing/minimum-weight-requirements.html
Mainebass1984 reply :
On 9/23/2014 at 2:44 AM, einscodek said:Are you feelin like you've hit that 10 lb wall? You look at the state records in the NE and there seems to be an asymptote near the 10 mark so its gonna be a bit of effort..
I would guess that by the size of the fish youve been pulllin out in that lake you frequent, there must be an apex bass in there somewhere over 10..
I am putting in the effort. I have 100 % confidence in the lures I fish. I have locations figured out where the biggest bass of the lake hang out. I have been broken off way to many times in the lunker lakes I frequent in Maine. Way to many in the exact same spots I have caught 8 plus pounders. I have hooked into fish that the only thing I could do was hold on and lost them. Peeling drag like a tarpon. Broken line. Wrapped in a log 10 feet down seems to be the one that gets me the most. I am sure there are 10 lbers in those lakes. Who knows maybe I have hooked one and lost it ? Perhaps that 10 lber was on that spot I was fishing but didn't want to bite that day ? The more I go the better my chances are of getting one. I will fish those lakes until the day I die in pursuit of a 10 lb plus bass form Maine. State records get broken from time to time. Why not on the very next cast ?
J Francho reply :
BTW, some of the big fish linked to in this thread are pretty amazing.
Catch and Grease reply :
On 9/23/2014 at 1:38 AM, J Francho said:If she spawns. 75% don't spawn at all.
Really? Wow I did not know that, I knew some didn't spawn but I didn't think it was that many... That explains why I only saw a handful of bass spawning in my pond this season
A-Jay reply :
Judge for yourself.
This fish was 25 1/2" long and had a 21 1/2" girth - weighed 10.7 lbs on the Accu Cull Digital Scale and had a Spanish Accent.
A-Jay
00 mod reply :
On 9/23/2014 at 2:03 AM, J Francho said:Are bass more dense than other species? I'm serious....the pics of some large bass always look smaller than other species of fish with similar weights. Shouldn't a 10# bass be at least 25"?
Here's what I mean...
Here's a 14 lb (33"). rainbow, a 13 lb. pike (37"), and a 9# (28") lb. brown:
J, my PB of 10lb 14oz was only 24 1/4'' long by 18 1/8''. I have caught others that were longer, and others that were fatter, but never at the same time.
Jeff
A-Jay reply :
On 9/23/2014 at 5:57 AM, A-Jay said:Judge for yourself.
This fish was 25 1/2" long and had a 21 1/2" girth - weighed 10.7 lbs on the Accu Cull Digital Scale and had a Spanish Accent.
A-Jay
btw - when these measurements are placed in the "Fish Weight Calculator" it comes out to 13.70625 lbs.
I WISH ~ !
A-Jay
J Francho reply :
Thanks for the measurements, Jeff.
desmobob reply :
The NY record is 11-4 from Buckhorn Lake in Otsego County. in 1987.
I figure there HAS to be a largemouth in Lake Champlain that will beat that (and the VT record). It is my intention to catch her. Eventually. Maybe.
Tight lines,
Bob
Mainebass1984 reply :
On 9/23/2014 at 8:24 AM, desmobob said:The NY record is 11-4 from Buckhorn Lake in Otsego County. in 1987.
I figure there HAS to be a largemouth in Lake Champlain that will beat that (and the VT record). It is my intention to catch her. Eventually. Maybe.
Tight lines,
Bob
That's the spirit ! Go get her !
You better be fishing the southern end of the lake. A friend of mine got an 8-5 on southern champlain last year.
BassObsessed reply :
It's not as far north as you mentioned but even in Delaware a 10lber is rare. Our state record was broken a couple years ago and it was held for a few decades. 10lbs 10oz is our record. Wouldn't be surprised if a giant came out of New York. I got lucky and caught a 7lber my first time fishing the finger lakes.
desmobob reply :
On 9/23/2014 at 8:30 AM, Mainebass1984 said:That's the spirit ! Go get her !
You better be fishing the southern end of the lake. A friend of mine got an 8-5 on southern champlain last year.
That's exactly where I'm fishing. I live in Whitehall, NY, at the very southern end of the lake. I have my eye on the pickerel records, too. The NY record is 8 lbs. 1 oz., which is a long shot. But the VT record is just 6 lbs. 4 oz., which I honestly think I may have broken yesterday. I need to start weighing big pickerel I catch!
Tight lines,
Bob
Mainebass1984 reply :
On 9/23/2014 at 9:06 AM, desmobob said:That's exactly where I'm fishing. I live in Whitehall, NY, at the very southern end of the lake. I have my eye on the pickerel records, too. The NY record is 8 lbs. 1 oz., which is a long shot. But the VT record is just 6 lbs. 4 oz., which I honestly think I may have broken yesterday. I need to start weighing big pickerel I catch!
Tight lines,
Bob
There definitely is some huge pickerel in that end of the lake. Some big pike to as well as hybrid pickerel/pike.
Bluebasser86 reply :
On 9/23/2014 at 2:40 AM, Mainebass1984 said:Some very nice looking fish. I think with bass and weight it is all about the girth.
The longest bass I have caught was 25 1/4 inches. It was very very skinny and weighed in at 8 lbs 10 oz. I wish it had some girth.
Usually when I get a 23 inch fish it is right around 7 lbs. Earlier this year I got a 23 1/2 inch bass that was so thin. I am sure it was sick. It weighed 5 lbs 4 oz. Last fall the 9 lb 1 oz fish I caught was 23 3/4 inches with a 19 1/2 girth.
Its all about the girth
Got that right! The fish in my avatar was nearly 8 pounds but only 21.5 inches long.
But she was 17 inches around!
I feel the same way about 10s around here. They happen once in a very great while, but even 8 and 9 pound fish are very rare in KS, 10 seems almost impossible.
SPEEDBEAD. reply :
On 9/23/2014 at 1:29 PM, Bluebasser86 said:I feel the same way about 10s around here. They happen once in a very great while, but even 8 and 9 pound fish are very rare in KS, 10 seems almost impossible.
Everything is impossible before you get it done. 
Bluebasser86 reply :
On 9/23/2014 at 8:26 PM, SPEEDBEAD. said:Everything is impossible before you get it done.
Oh there's a few here, I just need to actually get a chance to fish the lakes they live in!
J Francho reply :
On 9/23/2014 at 5:29 AM, Catch and Grease said:Really? Wow I did not know that, I knew some didn't spawn but I didn't think it was that many... That explains why I only saw a handful of bass spawning in my pond this season
That's what NYDEC biologists stated when anglers were pushing for elimination of the black bass off season from Dec. through late June. What it meant to us, that if we weren't targeting beds, then there were still many catchable fish. Remember, this is NY, not Florida, so everyine's mileage may vary.
einscodek reply :
Well this is the best time of the year to try for the fat ones and it'll be the fat ones which get you yer record
the same 20"+ fish are packin on the poundage
I notice their rounder bellies when I catch em
If you can reland that 25" bass in November.. you may have a chance
Dwight Hottle reply :
On 9/23/2014 at 8:44 AM, BassObsessed said:It's not as far north as you mentioned but even in Delaware a 10lber is rare. Our state record was broken a couple years ago and it was held for a few decades. 10lbs 10oz is our record. Wouldn't be surprised if a giant came out of New York. I got lucky and caught a 7lber my first time fishing the finger lakes.
I don't think it was all luck based on your recent Florida vacation experience. You had two dd bass & several 7's, 6's & 5's. You know how to find them.
iabass8 reply :
On 9/23/2014 at 2:03 AM, J Francho said:Are bass more dense than other species? I'm serious....the pics of some large bass always look smaller than other species of fish with similar weights. Shouldn't a 10# bass be at least 25"?
Here's what I mean...
Here's a 14 lb (33"). rainbow, a 13 lb. pike (37"), and a 9# (28") lb. brown:
Id rather catch that 9# brown than a 10#bads. I bet that trout fight was epic. Browns are a riot.
J Francho reply :
Sorry for going off topic...They are my third favorite species, after SMB and LMB. They are the bass of the trout and salmon world: thugs. The fight on that brown was pretty good, I use a 12' UL/slow rod and a centrepin - no gear ratio, me and the fish, with 6# mono separating us. This brown was not weighed, but probably around 14-16. It was a hell of a fight on my light cranker rod in open water.
SPEEDBEAD. reply :
Trout Resource presents....
J Francho reply :
LOL, I know, I know....I got brown trout on the brain. Just a couple more weeks, and they'll be on the spawning run.
Dwight Hottle reply :
On 9/23/2014 at 11:31 PM, J Francho said:LOL, I know, I know....I got brown trout on the brain. Just a couple more weeks, and they'll be on the spawning run.
J those big lakers will be also.
J Francho reply :
I don't get into the lakers too much. I think the last one I caught was through the ice.
Mainebass1984 reply :
The fall BASS bite is getting pretty d**n good. Water temps are cooling down. Bass are packing on weight and feeding well.
TC235 <*))))>< reply :
Theres a few ponds on the south shore an cape that had 9s and 10s pulled out. One place in particular supposedly had a decect population of 7-10lb back in the 80s...
J Francho reply :
I wish I had a dollar for every one of those rumors that is actually true. I'd still be penniless. At least that's how it is around here. Every pond you go to, someone knows someone that pulled a 10 out of there last [insert day, week, year].
einscodek reply :
On 9/24/2014 at 3:18 AM, J Francho said:I wish I had a dollar for every one of those rumors that is actually true. I'd still be penniless. At least that's how it is around here. Every pond you go to, someone knows someone that pulled a 10 out of there last [insert day, week, year].
Haha very true.. I spoke to one the other day..
TC235 <*))))>< reply :
On 9/24/2014 at 3:18 AM, J Francho said:I wish I had a dollar for every one of those rumors that is actually true. I'd still be penniless. At least that's how it is around here. Every pond you go to, someone knows someone that pulled a 10 out of there last [insert day, week, year].
Agree with you there.. Only reason i believe it one of the ponds i fish still produces 7-8lbs..... I met a guy with my father who showed me a 9lbsumthing bass mount caught in a pond in wareham MA. Guy had a bunch of bassfishing gear and two bass boats so pretty d**n sure it wasen't no fake. Especially considering the pond he said he caught the bass in......Got a guy on my local fourms who caught a 9lb in mass in the south shore. Pic and weightd officially.... Got my pb at 8.5 in MA
Cant speak for the rest of new england, but MASS got some true monsters.. Just comes down to finding the BOWs they live in.
J Francho reply :
No doubt, some ponds have something going on. One I hit produced two sixes - I know because I caught them. The second one was interesting. I hooked it, and a bigger fish attacked it. It was bigger by a lot. But 10? probably more like 7 or 8. That fish is the only reason I still fish this particular pond, lol.
00 mod reply :
Every time J posted that beautiful brown I cry a little. Just sayin'.
Jeff
Mainebass1984 reply :
On 9/24/2014 at 3:10 AM, TC235 <*))))>< said:Theres a few ponds on the south shore an cape that had 9s and 10s pulled out. One place in particular supposedly had a decect population of 7-10lb back in the 80s...
I heard about this place on the cape. The guy who taught me how to bass knew of it. He was a member of buzzards luck bass club back in the 80s and was club president for awhile. If that the place we are talking about is the same place the also had some club tourneys on it. 5 fish 36 lbs won it one year.
MassBass reply :
Keep in mind that the 15lb MA state record was caught thru the ice by a crappie fisherman with a small panfish jig.
RMcDuffee726 reply :
I know a couple spots in Southern NH that hold fat 6's and probably a 7 or 8 when they feed up or get super pregnant. I also have a couple spots that produce 5's on occasion. I'm not saying I know a holy grail honey hole, but I deff have a few spots I don't like telling people on my list of where I fish.
Catch and Grease reply :
On 9/25/2014 at 4:04 AM, MassBass said:Keep in mind that the 15lb MA state record was caught thru the ice by a crappie fisherman with a small panfish jig.
Uh is this true??
BassObsessed reply :
15 and a half pounds is definitely a beast of a fish to be caught that far north.
Mainebass1984 reply :
On 9/25/2014 at 5:16 AM, Catch and Grease said:Uh is this true??
There was a lot of suspicion surrounding that fish. RUMOR was that it was caught in FL and brought back on ice.
It is in the record book so that is what has to be beat in Mass. You got to go pretty far south before a 15 lb plus bass is a state record.
RMcDuffee726 reply :
On 9/25/2014 at 4:04 AM, MassBass said:Keep in mind that the 15lb MA state record was caught thru the ice by a crappie fisherman with a small panfish jig.
Somebody had to bring that on ice from down south, unless that was nature creating a freak of nature. That fish had to run show in that pond hahaha.
Smokinal reply :
Maine, I'm going out Sunday. I'll post up a pic of one here shortly....
Mainebass1984 reply :
On 9/25/2014 at 8:38 AM, RMcDuffee726 said:Somebody had to bring that on ice from down south, unless that was nature creating a freak of nature. That fish had to run show in that pond hahaha.
If it truly was caught in Mass then it was a freak of nature. Every other state record that breaks 15 lbs was caught below the Mason-Dixon line with one exception. Virginia.
Mainebass1984 reply :
On 9/25/2014 at 8:44 AM, Smokinal said:Maine, I'm going out Sunday. I'll post up a pic of one here shortly....
Do it ! I would love to see it. Hey I am free during the week all next week if you want to get out fishing where I know 10lbers swim.
shanksmare reply :
The Massachusetts state record bass was reportedly caught in Sampsons Pond in Carver. According to a friend of the record holder it was indeed not caught there. THe following is what this person told me at the time. It actually came from a small pond on the Agawam River chain just below Glen Charlie Pond. The record holder was specifically targetting this fish. He had seen it prior to catching it. He had actually hooked and lost the fish prior to landing it. He caught it on live bait (a shiner I believe) on the last day of fishing season for that year (Feb. 28th).
I was a founding member of the Plymouth Rock Bassmasters, the oldest Bass Club in Massachusetts. We had two members who had reportedly caught bass over 10 lbs. One I would consider acidental, the other specifically targetted big bass during the spawn and spent each spring chasing big bass. It was a lot easier to catch a 5 lb. bass in MA at that time than it is now. A 10 lber would most likely come from waters similar to that in which the state record was caught. It would be in waters in which have an outlet to the sea so that alewifes and blueback herring would spawn there, thereby providing a substantial food source.
I believe the pond which produced the 32 lb limit, Mashpee-Wakepee is such a body of water. I always enjoyed fishing this pond. It certainly had/has the potential to produce large fish - 10 lbs maybe but I doubt it considering the pressure it receives.
J Francho reply :
Quote
It would be in waters in which have an outlet to the sea so that alewifes and blueback herring would spawn there, thereby providing a substantial food source.
This is huge to the point of monster bass in NE. The "herring corridor." Herring is why some of the northeast records are so big.
einscodek reply :
Why is herring key? Are they any easier to catch than bluegills for bass?
I would think key would be that these monster bass are coming from ponds where fishing pressure is low. I believe the NJ record came form such a pond.
High pressure areas where people are catching bass and frying them on a skillet or posterizing 5 pounders on their walls are keeping those 20 inchers from turning into 27 inchers
J Francho reply :
Same reason those CA fish get big on stocked trout - high fat and protein, soft body, and tons available to eat with little effort.
I want to be clear - fishing pressure may have something to do with whether big fish are easily caught or not, but it has ZERO influence on size. Look up Lake Dixon.
Mainebass1984 reply :
I absolutely hate it when someone sees a picture of an angler holding a big bass and assumes it was easily caught. Assumes there was no fishing pressure on the lake. I hate assumptions. Should never assume anything. "A bunch of big bass were caught out of that lake", there must be no fishing pressure there. "That guy catches a lot of 10 lb bass, he must fish where the fish have never seen a lure."
J Francho reply :
I would argue that most records come out of regularly fished spots. Why? People are fishing them frequently, lol.
deep reply :
On 9/25/2014 at 8:46 AM, Mainebass1984 said:If it truly was caught in Mass then it was a freak of nature. Every other state record that breaks 15 lbs was caught below the Mason-Dixon line with one exception. Virginia.
The VA state record is almost certainly a FLMB. That reservoir and several others have FLMB and intergrades.
einscodek reply :
On 9/25/2014 at 9:46 PM, J Francho said:Same reason those CA fish get big on stocked trout - high fat and protein, soft body, and tons available to eat with little effort.
I want to be clear - fishing pressure may have something to do with whether big fish are easily caught or not, but it has ZERO influence on size. Look up Lake Dixon.
Point taken but I think there are many factors at play here to say anything has zero effect. The watershed needs to be able to support big bass agreed. Food sources like herrings or other abundance food sources are easier to catch then even better. Big deep lakes may also provide areas where the gals can more easily avoid anglers and allow continued growth.. but nothing halts growth faster than a skillet or a wallmount. You dont worry about abundant food nor places to hide when yer caught and kept.
J Francho reply :
People fish waters because they are productive. The circumstances that grow gigantic bass (or any species) are almost always weird, and don't follow the "blueprint."
einscodek reply :
On 9/25/2014 at 11:27 PM, J Francho said:People fish waters because they are productive. The circumstances that grow gigantic bass (or any species) are almost always weird, and don't follow the "blueprint."
Any known gigantic bass lakes in the NE? .. any gigantic bass in Canada?
J Francho reply :
You can do your own research. Around here....Erie, Conesus, Keuka, and a few smaller mud puddles that shall remain unnamed on the internet....record fish, though? I don't know. Think about the Perry fish....came from an Oxbow that doesn't exist anymore. Sort blows that deep water theory, doesn't it? The NY record came from a private pond. Hmmmmmmm......
shanksmare reply :
On 9/25/2014 at 9:46 PM, J Francho said:Same reason those CA fish get big on stocked trout - high fat and protein, soft body, and tons available to eat with little effort.
I want to be clear - fishing pressure may have something to do with whether big fish are easily caught or not, but it has ZERO influence on size. Look up Lake Dixon.
I'm not sure if fishing pressure has no effect on the potential size of a bass.
Not each bass hatched has the potential to become a DD specimen. The more aggressive small bass have the greater potential to reach DD size. But by being most aggressive they are also most likely to be caught. Once they are caught 3 things can happen and 2 of them are bad (for the bass). They can be kept, they can be released and die from the experience or they can be released and survive. If there is no one fishing for them then it is academic.
Back in 1975 when Plymouth Rock Bassmasters was formed there were a lot less fishermen than there are today. Todays fishermen have much more sophisticated equipment than the bass fisherman in 1975 (just look at depthfinders, side scanners, GPS's, etc). So there are just not more fishermen but there are more effective fishermen now than in 1975.
When I fished in 1975 I was pretty much assured of catching at least one bass each day that was 5 lbs or better. According to friends who now bass fish in MA that has changed. They say that in the same locations that produced daily 5 lbers in the 1970's, they are lucky to get 3 or 4 five lbers in a season.
I know that here in FL you are much more likely to catch a large bass in private ponds than in those of the public variety.
J Francho reply :
Not all bass have potential because they are limited by environmental factor and growth rate through out their life. Bass grow their entire life, except for the very end, when they shrink a bit. To get a truly big big fish has nothing to do with temperament or genes, barring any genetic issue. It's about environment. I'm selling on the aggression/catch-ability notion. It's bad science in my book. The only way to make that correlation is if every fish is caught at least once. Most are not caught. Ever.
It was always better way back when.... I don't agree. That might be true of some places, but most often, people do the same thing over and over, and things change. Don't adjust, and it was always better back when you didn't have to think about trying something new. Most of the places I fish are better now than they were in 70s, when I was a little kid. As far as private ponds and likelihood of catching big fish, well that's just law of averages and confines. Why is it some of the most heavily trafficked lakes are the ones that put out huge fish so consistently? Because they are fish factories, that have all the environmental factors in place to produce big fish. Not special genetics, not because they aren't fished...food, cover, comfortable temperatures, room to grow.
shanksmare reply :
On 9/26/2014 at 2:10 AM, J Francho said:Not all bass have potential because they are limited by environmental factor and growth rate through out their life. Bass grow their entire life, except for the very end, when they shrink a bit. To get a truly big big fish has nothing to do with temperament or genes, barring any genetic issue. It's about environment. I'm selling on the aggression/catch-ability notion. It's bad science in my book. The only way to make that correlation is if every fish is caught at least once. Most are not caught. Ever.
So why do some bass grow larger than others. Based on your logic shouldn't all the bass in a pond/lake that are the same age be the same size?
It was always better way back when.... I don't agree. That might be true of some places, but most often, people do the same thing over and over, and things change. Don't adjust, and it was always better back when you didn't have to think about trying something new. Most of the places I fish are better now than they were in 70s, when I was a little kid.
Since 2000 only 4 state records have been broken. It would be interesting to compare how the average size of bass in tournaments has changed over the years. At least it is hard data not just anecdotal info.
As far as private ponds and likelihood of catching big fish, well that's just law of averages and confines. Why is it some of the most heavily trafficked lakes are the ones that put out huge fish so consistently? Because they are fish factories, that have all the environmental factors in place to produce big fish. Not special genetics, not because they aren't fished...food, cover, comfortable temperatures, room to grow.
Just how many 10 lbers do lakes like Okechobee, Toho, Seminole, etc give up? I think that most of the over 10 lb bass are caught in the little nondescript ponds, lakes and canals with less fishing pressure.
einscodek reply :
I agree you wanna fish in a good watershed capable of supporting sizable fishes..but for me I'd add lower fishing pressure as well
Several state records in the NE .. low key ponds .. no big names there
J Francho reply :
I think you answered your own question. Fish are not all the same age, and not all fish in the lake have the same opportunities.
Mainebass1984 reply :
On 9/26/2014 at 4:01 AM, einscodek said:
I agree you wanna fish in a good watershed capable of supporting sizable fishes..but for me I'd add lower fishing pressure as well
Several state records in the NE .. low key ponds .. no big names there
NJ (Menantico Pond)MASS (small pond on the Agawam River chain just below Glen Charlie Pond)CONN (Mashapaug Pond)NY (private pond)New Hampshire (Potanipo Pond)Maine (Moose Pond)Looks like you want a 10 pounder in the NE, fish in a place called a "pond"..and by the looks of it, you wanna catch something in the 25"+ size and preferably in the colder months
Moose Pond is more like a lake. Supposedly the state record wasn't even caught there. Robert Kamp caught it out of a small small pond near where I live. He didn't want it to the publicity. I live 5 mins from Moose Pond. That place gets a ton of pressure and tournaments. He didn't catch it from Moose Pond. He lived right down the road from me. He was quite the character.
bobh64 reply :
Here's a 10 pound fish off a New Hampshire pond on Tuesday by my friend Ed
A-Jay reply :
A Real Trophy !
Congrats to him
A-Jay
J Francho reply :
That thing's a stud!
Dwight Hottle reply :
New England slobasaurus.
Catch and Grease reply :
Wow that's a hawg and a half man!
Mainebass1984 reply :
HUGE !
00 mod reply :
Dang nice fish for sure!
Jeff
bobh64 reply :
Ed said he is humbled by all the kind words he doesn't have a computer to follow this thread.
Smokinal reply :
Ya that's a giant anywhere you go...nevermind New England!
einscodek reply :
why not throw it back, make a replica
and catch it later on after it packed on another 9 ounces?
Smokinal reply :
On 10/10/2014 at 1:30 AM, einscodek said:why not throw it back, make a replica
and catch it later on after it packed on another 9 ounces?
If only it were that easy....
bobh64 reply :
On 10/10/2014 at 2:45 AM, Smokinal said:If only it were that easy....
He did keep it alive in the pond while he called several people asking opinions on the matter replicas are nice but they never replace a catch of the life time from our waters. I'm just happy for the guy even though I work with him so this is all i'm going to hear when he comes back next week from vacation. He went with his buddy the next day and caught a 7.9 lb largemouth 10 feet from where he caught the 10 pound fish.
MassBass reply :
Whoa thats a hawg pounder even right there
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