will the real world record bass please .......... 2024

guest reply :

I think it would be nice if we could come to an agreement about the world record bass.

I'm really glad that California and Georgia are 3,000 miles apart because I think the next civil war could be fought over this issue.

So allow me to offer a suggestion.

The world record bass can only be the fish that is recognized by the autoritative bodies as a record. They would include the IGFA, and the states involved. It is not a matter of opinion, it is a matter of record.

Neither the IGFA nor the state of California recognize the Weakley bass. Sorry guys. Like it or not the Perry bass is the world record.

HOWEVER........Perhaps we can call the Weakley bass the BIGGEST bass ever landed. It is a subtle difference I know, but there is more to the world record than just hauling in a huge bass. Weakley and company knew that. It is why they didn't submit it for consideration.

Captain Cali reply :

Agreed!

I still have a shot!

RLinNH reply :

The Weakley Bass had no shot at being the "Official" World record Bass. It was not hooked in the mouth. A huge Atta Boy goes out to Mike Weakley for being so honest. But, rules are rules.

Deuceu72 reply :

I agree with Avid. Until that world record has MY name on it, its still Perry's.

Matt Fly reply :

It was a large bass, thats for sure, but those scales they used hasn't been ceritfied, so was it 24 lbs, 25 lbs, no one can ever say for sure. Because the rules weren't followed.

Which is funny, seeing how thats all those guys do is pursue records, you'd think they would have used the certified scales 100 yards away at the bait shop, or had theirs sent in long time ago in preparation for this years spawn and their relentless attack of the world record. Funny they had camera for weighing but not running in the boat when caught. We've seen so many videos of these guys before, but when they actually have a giant down there, not running any film. Too many details left unclear in my opinion for all the press that others attest to and give them. Again, just my .02

roadwarrior reply :

avid,

I like the way you think. Concise and to the point, I agree with your suggestion.

guest reply :

So far so good. I have to admit that Cap'n Cali was someone who I thought might be a die hard holdout for the Weakley bass. I'm proud to have offered a comprimise that both sides seem to be able to live with. (so far)

JJRICH reply :

I have to disagree on this one. It is my understanding that foul hooked or not it still would of counted in the record books. The guy was honest enough to tell the truth when most of us would of lied in a second. I just wish I could fish in Lake Dixon or some of these lakes the pros fish on tv.

Alpster reply :

Weakley knows that fish is still there and can still be caught. That bass is worth way too much ($millions$) to be surrounded by any controversy. It will have to be caught perfectly, with every detail documented properly. The foul hooked fish was illegal in CA and record fish must be caught legally. It was just good business to turn her loose to be caught properly another day. I would be satisfied with a picture of a LM that size. JMHO

Ronnie

K_Mac reply :

Avid

I agree with you. I think an argument could be made that Weakley's bass was the largest bass ever landed. As Matt Fly said, since it wasn't weighed on a certified scale we can't know for sure. As far as Weakley telling the truth and doing the right thing, I believe he did. There were several eye witnesses that knew it was foul hooked and I think the chance of it being recognized as a world record was very small. It sure was a monster though.

flippin4it. reply :

In order for a bass to be considered a world record, it has to be caught by that states fishing laws. Weakley's bass was foul hooked/snagged. The state of Cali states in it's rules that no fish is allowed to be kept or fished for by "snagging". This is the main reason that "the fish" would have never been considered by the IGFA....... Weakley is a true sportsman for stepping down. Nice fish though!

Captain Cali reply :

Biggest ever landed works just fine with me. Besides...it's just a matter of time before it falls in California, Texas, Florida, Mexico or Cuba. Then let the real debates begin!

RoLo reply :

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The guy was honest enough to tell the truth

There is nothing about the actions of Weakley that I would categorize as honest.

There was at least one eye-witness who kept shouting that the bass was foul-hooked!

Then, only after much deliberation did Weakley decide to come clean, he had no choice.

Thank Goodness that an eye-witness was present or it would be a whole other yarn.

Roger

abelfisher reply :

The Weakley bass was the largest bass ever caught. PERIOD! Call it World Record, don't call it a World Record, but the fact remains, it is the largest ever caught.

Things like this make the term "World Record" so ho-hum!!! Not much credibility in the term any more for me.

Avid, I do like your idea!

Mattlures reply :

I think its funny That you guys think he should have been prepaired. HOW COULD HE POSSIBLY BE PREPAIRED FOR THAT!!!!!!!!! In his wildest dreams I am sure he never thought that he could or would snag that fish. You guys just dont get it. If he had caught it corectly he would have called the fish and game and the would have certified everything. End of story!

Rolo I find it discraceful that you can say that Mac had these intentions and the he would have done this or that. The facts are what he did do. You can only speculate what anybody was thinking. Those kids that were wittnesses were extremly bitter that they were beaten to the spot. Dont take their account as fact.

Just so you guys know Mac has not returned to the lake. He used to fish it every day and now he has stopped. He is so sick that the fish came up foul hooked that he has stopped chasing it. Imagin spending just about every day on a lake for years knowing that the WR is in there and finaly getting your shot and then the fish comes up snagged. That crushed him. Maybe he was tempted for a moment to say he caught the fish corectly, after all he is human. But he never denied it. It wasnt like he changed his story after he realized the kids saw him. There were people watching his every move including one of the rangers who I spoke to.

How would you like your character attacked after you did nothing wrong because somebody "thinks" they know what you were thinking.

Pretty weak!

Matt Fly the scale has been tested to be accurate. They tested it on Basscenter. It has not been certified to my knowledge but it is accurate. You also said you have seen video of these guys. Realy? Whare? When? I dont know of any such video of Mac jed or Mike (Mike Whinn) not Mike Long.

I do agree that it is not the world record. It is however the largest bass ever caught. In my mind Paul Duclos is the WR holder.

RoLo reply :

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I think its funny That you guys think he should have been prepaired. HOW COULD HE POSSIBLY BE PREPAIRED FOR THAT!!!!!!!!! In his wildest dreams I am sure he never thought that he could or would snag that fish. You guys just dont get it. If he had caught it corectly he would have called the fish and game and the would have certified everything. End of story!

Frankly, I don't care one iota about Weakley, he's just an intermediary. My interest lies entirely

in the bass, its validity or lack of validity. I have reiterated precisely what I have read.

Based on what we read, everyone forms their own opinion, and everyone has a right to their opinion.

What puzzles me most however, is why you feel so compelled to staunchly defend Weakley?

Roger

Mattlures reply :

I am defending him because he did the right thing. PERIOD!! He never claimed he hooked it in the mouth. He never submitted it as a record. He did not keep the fish. The facts are he caught it, knew it wasnt right and released it. Thats why I defend him. I think it is shameful they way some people attack him for what they think he was thinking. I dont even personaly know him but I know other guys out here just like him. Every time sombody catches a big bass out here jealous people start making rediculous acusations. It is wrong. How would you like it? put your self in his shoes.

I konw what happened I talked to the ranger personaly. I actualy saw the deserted bed the fish was caught on. The ranger watched their every move and he told me he could tell by their actions that they were never trying to snagg that fish and that the white jig was clearly on the fishes side and everybody knew it. Not one time did Mac or his friends say they caught it in the mouth. NOT ONCE!

When I am wrong I admit it. can you?

Matt Fly reply :

We aren't the ones whos been beating the horse to death, "these guys do this in search of a record, how dedicated they are, how skilled and "prepared" they are." It wasn't Jed, Mac, or any of those hog hunters beating their own drums, it was the you guys who set those fellows up to be picked apart.

It wasn't us who wanted them in the greates angler debate, after all, the nominations came from a professional fishin leagues, ie.... the tournament trail, and I don't think they played in those reindeer games did they. locally yes, nationally no.

So, I do like seeing the videos and big bass, but don't force feed us how great these guys are.........

you asked "how could they be prepared?" Well, all ya'lls praise and videos said they are the best and thats all they do is search for records.

Facts. Dock workers account, ie..... not the kids, said they had to talk about it for ten minutes in the middle of the lake after weighting while fish is in tow with tow rope through the mouth. Dock worker said it was foul hooked also, he also witnessed the landing. Not just kids.

Something getting inspected after and not before means nothing. I calibrate equipment for a living, Do you know if there was a black dot on the scale as to accurately identify it as the same? joking of course.

The spawn is over, so is the hunt till next year, so quit making excuse of why he quit chasing it. We aren't stupid, we read all the post and articles that say when they actively persue the big bass mostly.

That is why we argue so much. You put these guys on a pedistool making excuses for every thing, such as nolonger hitting the lake. I bet you he's back next year for spawn. When 80% of largest fish are catchable or the easiest to locate.

Witnesses are kids, they didn't do it for money, which is bologna also as I posted the article where they said money and products would be asked for.

As I said, we didn't set these guys up to fall, you guys did that on your own, you make your rounds to all the forums with the same arguements on those forums.

Peace out!

KYbass1276 reply :

The only thing I question is they went to this lake so much to catch a potential world record and I would guess they probally know everything there is to know about this lake and surroundings. Why did they not know there was certified scales on the dock that they launch from or was standing on when the picture was taken. Even if the fish was foul hooked I would alteast like to seen a official weight before turning it loose. But back to avid's statement I will give it a yes it is more than likely the biggest Bass that us in our lifetimes have seen landed. Personally I wish the thing was caught in the mouth So finally for atleast a little while we could have a world record without all the fuss over it being legit or not

BassMaster_1 reply :

Im gonna jump in on this and throw my 2 cents in. I have read many articals in bassmaster, about the WR and all the most recent ones since "The Fish". Weakley did the right thing about coming clean about the foul hook, he said that he didn't want it a 50/50 split if it should be the record or not. Then the certified scale... you know there is claims that Perry's wasn't "certified" and what about a witness... they dont even know anything about Perry's boat buddy. Its all hearsay, untill someone catches, kills, picks, pokes through the fish, everyone and the mother witnesses it. There will always be doubt. The record will fall, all records do. But the media and all of us have hyped the WR up so much that we have almost made it unbeatable. There is always something wrong, this person did this and he didn't do that. Alright, enought about all that hows the fishing been for you?

Mattlures reply :

Ok let me respond to Matt Fly who is confused. First off I never put these guys on a pedistall and called them the greatest anglers. I said Mike Long is the greatest he has caught more big bass than anybody on earth and has dominated the tournaments Big tounaments but not national ones. Dont you have your favorites? I think he is the best why should that bother you? Matt you said you saw videos of these guys. I dont think you have. I think you were referring to Butch Brown or somebody eles. I believe you are lumping all the trophy hunters into one person, or saying they are all the same. Thats like saying all tournament guys are as good or the same as KVD. To Say the spawn was over and thats why Mac has not come back.... Oh realy how do you know?

That fish came back two days later but never got within 10 ft of the bed. Also a few weeks later Mike Long caught a 21.5lber (on a certified scale) out of the same lake ON A BED. I dont know if Mac will be back. Maybe after a year he will get the bug again. Maybe he is done. Like I said before you guys think they should have been prepaired. All they had to do is call the fish and game. Just so you know, I fish that lake too and I did not know they had a certified scale there. I also do not have my scale certified. I should but I dont. Matt your facts or opinions are a little off. I will agree about the scale not being certified. But like I said If they would have hooked it corectly they would have called DFG and it would be over. To say the scale was not accurate and the fish could be off by lbs is a stretch. Maybe an ounce or two but like I said they did test it.

Your right about going to the middle of the lake for 10 minutes. They said they called their attorny and he told them to release the fish. Maybe it took him that long to go through the Fish and game rules and or the IGFA rules. I dont know. But seriously it was not a crime and I think I would have wanted think about for a bit and collect myself before I made the next move.

The FACTS are they did the right thing and you guys are still attacking them. thats why I defend them. If I knew they did something wrong I would be on your side I dont care were they come from. Some of you will attack anything that doenst come from your state. Not me. Get over it already.

I hope you and Rollo dont get mad over this. No need to. its a discussion. All I am trying to do is clear it up some. The reason I make my rounds with the same arguments is people have the same questions or misconceptions. I know a lot about this particular subject so I try and clairify it. Lets stay civil.

The world record is Perry's

The biggest bass ever caught is Weakley's

The biggest should have been, was Duclos's

Captain Cali reply :

I really don't want to get into this again...but Mac could have very easily denied it was foul hooked. It would have been a "He said, He said" situation then. Who would you have believed?

Bob Crupi went threw the same crap when he caught the 22.01 in the early 90's. It sucks man. It really sucks how some people can become so jealous that it blinds them.

I really get the feeling that some of you are trashing these guys because they are from "Kaliforny". I highly doubt this kind of heat would be thrown if this was Florida or Texas we were talking about. If the record is broken in California you guys would still slam it because of the fact that we stock lakes with trout. I realize now that we will never win with you guys.

K_Mac reply :

I'm always a little suprised by the passion this discussion raises. :-? Captain, you are an articulate advocate for the west coast, and as you know I respect your views even when I don't agree. I have a couple of points (for what it's worth). First, I don't think Weakley could have easily denied foul hooking the fish and I'm not sure that he ever seriously considered it. The fact that he took a few minutes to consider his next move does not bring his integrity into question as far as I'm concerned. Secondly, I don't think it is a California thing when it comes to questioning every detail of any potentially record breaking fish. Maybe the trout stocking is a part of it, but what really suprises me is how cynical we have become.

cart7t reply :

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Maybe the trout stocking is a part of it, but what really suprises me is how cynical we have become.

Probably because the current record is shrouded in such mystery. No carcass, no pictures, merely eyewitness accounts of those there at the time. In todays day and age I'd expect a little more.

I'll chime in this, for a few guys who are basically chasing the world record plus all the implications that come with that record (yes, I mean monetary) they weren't very astute at knowing the game and fish rules, IFGA rules or even knowing the location of the closest legitimate scales to where they were fishing.

Seems odd that guys fishing for the world record bass seem so ignorant about everything involved in certifying it as a world record. Or maybe they did know and were merely trying to pull a fast one. Interesting how he "waited to see the public response" to his catch and when it was only 50-50 in popularity did he decide not to file with the IGFA.

Rattletrap reply :

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There is always something wrong, this person did this and he didn't do that.

That's why they have IGFA standards for. If they meet the IGFA requirements, it's a done deal. Until then, Perry will still remain the owner. I just hope the new WR stays in the USA!!!

Rattletrap reply :

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I really get the feeling that some of you are trashing these guys because they are from "Kaliforny".

Captain. If the next WR meets all the IGFA requirements, it's a new WR. I'm a Georgia boy, and I don't won't Mexico or Cuba to take it. If Cali takes it, good job. USA, USA, USA!!!!

ikebass15 reply :

way to go weakley! ;D i glad he was honest. and i glad that perry still holds the record.

flechero reply :

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merely eyewitness accounts of those there at the time.

Seems like if that is good enough to put someone away for murder, it should suffice for verifying a fish. I don't think anyone was carrying around a sony handycam back then, good grief.

As for weakley's fish... I'm not going back there

Hot n Tot reply :

The Weakley bass was not the largest ever landed, regardless of it's size. When we talk about catching and landing bass, we are talking about coaxing a fish into taking our lures, not snagging them. Sorry, but I don't know how you snag a fishing with a single hook jig unless you try and do it intentionally. At first, I gave Weakley the benefit of the doubt, and considered it just bad luck that the fish was snagged, but when I think about the chances of foul hooking a fish on a jig....well, I've caught hundreds of bass, and the only ones that ended up hooked like that were caught on treble hooked baits like Rapalas and Crankbaits.

KYbass1276 reply :

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The Weakley bass was not the largest ever landed, regardless of it's size. When we talk about catching and landing bass, we are talking about coaxing a fish into taking our lures, not snagging them. Sorry, but I don't know how you snag a fishing with a single hook jig unless you try and do it intentionally. At first, I gave Weakley the benefit of the doubt, and considered it just bad luck that the fish was snagged, but when I think about the chances of foul hooking a fish on a jig....well, I've caught hundreds of bass, and the only ones that ended up hooked like that were caught on treble hooked baits like Rapalas and Crankbaits.

I really can't go along with him snagging it on purpose I can see why it was snagged when your looking down and don't see your bait and you feel something at the end of our rod the only thing left to assume is it took the bait and I don't get to do much bed fishing but I hear it is commen for this to happen alot. Now what went though his mind after words I don't know Personally if he knew it was illegal fish it should have never been hauled into shore to begin with,that sealed the deal with me that he was going to try to pass it off legaly caught but realized people had seen the catch. But really beleve he didn't snag it on purpose Or atleast I hope he didn't.

jasone reply :

Regardless of what has been caught so far...

IMHO opinion, before the next WR is caught, the IGFA needs to divide the category into Florida and Northern strain records. They are recognized sub-species and it needs to be done before the next record so people don't cry foul.

flechero reply :

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Regardless of what has been caught so far...
IMHO opinion, before the next WR is caught, the IGFA needs to divide the category into Florida and Northern strain records. They are recognized sub-species and it needs to be done before the next record so people don't cry foul.

That would make just about as much sense as having seperate records in track and field, one set for black athletes and another for white athletes.

No offense meant to anyone... I'm a slow, white guy. ;D

jasone reply :

Yeah, but you're in Texas with those big Florida Strains!

11765

will the real world record bass please .......... 2024

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