Building The World Record Bass 2024
WRB reply :
This months Bassmaster, Apl 2014', has a article by James Hall about Texan Gary Schwartz creating lakes to grow world record size bass. Interesting concepts and Schwatrz has the money and desire to do this. Gary's key prey is fresh water prawns that are not natural in fresh water lakes, they require salt water to spawn. The pure FLMB bass in lakes La Perla (90 acres) and Jalisco (60 arches) have pond raised prey that are used to feed the bass, along with shad and other baitfish
Now the bar is being raised and the question is this ethical will certainly follow, mark your calendars for 2020!
Tom
Darren. reply :
On 4/1/2014 at 10:53 AM, WRB said:This months Bassmaster, Apl 2014', has a article by James Hall about Texan Gary Schwartz creating lakes to grow world record size bass. Interesting concepts and Schwatrz has the money and desire to do this. Gary's key prey is fresh water prawns that are not natural in fresh water lakes, they require salt water to spawn. The pure FLMB bass in lakes La Perla (90 acres) and Jalisco (60 arches) have pond raised prey that are used to feed the bass, along with shad and other baitfish
Now the bar is being raised and the question is this ethical will certainly follow, mark your calendars for 2020!
Tom
Interesting, Tom. Is Schwartz (I assume yes) doing this only in Texas, or in CA and FL as well?
NEjitterbugger reply :
My friend is actually writing a paper for English class about this topic, whether it is ethically correct or not. I know it's not the way I wanna see the record get broken...
flyfisher reply :
I believe there are standards that need to be met and this sounds like it wouldn't meet the criteria.....but I could be wrong
WRB reply :
Gary Schwartz developed white tail deer ranches to grow record deer, his Tecomate seed co is famous.
Schwartz hired John Jones and his team of biologist to build his lakes, Schwartz is in Laredo TX.
Gene Lau tired this in Florida several years ago and was wiped out by poachers, I don't know of any private lakes in California raising bass, the water is too expensive and importing any type of none native prey is impossible. Giant bass in CA just happened, wasn't planned or managed. Texas has a good fishery management system, California does it by neglect.
Tom
shimmy reply :
i agree with attempting to make a lake with the "perfect environment". However, i am iffy about adding specific baitfish that are unnatural to freshwater. It just seems like a stretch. I can jump on board for trout being stocked even though they are indigenous elsewhere. Maybe it is a double standard, but i guess once the situations become too test tuby to me, i shun from it. However, i would gladly note that i would happily fish the waters with such conditions 
fishva reply :
Sounds like those quail farms where the 'guides' go out ahead of you and release the quail from the traps so you can burn them down. I'm sure it's fun, but it isn't exactly sport at that point.
AK-Jax86 reply :
I got my magazine in the mail today and just read the article very interesting. I think it can be done with the right conditions and most importantly the right fish.
Hi Salenity reply :
My dad has a few farm Ponds. One of them he had dug he stocked catfish in and he feeds them. They are now fairly big and you can fish it almost anytime and catch one in the 10-13+ range within an hour.
I can't say it's not a great time landing a fish like that but wiggling a worm in front of a feeder bores me to death
I'd imagine any "Trophy" lake would be about the same?
I guess what I'm trying to say is you leave with no sense of accomplishment.
Hi Salenity reply :
Why not just do it in some huge Aquarium in a BPS somewhere?
Lund Explorer reply :
More and more sportsmen are looking for the ultimate fishing experience where everything but the budget has to be compressed. Every serious bass fisherman has been on a decades long quest to cut down the odds to catching more or bigger fish. The truth of the matter is that the deeper the wallet, the more willing you are to spend that cash, the better the chance that those odds are getting cut.
The only question is what constitutes fair chase. That and how many of these ( * ) you want to see in the record books!
Robert Coggins reply :
The quest for the world record bass, their was a book "Sowbelly". It covered some attempts in growing a world record.
jhoffman reply :
I dont think prawns and shad are enough. Think about those cali bass, what are the eating? Trout and Hitch.. those are big meals.
Mainebass1984 reply :
That's cool I suppose. It is just not the same as catching a giant bass in the wild. Might as well grow the fish in a hatchery, stock into a 50 gallon tank and sell the chance to catch it to the highest bidder... It is crazy how science and money can take all of the sport of fishing. Just like guided hunts in a caged area. Release the animal in fenced in acre of land, shoot it, and then be proud of the it ? Trophy and record fish and animals shouldn't be a product manufactured by a company. Just my opinion..
Alonerankin2 reply :
The moral aptitude of our great nation is seriously compromised ..we can see this every day... I believe people will stop at nothing to achieve a thing.. Whether good or bad?....It Should, be the point, but it is a question of actual law or not. Texas may grow a really huge LMB... However California is so close now... I can't imagine a new world record coming from any place other than Cali !
slonezp reply :
On 4/1/2014 at 3:16 PM, CJV said:LOL..
I didn't mean that to be funny. I don't know all the logistics, but I believe the water he guides on is managed to produce trophies. The resort caters to high end clients.
Riddle me this. The prawns and whatnot fed to the Texas bass, would be considered an evasive species except for the fact they are being purposely introduced by man. Is this where the issue lies? I don't see it any different than stocker trout in Cali.
J Francho reply :
A lot of the management on that lake is centered around overcoming the fact that the water chemistry is not the most ideal to grow monster bass. Is it cheating? Sure, but not like you think. I've fished there with him, you have to figure them out. Also, this while catch them off the feeders thing is bunk. Those fish are waiting for kibble, and the bite literally dies at feeding time.
The fish are smart, strong, and very healthy. Fishing there was one of the most memorable experiences.
atpns1234 reply :
No difference then stocking a lake I suppose. While I don't really care for it. I would not mind someone dropping some in the lake behind the house!
Master Bait'r reply :
On 4/1/2014 at 11:22 AM, WRB said:Gary Schwartz developed white tail deer ranches to grow record deer, his Tecomate seed co is famous.
Schwartz hired John Jones and his team of biologist to build his lakes, Schwartz is in Laredo TX.
Gene Lau tired this in Florida several years ago and was wiped out by poachers, I don't know of any private lakes in California raising bass, the water is too expensive and importing any type of none native prey is impossible. Giant bass in CA just happened, wasn't planned or managed. Texas has a good fishery management system, California does it by neglect.
Tom
I honestly can admire the drive to do something like that but don't really respect any record or accolade that just sat around penned up waiting for someone to buy it's privilege more or less. It's about nature imo, and this guy simply does not get it. If you want to create a cool bass pond to fish, awesome and good for you- but if you're going to basically aquarium raise fish to try and pin a ribbon on your chest, you're a Texas-sized tool.
BridgerM reply :
If the efforts are actually successful in producing a 20lb+ bass, then great. I think that would be an accomplishment just for it to actually work. It would be interesting to see just how big a LMB can get.
Utah DWR puts a lot of emphasis on trout fisheries. They go through alot of effort to ensure our blue ribbon waters stay that way. They introduce new forage fish, predators to control other species, slot limits, etc. Is this natural? No. It seems every state manages its waters for a reason. I doubt there are many waters that have not had some kind of modification at some time. Like many things in life, its a matter of degree. Not black and white. I don't see any problem with creating a water for a specific purpose and being clear about it upfront.
WRB reply :
I am not sure if this effort is unethical or not, or if it will succeed. If it does succeed then the ethical questions will be settled. I know the record White Tail deer that are harvested from managed high growth farms have caused there share controversy at first and are now accepted by the majority of hunters.
When California first started to produce giant bass there was and continues to be bias based on the bass being fed stocked trout. Same could be said about the bass in Japan and the end of the day it makes no difference to the IGFA.
My personal reaction to this program is the attempt to grow a world record bass is on a big budget and scale that could work. The one factor that is over looked is the climate and it may not support the needed 15 year growth cycle needed to attain growth over 20 lbs.
Lake Hodges in SoCal produced FLMB exceeding 20 lbs without trout as prey or any large size bait fish; threadfin shad, crappie, bluegill and catfish were the only species in Hodges when the 20.4 lb bass was caught. Climate and deep cool water with sanctuary area may have been more important than prey types.
Another factor being over looked is the year old bass needs abundant prey available and places to hide and survive to have fast growth rates at an early stage in life before they can become giants.
The fact that 1 FLMB in Schwartz lakes has grown to 13+ lbs (in 5 years?) supports the program potentail. This program will produce a Texas state record!
Another fact not understood is how difficult it is to catch these bass on article lures and I don't know and didn't read if live bait is allowed? If the goal is to harvest a world record, live bait is more than likely in the mix and allowed by the IGFA.
Time will tell the tale. It's a very interesting project regardless of how we may feel about the outcome.
Tom
McAlpine reply :
Any fish that comes from a private fishery should be exempt from record status. Otherwise, all you have done is set the bar for entry into record status for your catch at the size of your wallet.
Raising bass in what amounts to an aquarium and hand feeding them super proteins is fine for a science project but selling off access to engineered record book trophies to the highest bidder from private water (which is exactly what will happen) is disgusting to me.
You want to catch huge fish in a pay lake? Fine, I have no problem with that. However; don't expect the rest of the world to acknowledge your "accomplishment".
Master Bait'r reply :
On 4/2/2014 at 12:51 AM, McAlpine said:Any fish that comes from a private fishery should be exempt from record status. Otherwise, all you have done is set the bar for entry into record status for your catch at the size of your wallet.
Raising bass in what amounts to an aquarium and hand feeding them super proteins is fine for a science project but selling off access to engineered record book trophies to the highest bidder from private water (which is exactly what will happen) is disgusting to me.
You want to catch huge fish in a pay lake? Fine, I have no problem with that. However; don't expect the rest of the world to acknowledge your "accomplishment".
I pretty much feel the exact same way in the specific capacity of record legitimacy, but that's about it.
If you just want to start a "catch big huge fish all day" club that's awesome in my book.. If you want to buy your way into the record books that sucks and isn't fair and should be *'d.
MO_LMB reply :
On 4/1/2014 at 11:00 PM, Master Bait said:It's about nature imo, and this guy simply does not get it.
Ah yes... because bass fisheries in California and Japan are so "natural". Make that any bass fishery west of the Mississippi. If "nature" had its way, half of the US wouldn't even be bass fishing right now. The existing world record fish, or ones close to their size aren't in a "Natural" habitat by any means. Throw in trout stockings and is there really much difference?
He is breaking no rules as they are defined by the IGFA.
If it were so easy for someone to raise world record sized largemout bass in an aquarium or private pond then show me these world record fish. The fact of the matter is that even with perfect conditions it is still hard to make a world record. Yes you can go to a "bass resort" and catch 10 lbers all day. Please show me a resort where people are catching 20lbs on a regular basis.
Even IF he can grow a fish to be of world record size, someone still has to catch it according to the regulations of the IGFA, A bass is a bass is a bass.
Would it be the same accomplishment as catching a world record in the "wild"? No, but is still an accomplishment. There is not just money involved. There is a lot of time, research, and labor put into this endeavor - one that not many other people are attempting.
I think the results of this private operation can only benefit the rest of the fishing world. If his work succeeds, DNRs all over the US will have new strategies to improve bass fisheries for everyone.
tatertester reply :
It doesn't bother me one bit that this fellow has spent literally millions to achieve his goal of the world record bass , something most couldn't do even if they wanted, but , is it legitimate for a world record?......Not really!
Master Bait'r reply :
On 4/2/2014 at 1:15 AM, MO_LMB said:Ah yes... because bass fisheries in California and Japan are so "natural". Make that any bass fishery west of the Mississippi. If "nature" had its way, half of the US wouldn't even be bass fishing right now. The existing world record fish, or ones close to their size aren't in a "Natural" habitat by any means. Throw in trout stockings and is there really much difference?
He is breaking no rules as they are defined by the IGFA.
If it were so easy for someone to raise world record sized largemout bass in an aquarium or private pond then show me these world record fish. The fact of the matter is that even with perfect conditions it is still hard to make a world record. Yes you can go to a "bass resort" and catch 10 lbers all day. Please show me a resort where people are catching 20lbs on a regular basis.
Even IF he can grow a fish to be of world record size, someone still has to catch it according to the regulations of the IGFA, A bass is a bass is a bass.
Would it be the same accomplishment as catching a world record in the "wild"? No, but is still an accomplishment. There is not just money involved. There is a lot of time, research, and labor put into this endeavor - one that not many other people are attempting.
I think the results of this private operation can only benefit the rest of the fishing world. If his work succeeds, DNRs all over the US will have new strategies to improve bass fisheries for everyone.
The part that I think he really doesn't get is the part that you so eloquently stated- it's nature. He could have a whole lake of 20+ ers in there and still never catch one. Irony is the great equalizer of the universe after all, so whatever. Let millionaires try to buy their place in history all they want, just don't expect me to care.
MO_LMB reply :
On 4/2/2014 at 3:21 AM, Master Bait said:just don't expect me to care.
Is that what multiple posts on a topic represent, apathy?
hoosierbass07 reply :
On 4/1/2014 at 11:06 AM, NEjitterbugger said:My friend is actually writing a paper for English class about this topic, whether it is ethically correct or not. I know it's not the way I wanna see the record get broken...
I read/scanned the article in Bassmaster magazine. That's a good point - is it ethical? I say if you catch a world record bass in a pond that was specifically made like the article, I say it should not count. That would be like going to a zoo and shooting an elephant then saying on facebook - I went hunting and shot a giant elephant!
FrogFreak reply :
Man, great arguments on both sides here. I read the article last night and I have to say, good for him. If he wants to spend a lot of money to grow a world record bass, I say fine. I personally don't like the idea of shooting a deer on a hunting ranch, killing a pheasant that was just released from a cage or standing next to the stocking truck to catch trout but it's a difficult thing to articulate. I suppose if it doesn't feel like fair chase to me, I dislike it. I also don't like hunting over bait. I want to work a bit for it. Now, I'm not saying it still won't be work to catch this lunker, I'm sure it will be. It just doesn't feel right to me. I can see all the holes in my opinion so go ahead if you'd like. It's my opinion. I say grow a 40 lb bass if you want. I always dismiss the lunker pictures I see in the back of bassmaster when it reads "private pond" as well. Just me though. Each to his/her own.
Master Bait'r reply :
On 4/2/2014 at 4:19 AM, MO_LMB said:Is that what multiple posts on a topic represent, apathy?
Actually yeah. I don't want people thinking I'm some high and mighty jerk so I re-explained myself a little better. Not to even insinuate that I think I'm worthy of deciding for anyone but myself, I am no expert by anyone's overestimation. It's just an opinion and the question has been raised, so I shared my two cents.
5 Dollar Fishing Game reply :
Just read my issue in the mail. Sounds like "fish in a barrel" to me.
5 Dollar Fishing Game reply :
Now I want to go fish that pond Hi Salenity fishes. :-)
gulfcaptain reply :
If I was to "raise a record", I wouldn't tell anyone, move to Texas, find a nice piece of land that could hold hold large pond and do it S. Cal style. Stock trout in the winter, tilapia in the summer, get a good stock of FI as well as pure strains and let nature take it's course as well as selective culling and a healthy bluegill population which my son would be more then happy to fish for everyday......just saying, if you can grow teen fish in a 1acre public park pond, I'm sure you could get bigger in a larger private pond
jhoffman reply :
Maybe its high time an oranization is formed like P&Y or B&C is for animals where there are rules to who can be in the book. If it was similar, your name might be in for a P&Y level bass at 10lbs but it would tke 20lbs to make BC. P&Y could be like fly fishing and B&C like everything else. It still would require fair chase.
As it sounds to me IGFA doesnt care if you catch one in a trash can if he opened his mouth before you set the hook.
craww reply :
More power to him. Many have tried. Haven't read the article, but TX/Mexico are hindered by the shorter life spans of their LMB compared to areas where big bass can spend a portion of their time in cooler water. Lord knows texas has been proactive in trying to promote trophy fisheries. I suppose if you had a way to regulate water temps and absolutely poured the coals to them with the feed it's possible.
With that said I can't help but wonder what's swimming in the depths of lake biwa....
Alonerankin2 reply :
IGFA Rules need to change now and address this..also really very difficult to control weather.. Disease... More importantly and as it pertains to this mans attempt at the world record....Pollution
PondHopper96 reply :
I don't think you can really accurately compare shooting a caged animal to catching a monstrosity of a bass in a pond. I say that only because you're much more likely to shoot that animal than catch that fish, will you most likely catch some enormous fish, yes. Catch the record, no. By no means do I think it should count as the official record, but I do believe that is an accomplishment to be remotely proud of, just because of all the work put in and I don't believe there's a single person on this website that would be less than ecstatic to catch a bass of that caliber. Putting it up for the record is another story!
5 Dollar Fishing Game reply :
A world record is one in the "wild" not in "captivity". I can feed a bass and get it vet check ups, vitamins, etc and in a few years set the hook on a monster. But that would be cheating. Find the beast that nature made and call it a record. My .02 cents.
WRB reply :
Everyone should read the article. The deer are not in a pen, they are raised in the wild albeit on private managed property. The bass are also in the wild, albeit private managed lakes.
The bass have proven to be difficult to catch, pure giant FLMB are not easy to catch. Schwartz arguably made a mistake to introduce F1's into this first lake thinking they would increase catch rates, it may have deluted the pure strain population. I don't buy this on the short term as the pure FLMB stay pure until they die off and that is a longer term issue.
What did catch my attention was a statement about fast growing pure FLMB strain......what is that? This strain is being introduced into the new lake which is deeper and constructed from scratch to optimize growth.
The bass are technically wild as long as they haven't been genetically altered!
Tom
hoosierbass07 reply :
If the guy can figure out how to produce giant bass on a regular basis and then figure out how to do that in Indiana lakes and ponds, then I say good luck to him! Share the knowledge. Although he will probably sale the knowledge.
The article mentioned poachers in Florida. I was wanting to know more about that. You think people knew about the giant bass and snuck to the lakes/ponds to catch them so they could claim to catch a giant bass? Or did they simply want to sabatage and murder those bass to be mean?
Brian Needham reply :
Gene does guide at King Fisher....... where average bass is 5#. I maybe wrong, but I haven't heard of a slew of double digits coming out of there.
Also, he shoots MANY, if not most of his videos at that private lake, where those bass are feeder trained.
K_Mac reply :
It wasn't too long ago there was a post on this site talking about how easy and unfair it was to use all of the new sonar technology to catch more and better bass. The argument was that it took away from the "sport" of fishing, giving an unfair advantage to those who could afford all of the new bells and whistles. That argument is much the same as the one being made here. In either case whether it is fair or not doesn't really matter IMO. The technology is now available to find and identify fish more clearly than ever before, and it is here to stay. If the technology is available to produce monster bass that will shatter the old records then shattered they will be.
slonezp reply :
On 4/2/2014 at 10:43 AM, WRB said:Everyone should read the article. The deer are not in a pen, they are raised in the wild albeit on private managed property. The bass are also in the wild, albeit private managed lakes.
The bass have proven to be difficult to catch, pure giant FLMB are not easy to catch. Schwartz arguably made a mistake to introduce F1's into this first lake thinking they would increase catch rates, it may have deluted the pure strain population. I don't buy this on the short term as the pure FLMB stay pure until they die off and that is a longer term issue.
What did catch my attention was a statement about fast growing pure FLMB strain......what is that? This strain is being introduced into the new lake which is deeper and constructed from scratch to optimize growth.
The bass are technically wild as long as they haven't been genetically altered!
Tom
Define genetically altered. If they take the row and milt from genetically superior fish(I didn't read the article and don't know if this is a factor), like they do breeding animals, is that not genetically altering? The DNR and fisheries biologists have been doing similar things for years. Transplanting fish in different regions, genetically altering fish and whatnot. There are still IGFA records for such fish. Tiger Musky and Saugeye do occur naturally but it is a rarity and it is more common to catch stockers which are sterile. Chinook Salmon were introduced into the Great Lakes by man to control the alewife population, and are stocked on an annual basis. Only about 10% reproduce naturally. These are recognized as potential record fish even though they are technically an invasive species. By this definition, a FL strain LM bass stocked in Mexico or Texas are invasive
I honestly don't care one way or another. It's not like the bass are being raised in someone's aquarium.
basseditor reply :
The Texas Parks and Wildlife Dept. has some small lakes filled with offspring of ShareLunkers. They are highly managed lakes with the same intent—to grow world record bass. I don't know if TX has the climate to make this all work, either on state managed or someone's private lake.
But the scientific knowledge gained could be useful for future fish stocking.
The ranch in this discussion is South Texas. In May till Oct. the air temp will be more than 100 every day. Will it shorten the life span of these fish so they don't live long enough to reach 22 pounds? Maybe.
Brian Needham reply :
I look forward to read the article....... and interested to see how big the "ponds" are.
I have read Bob Lusk say before even under perfect conditions, lakes can only grow so many #s of bass per acre.
fishinthedacks reply :
On 4/1/2014 at 10:49 PM, J Francho said:A lot of the management on that lake is centered around overcoming the fact that the water chemistry is not the most ideal to grow monster bass. Is it cheating? Sure, but not like you think. I've fished there with him, you have to figure them out. Also, this while catch them off the feeders thing is bunk. Those fish are waiting for kibble, and the bite literally dies at feeding time.
The fish are smart, strong, and very healthy. Fishing there was one of the most memorable experiences.
He isn't kidding. My friend and I found a private stocked pond in our early teens. We fished every bait you could imagine to no avail. It was private property and as an adult I know it was wrong for us to try. But the owners walked down snickering at us with a coffee can in their hands. They asked if we had any luck and if we realized it was private property. Of course said no. They said this is why you can't catch these fish and took handfuls of fish food and tossed them into the pond and the pond turned BLACK! These bass from 5" youngins to 10lb lunkers swarmed to feet on their kibble. So anyone who can catch in this environment good luck. We would throw in anything from a worm to a crank bait and the bass would swarm it then swim away. So anyone who entices these fish that are fed like this is TRULY skilled or lucky.
Imagine how frustrating it is to throw in a school of hundreds of bass for hours and never get a nibble during prime bass fishing season at 4-6 pm. I think people need to try it before judging because to catch kibble fed bass or bass that are used to feeding on only one thing for their entire lives. Good luck trying to switch them. You really have to get in touch with their wild instincts. It's like getting a person who has been on welfare for 40 years off it. When you're used to being spoon fed you will probably NEVER change. They won't take a job for the same amount of money as they get for sitting around doing nothing. You have to offer them triple that. Seems like a weird analogy but it's true. These bass really need you to REWIRE their brains back to the basics to nibble. That or hope you find a bass who has been bullied away from feeding.
WRB reply :
Read post #1, 90 acres and 60 acres. The original lake is 90 acres with 7 miles of shoreline, like several ponds interconnected with channels to maximize shoreline area. The second 60 acre lake is new lake and filling a year ago, shoreline mileage not disclosed.On 4/2/2014 at 11:33 AM, Brian Needham said:I look forward to read the article....... and interested to see how big the "ponds" are.
I have read Bob Lusk say before even under perfect conditions, lakes can only grow so many #s of bass per acre.
Lusk isn't involved as far as I know, Jones is the lead biologist.
Tom
PS, genetic engineering involved the U of OK and the Texas Share A Lunker program to gene splice a new strain of FLMB tolerant of temp extremes, outcome unknown. Don't want to speculate what a faster growth pure FLMB may be?
Tom
tatertester reply :
From what I got out of the article , the feed for the bass was a critical factor.....The prawns were what helped to put on more weight , not unlike the California bass that get the rainbow trout diet.......Doubt that most waters have the right food available to grow the bass to that record size.
SirSnookalot reply :
The IGFA does not take records lightly, if it is good enough for them it's good enough for me. Some of the resentment here may be do to the fact that if these fish grow to be record size, not everyone will have the opportunity to catch one.
Bluebasser86 reply :
On 4/2/2014 at 5:06 AM, 5 Dollar Fishing Game said:Now I want to go fish that pond Hi Salenity fishes. :-)
You can do that on a lot of lakes in Kansas. Our bass fishing sucks, but the channel cat fishing is outstanding. A lot of lakes have feeders that go off several times a day and the water is whipped to a froth by the big catfish trying to get the easy meal. There's several lakes that I fish where 2 people catching 50 or more channel cats from 5 to up to 20 pound isn't even very difficult during the summer months.
jhoffman reply :
On 4/2/2014 at 3:30 PM, SirSnookalot said:The IGFA does not take records lightly, if it is good enough for them it's good enough for me. Some of the resentment here may be do to the fact that if these fish grow to be record size, not everyone will have the opportunity to catch one.
I dont have the opportunity to shoot 200" deer either, because I dont live where 200" deer grow. See, its not resentment, I dont hold anything against anyone who does it on their own terms. Shoot one at a feeder that goes off every day at precisely 5pm and I dont have to like it or appreciate it.
Ive said before on here about having a buddy that grows captive whitetails. Its funny how people think you inject these deer with hormones and stuff to get certain features in a rack. Those deer are nothing but a product of breeding for the best genetics with sometimes line breeding and as much protein as you can throw their way.
Brian Needham reply :
Yeap, I read #1 twice and kept reading it as those were the stocker ponds size.
Even though Lusk is not invovled, I still think it is worth noting the # per acre a body of water can carry..... as I understand it, it is not forge that is the issue at that point it is water quality.
take king fisher society for example.... it is one of the highest mantained lakes in the country, and holds a great number of # per acre, but it can get away with it because it has current and the water is always changing over..
so there are many, many factors besides perfect genetics.
I am very excited to see how it pans out, either way.
On 4/2/2014 at 12:51 PM, WRB said:Read post #1, 90 acres and 60 acres. The original lake is 90 acres with 7 miles of shoreline, like several ponds interconnected with channels to maximize shoreline area. The second 60 acre lake is new lake and filling a year ago, shoreline mileage not disclosed.
Lusk isn't involved as far as I know, Jones is the lead biologist.
Tom
Goose52 reply :
Regarding carrying capacity...just a data point. Dottie (25lbs) came out of Dixon Lake (70 acres). Sure, lots of trout stocked in Dixon...but lots of fishing pressure too.
So, big fish can come out of small lakes. As has already been mentioned, it remains to be seen that even with prawns on the menu, does this new lake have the conditions (depth, water temp, etc.) to produce the record...
aharris reply :
My personal views are that a "record fish" should only have credibility IF it's caught out of a natural environment...not some stocked "trophy pond". If you want to go catch a 10 pounder out of a trophy pond to show all of your buddies, that's fine but it shouldn't have any credibility when it comes to records.
slonezp reply :
On 4/2/2014 at 9:19 PM, aharris said:My personal views are that a "record fish" should only have credibility IF it's caught out of a natural environment...not some stocked "trophy pond". If you want to go catch a 10 pounder out of a trophy pond to show all of your buddies, that's fine but it shouldn't have any credibility when it comes to records.
Define a trophy pond and or a natural environment. There are manmade subdivision ponds that hold large bass in my area because there is ample food and little pressure. There are very skinny bass in these same ponds because they do not have the "genetics" to compete. Locally, I have a better chance of catching a 5lb bass out of a small subdivision pond than I do out of a large body of water. Are those ponds natural?
Dead River reply :
I had the pleasure of fishing Ocmulgee PFA in Ga, which was a low stocking density female only trophy bass lake. The fish were stocked at 10 female bass per acre instead of 100. Many of the early stockings were F1s, but eventually FXs were introduced. The lake had a complex forage base comprised of lake chubsuckers, goldfish, shiners, threadfin shad, crappie, catfish, bluegill, shellcracker.
The lake was 106 acres and hardly like fishing in the bathtub as many of you have alluded. Due to the stocking density being so low and there being so many easy meals for the bass to weight (they shocked goldfish that weighed 5 lbs) it was a one to two bite lake at best when full pool. Our catchrates went up during the prespawn that year as the water level dropped.
i applaud the state for having a place like this for us to fish.
caught 20 bass in feb 2012 for a combined weight of 170 lbs
5 of them were over 10 lbs, biggest 12-4
Dead River reply :
i wouldn't want f1s in my pond unless it was female only, their offspring will be inferior...
jeremyryanwebb reply :
Maybe we do like baseball did to Barry Bonds....if the world record fish is juiced up for that reason. It would need to have an asterisk * beside it showing that performance enhancing baitfish took part in the catch.
World Record Largemouth : 22.5 lbs
World Record Largemouth : 26.3 lbs*
Hows that? lol
1201vilbig reply :
In reading the article & his comments in the Texas Fishing Forum, the computer designed, high volume aeration system made from unobtanium, will optimize the conditions for year round growth. Also, I've never seen a freshwater prawn until the pics - those thongs are HUGE, with foot long pincers LOL!
J Francho reply :
I guess you can probably put an asterisk on a lot of fish, though I think it's pointless. Just about every record fish has weird circumstances surrounding it's existence. Why? Well, they're different - they are records. World record German brown trout. Hmmm, Great Lakes fish that eats alewife and gobies. World record rainbow. Uhh, triploid (genetically modified) trout that never wastes energy on spawning, so gets huge. The lake Perry's bass came from doesn't exist anymore. Kurita's bass was from a group of fish he'd been feeding for a year. Even the NY record is fishy. Comes from a private lake. Oh wait, I thought they had to come from public waters - that's what the DEC site says. I guess they make exceptions for guys that catch a planted bass in a private lake.
Personally, how it got to be matters little to me. As long as it's caught legally, and in public water, then if it's the biggest ever caught, then it's the record. Period.
Lund Explorer reply :
If the thought of someone catching a bigger fish, shooting a bigger buck, or having a better paying job bothers anyone, there is only one thing you can do.
Adopt Apathy!
If I am competing in a tournament against others where there is a level playing field, and you catch more fish or bigger ones, then I will give you all the credit that you're due. On that day, that person did better than me and I will acknowledge that fact.
Outside of that, the only thing I'll do is to congratulate the person for attaining whatever personal goal they have set for themselves and finally reached. However, as I was not personally involved in that effort, I could care less. I wasn't alive when Mr. Perry caught his record LMB, and the only time I was in Japan was a two hour layover at Kadena AFB long before those fish were stocked in that country. I don't live in Florida, Texas, or California, and it doesn't bother me in the least that the people who do live there have fish that are bigger than the ones swimming up here in the frozen north. I'm not depressed because Flukemaster gets to fish a private lake with giant bass all the time, because if I did get to fish that lake as much as he did, I'd be the guy with a 5wt flyrod chasing those bluegills. If this guy, or someone else figures out a way to raise a bass to world record dimensions, it doesn't mean I'm any less of a person.
I am who I am, and the only persons who I have to answer to on this crazy little planet, is my Mother and my Wife, and they can fight it out over who gets top priority in that department. There's a book of world records that they publish every year and its full of people feel the need to be the best at something, no matter how crazy some of those records are. Good for them!
J Francho reply :
That's a pretty good summary, and fairly close to how I feel about it. I'd love to catch a record, but really, I'm busy with my thing. I've taken great satisfaction in the opportunities offered here. With that comes great responsibility knowing that many take what I post as gospel (even though it is far from that!) and trying new gear and techniques, sharing my personal successes and failures will hopefully take the edge off the tremendous learning curve that bass angling presents. I'm as satisfied by posts of big fish as I am of catching my own, especially when it's a new angler sticking a big fish using what they learned here. Those personal firsts are as good as my personal best in my book.
PondHopper96 reply :
Is the article available online?
McAlpine reply :
Couple of good opinions here. I would be interested in the input of one of the big bass chasers out there though. Honestly; at the end of the day I live in Indiana/Kentucky so I'm certainly not chasing any world records and this has little to do with me.
However; what does Mike Long or some of the other guys that specialize in big fish have to say about someone growing a bass to sell someone else a shot at putting their name on a record that these guys have been fair-chasing and working hard at it for so long?
Be interesting.
WRB reply :
I posted this thread right after reading it in Bassmaster and have not looked for any other threads on this topic, therefor have no idea what is being discussed.
Before the internet we all lived our lives in a smaller world, having contact with a much small group of people, isolated from regional bias. The more exposure you get from a wider group of people, the more opinions you receive, positive and negative. The internet expands exposure to unknown territory, good and bad.
With that in mind I will offer my opinion on the ethics of this topic.
FLMB were first transplanted in CA lakes back in 1959 or 55 years ago. The first lake to open to the public to fish with FLMB population was Lower Otay lake, followed by several other San Diego city lakes. Lower Otay didn't have a trout planting program, lake Miramar did. It took maybe 4 years of trying to catch the new FLMB that anyone figured out how to consistently catch these bass, they are so different from our NLMB we were used to catching. Live crawdads was they bait of choice followed by large Canadian night crawlers and hand poured 10" to 12" soft plastic worms. By 1970 the state records started to fall nearly every week. The NLMB state record was 14 lbs 7 oz, by 1973 the Miramar giant of 21 lbs 3 oz was set. It was the Miramar bass that changed how we fished for giant bass, realizing that stocked rainbow trout was the preferred prey for record size FLMB. The problem was we couldn't use live trout as bait, illegal in CA!
1983 was the year the first commercial available trout swimbait hit the market, the Huddleston wooden trout, followed by the AC plug. Before that time only a handful of anglers used Worm Kings 12" soft plastic boot tail swimbait. The world outside of CA now knew about trout swimbaits and trout because the key word associated with CA's giant bass; " trout fed fat giant bass" shouldn't be allowed or considered for records!! The bias continues to this day.
My opinion; I don't believe the Schwarts program will work to produce a world record, it may produce a bass in the mid 18's. FLMB should be a different species from NLMB regarding records. The largest NLMB I know of is less than 17 lbs.
Shane J reply :
This guy may or may not grow a bass that big, but even if he does, and the new world record is set, then whoever catches one on either side of that record, can decide for themselves if their catch is more or less of an accomplishment than the other guy's. I do know one thing. Catching a fish of that size, no matter what records are on the line, has gotta be a crazy big deal! I've had some huge fish on the end of my line (two that rivaled the Tx state record), and it is no easy task fooling, hooking, and landing those fish. Good luck to whoever does it, is all I can say. A 23 pounder ain't no fool!
Scott F reply :
Forgetting about claiming a world record for the moment, I want to see what this guy can do. Even if he never grows one that exceeds 23 pounds, he may add to the knowledge base on what it takes for bass to grow larger than they do now. He might learn some new techniques that could help state biologists manage their fisheries for more trophies.
Shane J reply :
That's true, too. Better than my high school science project!
WRB reply :
The prawns being used are not native Louisiana fresh water shrimp, they appear to be Malaysian giant river prawns, farm raised mostly in China and Southeast Asia. Most states will not allow another invasive animal to be introduced. It will be interesting to watch how all this plays out. Schwartz is now in the aquaculture business! May be the Louisiana prawn farmers will put FLMB in their ponds!
Tom
Jsinkic reply :
I think if places like this are being made there should be 2 records, one for "Wild" bass and one for "Farmed" (Thats what they are technically doing). This way everyone who has a pound could have a "Farmed" world record. Let's leave the "Wild" world record to bass that got that big
on there own alone and away from this farming record.
Only fair right? 
A-Jay reply :
On 4/4/2014 at 2:06 AM, WRB said:The prawns being used are not native Louisiana fresh water shrimp, they appear to be Malaysian giant river prawns, farm raised mostly in China and Southeast Asia. Most states will not allow another invasive animal to be introduced. It will be interesting to watch how all this plays out. Schwartz is now in the aquaculture business! May be the Louisiana prawn farmers will put FLMB in their ponds!
Tom
When someone finally designs a jig trailer to imitative this thing, the jig will have to be Massive !
A-Jay
Brian Needham reply :
brings new meaning to RAGE LOBSTER!!!!
Brian Needham reply :
what I want to see is Huddleston makes a lobster swimbait..... say 8 inches long and 1/2 pound. That'll do it!!
slonezp reply :
On 4/4/2014 at 2:31 AM, A-Jay said:When someone finally designs a jig trailer to imitative this thing, the jig will have to be Massive !
A-Jay
Malaysian giant river prawns.jpg
Malaysian giant river prawns.jpgScrew the bass. I'm hungry!!!
Brian Needham reply :
On 4/4/2014 at 2:16 AM, Jsinkic said:I think if places like this are being made there should be 2 records, one for "Wild" bass and one for "Farmed" (Thats what they are technically doing). This way everyone who has a pound could have a "Farmed" world record. Let's leave the "Wild" world record to bass that got that big
on there own alone and away from this farming record.
Only fair right?
sounds fair but lets really think about it....
1. your game and fish commision ever used a "slot limit" to encourage growth.... then you fish a farmed pond
2. ever enforced a creel limit... then you fished a farmed pond
3. ever fished a lake that been ferilized... then you fished a farmed pond
4. trout stocking....farmed pond
5. stocking shad or forge not native......then you fish a parmed pond
6. game and fish commission ever drained a lake to fix silted in spawning flats....then its a farm pond
7. FLMB or even NLMB ever been stocked or not native to your part of the counrty.... then you fish a farmed pond
8. fished a man made lake or even dammed river impoundment.......then is a farmed pond
the list can go on and on and on....... anything done to or changed in a pond other than the way nature put it changes it to a farmed point by "technecality"
solution to all of it...... go fish, be happy, and dont worry about it cause probably neither you or I are ever going to catch anything to be considered for the books anyway.
There has never been a cleat cut, without question record fish caught, and never will, there will always be questions of how, when and why.
McAlpine reply :
On 4/4/2014 at 2:31 AM, A-Jay said:When someone finally designs a jig trailer to imitative this thing, the jig will have to be Massive !
A-Jay
Heck, I'm gonna stop fishing for bass and start fishing for giant river prawn's.
mmmmm. with garlicy-butter. mmmmm
retiredbosn reply :
Ethical? Sure its his property, he can do what he wants. However, no bass taken from the lake would ever make the official record book. Just like high fenced deer farm harvest aren't eligible for inclusion in the Boone and Crockett book, don't know about Pope and Young though. IGFA would not allow an artificially raised bass in the books. Although there isn't a specific rule banning fish from a lake as described, but that's mainly due to the fact that this scenario is new, the rules were adopted in 1939. All applications submitted for inclusion are committee approved, I just don't see it happening. Boone and Crockett didn't have a specific rule until ppl tried to have deer included that were raised on "deer farms".
bigbill reply :
Guys I've said this before I've caught my PB of 10# in ct, seen bigger swim by me on the drop off' s and lost two bigger bass.
We have big bass in every place I fish at.
If I'm seeing this here and a 9# was caught in Maine come on do the math.
I fished hard to get my pb night and morning. I find the bass are bigger as the night turns to day from shore. Be very stealthy because they spook easy. That's the key I make not one sound and even close my bail on my spinning reel softly too.
I'm afraid to use a bait caster because of the click after a cast when we crank it, in that quiet.
It's not the 5 to 8#ers making all these baby bass it's the bigger ladies making these babies.
The local DEEP as there called now can only use the shock system in the shallows.
Now there was a 12# bass killed with the weed chopper in Lakeville,ct. That should of gotten every fisherman's attention.
I use my polarized glasses and scan the water while I'm fishing. Even while I land a fish. These big gals show up like ghosts.
Trust me I'm telling you the truth.
I must have put a thousands of miles on my two stroke street legal dirtbikes and remembered every decent looking place to fish at these could be up to 30 to 40 acres of water that's down stream from bigger well known lakes.
We have to be stealthy, walk softly, don't even coff, don't sneeze. I coff' d one morning as I arrived at my spot and watched a large wake going away from me.
At two of my spots in elevated on the shoreline about 3' so I can see in the water quite a distance. I'm on a man made dam/ roadway that was used for water power over 200 years ago. I had an old man stop and tell me about the mill that was there. I find the history of my area great too. Now it's almost time to fish and fish hard again. I know there are record breakers out there. Trust me if I'm seeing them here you have to have them too. Where do all the bass fry come from?
You gotta believe, man.
Shane J reply :
Um, Bill... 5-8 pounders spawn baby basses . Not exactly sure what the rest was about, either. If you think a world record bass is coming from Connecticut, you're trippin'.
Brian Needham reply :
Shane I think his point was this:
if a 12# bass was shocked up/killed in CT, we are somewhat foolish it believe MUCH bigger fish can not be found in more southern waters.
and for the most part I can buy that. Who knows what swims in the water?
There is probably a world record swimming in several lakes across the country, never to be seen or caught, but they are there, lurking.
Shane J reply :
Ok, yeah, I could see that. It certainly won't be a Northern state, though. State records, oh yeah. World record is coming from the South (probably Mexico).
Catt reply :
Texas has been doing this since mid-70s
I workrd for the American Sportsman Club & biologist were using three 1,000 acre ponds south of Houston.
A-Jay reply :
On 4/4/2014 at 10:35 PM, Shane J said:Um, Bill... 5-8 pounders spawn baby basses . Not exactly sure what the rest was about, either. If you think a world record bass is coming from Connecticut, you're trippin'.
X2
The Connecticut state record fish is a 12 bass caught over 50 years ago. Seeing a similar size fish, although a bummer it was killed, is encouraging for that state's record chasers. But a world record size fish would almost have to be twice that size. Never say never, but if there were even a few caught in the high teens any time is the states history, I'd be more of a believer.
A-Jay
Catt reply :
Some thing else to think about concerning the number of big bass caught in every lake in Texas.
There is only 1 natural lake the the entire state...Caddo!
All the bass are a result of stocking & genetic research programs.
WRB reply :
Is that when the FLMB stocking program started in Texas?On 4/4/2014 at 11:08 PM, Catt said:Texas has been doing this since mid-70s
I workrd for the American Sportsman Club & biologist were using three 1,000 acre ponds south of Houston.
San Diego city lakes used small 5 acre ponds (1959) where lake Miramar is now located to raise fingerlings to bass about 5 per pound, then transplanted those into Upper Otay to grow to about 2 lbs before stocking Lower Otay for public fishing. The food base was all natural, whatever was available in the ponds and Upper Otay lake the normal prey sources were threadfin shad, bluegill, crappie, crawdads, no NLMB to spawn with.
The goal wasn't to raise giant bass, they wanted to increase the average size bass from 2 lbs to 3 lbs, for the recreational angler, they had no idea at that time the FLMB would grow to be giants at the start of this program.
Tom
PS, Texas has excellent fishery management folks and you are fortunate to fish there for 4 decades.
Alonerankin2 reply :
Uhhhh... So now I know what the local seafood shops are selling ...... Prawns!!!!!
Dang.... Those things are huge!
Catt reply :
Texas ShareLunker bass start @ 13 #s
Since 1987 there has been 557 bass placed in the program from 65 public bodies of water & over a dozen private.
Fork holds the record for number at 256 & the largest at 18.18#, Alan Henry & O.H. Ivie are tied at 25 for second.
I don't think any state can compete with Texas for shear number of bass caught annually over 10 lbs.
South FLA reply :
On 4/5/2014 at 12:18 AM, Catt said:Texas ShareLunker bass start @ 13 #s
Since 1987 there has been 557 bass placed in the program from 65 public bodies of water & over a dozen private.
Fork holds the record for number at 256 & the largest at 18.18#, Alan Henry & O.H. Ivie are tied at 25 for second.
I don't think any state can compete with Texas for shear number of bass caught annually over 10 lbs.
I would say Florida could if the FWC was as proactive as TX!
Shane J reply :
Yeah, but no. Nobody can hang with Texas. In the states, Texas has it!
bigbill reply :
All I'm after is to break the ct state record of 12#14oz. I know it's out there.
A world record bass I really don't think so. I know we have bigger bass than 12# here. If we have them then every state has them too there not being caught because there smart. There very aware to warning noises that are out of the norm. I put a lot of hours to see exactly what we have here. For me catching a PB of 10# was never a goal. I never dreamed of landing a big bass here. Seeing this opened up my thoughts we do have bigger decent bass here. Now how big I'm not sure yet. I'm just going fishing as I always do to challenge the numbers of bass I catch on each trip. I don't get too serious about it, I'm out there having fun. I love throwing new and different lures and practicing different presentations. I'm just having fun. I keep my quest for a new state record on the burner so be it if it happens. It's like a carrot in front of a donkey it gets me out of bed and keeps me going.
Texas? Where was the world record bass caught here? Georgia?
No matter we're you live, wether you have a boat, or fish from shore, fish hard, fish more often. You just maybe surprised.
Get out there in the early am when these bigger gals are near the shoreline feeding before and as the sun rises. Get in the zone and stay motivated. If we want it were going to have to earn it.
Catt reply :
Uhh I think the world record came from Japan
Mr_Scrogg reply :
Before that wasnt it a Georgia Bass??
WRB reply :
The Japanese bass 22 lbs 4 oz is tied with The Georgia bass 22 lbs 3 oz, there is a 2 oz rule, must be 2+ oz heavier to establish a new world record.
We know for a fact what all the details of the (Kurita) Japan bass is, the (Perry) bass remains questionable, all hearsay, no facts.
Tom
Catt reply :
The Perry & Kurita bass are accepted by the IGFA so there is no dispute!
roadwarrior reply :
On 4/2/2014 at 8:46 PM, Goose52 said:Regarding carrying capacity...just a data point. Dottie (25lbs) came out of Dixon Lake (70 acres). Sure, lots of trout stocked in Dixon...but lots of fishing pressure too.
So, big fish can come out of small lakes. As has already been mentioned, it remains to be seen that even with prawns on the menu, does this new lake have the conditions (depth, water temp, etc.) to produce the record...
And that's the real record...
https://www.google.com/search?q=dottie+the+fish&tbm=isch&imgil=2KUUpXHgwlR-tM%253A%253Bhttps%253A%252F%252Fencrypted-tbn0.gstatic.com%252Fimages%253Fq%253Dtbn%253AANd9GcTBgDBZlOpZj8OomeyVQ4a9koFRNYsbr8euPz6sbD-y_CsRcbux8w%253B960%253B720%253BAz5Q_x10FShanM%253Bhttp%25253A%25252F%25252Fwww.sealine.co.za%25252Fview_topic.php%25253Fid%2525253D62896%25252526forum_id%2525253D32&source=iu&usg=__MDPdXQboUI0vW4-9tpWZrQHL_pY%3D&sa=X&ei=JM5BU8WnLZSqsATntoD4DA&ved=0CEoQ9QEwBA#facrc=_&imgdii=_&imgrc=P-Zf25dL6-odnM%253A%3BfnqjNpQuR5oP-M%3Bhttp%253A%252F%252Fcdn2-b.examiner.com%252Fsites%252Fdefault%252Ffiles%252Fstyles%252Fimage_content_width%252Fhash%252Ff3%252F21%252Ff3213a8f2c29c919dfd55ddca1a518fa.jpg%253Fitok%253DWBiV5A7G%3Bhttp%253A%252F%252Fwww.examiner.com%252Farticle%252F25-lb-largemouth-bass-found-dead%3B256%3B350
Drewski73 reply :
On 4/1/2014 at 11:22 AM, WRB said:Gary Schwartz developed white tail deer ranches to grow record deer, his Tecomate seed co is famous.
Schwartz hired John Jones and his team of biologist to build his lakes, Schwartz is in Laredo TX.
Gene Lau tired this in Florida several years ago and was wiped out by poachers, I don't know of any private lakes in California raising bass, the water is too expensive and importing any type of none native prey is impossible. Giant bass in CA just happened, wasn't planned or managed. Texas has a good fishery management system, California does it by neglect.
Tom
Many of the giant bass in CA eat hatchery raised, state planted trout dont they? Isnt it sort of the same thing?
WRB reply :
All of CA's lakes that have recorded giant bass catches are public lakes, come out and catch them, lots of folks have tried!
To answer to the question about planted trout, the trout are planted in SoCal in the winter months when the water is cold enough to support trout in the reservoirs that have bass populations. Most trout plants stopped about 5 years ago in the bass lakes because hatchery raised trout are considered a non native fish where native salmon or steelhead may have existed before the lakes were damed. Lake Hodges 20.4 lb FLMB, no trout ever planted there.
No it's not close to being the same as Schwartz feeding program in private small lakes. CA doesn't hold the all tackle world record, holds a few line class records accepted by the IGFA.
Tom
primetime reply :
I have been trying to grow a 12lb plus fish in a pond in my county that is about 2 acres, loaded with cover, has sandy flats, 2 underwater springs, great amount of the right weeds vs. timber, and average depth is 6', but a good 1/3 has some places near cool springs up to 14' deep and we plant structure and rock piles all over. Shiners get huge and up to 12", craws,eels, gizzard shad, bluegill, carp, creek chubs, fatheads......so much food, last years fry are now exactly 1 year old and are 14.5-15.5" and fat-2lbs....However, about a dozen people fish it, several have one lots of respected tournaments, and we all remove slots which are now any fish in 18-21" that is not young, Bottom line, artificials will get you the 2-6lbers with a 6 being a good catch because they won;t move for anything excet a giant shiner over 10", or huge eel......I have tried shiners of average size, nothing over 5, then tossed in 6 12" shiners about a lb....each one was smashed within a minute being in the water, same spot, and all fish were 7-10....Moral of story....It is hard to grow big fish first of all, and second, they get tougher to catch as they learn, and the bigger they get, the more food they need, and if you can't keep ratios just right, they will not get to be a record, plus in order to get a fish to hit your lure, then land it with all the cover needed is an accomplishment and it is impressive, exciting and takes as much skill as flipping a patch of weeds on any lake and getting that "right cast right time fish"....I remember when I lived in Ny the record was 11.9 from Long Island NY in a Lake not known for 5lb plus fish as that is huge on long Island, a 7 is very rare. The record was caught by a young child who went fishing with dad for first time on a fly rod, fished at boat ramp middle of day, was struggling casting with a popper when 4 feet from shore a fish almost 12lbs is caught.....Luck is involved, and should that count since it was just as random as getting hit by lighting or winning lottery....lake was Blydenburg Park and I remember as a Kid fishing it hard a few times and never doing better than 3lbs and lake had lots of fish that seemed stunted...tons of pressure.
J Francho reply :
The NY record is 11-4, from Buckhorn Lake, Otsego Co. Caught on a spinnerbait in 1987 by John Higbie.
Alonerankin2 reply :
I've seen it a lot ! Mule ear wild shiners catch the biggest of big! I am speaking of Golden shiners as it relates to Florida waters....
everythingthatswims reply :
I think the concept of farming huge fish is awesome, however, I think that the "farmers" should take it upon themselves to not submit those fish for a world record. I fish a pond with fish that get fed pellets on a regular basis, and that is a blast, but I appreciate "wild" fish more.
WRB reply :
Bumped this up to find any updates on Gary Schwatz attempt to grow a record bass in La Perla or Jaliisco lakes on his ranch in south Texas?
Tom
RMcDuffee726 reply :
If I ever get rich I totally want to create my own massive pond, and set it up for trophy fish. It would be assume to have something like that on a plot of property.
CarolinaBoy4Life reply :
I honestly think it should count as a world record. These fish that are being caught out in California were fed trout for years during the winter month's. Were they hand fed? No, but they still were put in as a form of high protein food to make these fish larger. Same thing the Texas parks and wildlife does to make the state fishing better and more productive when it comes to larger fish. They are breeding these fish to make the highest chance of these gene's of sharelunkers making a world record. So if a bass is caught in Lake Falcon or or Amistad is shouldn't be considered a world record for the simple fact of it may be a sharelunker program offspring? In a way these fish were "raised" or bred.
Brian6428 reply :
One thing everybody seems to be ignoring is the odds of a bass reaching world record size. A fish that size is truly a freak. They have to have an incredibly long life, be very healthy their whole life, have access to just the right type of food etc. Basically, the odds of a fish growing to world record size in the wild are ridiculously low. Will the odds be better in this private pond in discussion? Of course. But the sample size is also MUCH smaller, the number of anglers fishing it will be lower (thus the odds of catching it decrease), and it may be in the wrong climate, regardless.
So ultimately, if this guy can grow a world record bass, he should have the record. What I am saying, however, is that given the size of the lakes and the time period in question he has about the same odds of growing a world record bass as anybody fishing in Cali or Japan has of catching a world record bass. And, if he does manage to grow it, he still has to catch it!
Note: This is not a knock on the guy managing the pond in question. I am sure he can make one heck of a trophy pond, but there probably ain't gonna be a world record bass in there.
Brayberry reply :
Anyone know any updates on the South Texas place trying to grow the World Record? 3 years later some of those bass should be huge by now
WRB reply :
On 6/24/2017 at 10:49 AM, Brayberry said:Anyone know any updates on the South Texas place trying to grow the World Record? 3 years later some of those bass should be huge by now
Haven't been able to find any current info beyond the reprinted original articles. Perla was the last lake he made and it was filled and stocked in 2009, those bass are now 8 years or older now!
Tom
Catt reply :
There is no written updates just word of mouth which is bass in the upper teens being caught. There's word of a lake south of Houston, one in the Big Bend part of Texas & one in Georgia.
basseditor reply :
On 6/26/2017 at 1:18 AM, WRB said:Haven't been able to find any current info beyond the reprinted original articles. Perla was the last lake he made and it was filled and stocked in 2009, those bass are now 8 years or older now!
Tom
I need to find the article, but I believe they took some surplus offspring out of the lakes and planted them into Lake Falcon this spring.
soflabasser reply :
Interesting subject. These private water bass remind me of hunting in private ranches where you hunt ''wild'' animals in a fenced in area.
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