Rex Remington may be the Indiana fishing community's new record-holder after reeling in an 8-pound smallmouth bass on March 3. Remington caught the bass while fishing at Monroe Lake. The 10,000-acre reservoir isn't known for having a wealth of smallmouth bass, according to its master plan. Instead, it's popular for largemouth bass and panfish populations, which attract fishermen for ice fishing and regular season fishing. Yet, a mammoth of a smallmouth bass was pulled from its waters—much to the surprise and delight of the bass fishing community.
The original post, shared on USA Bassin Community, was reposted by Yeagley Fishing. They said this was the "last place" they thought a record would come from, but it was a beautiful fish either way.
Indiana Department of Natural Resources officials witnessed the fish's official weight, which was recorded as 8.23 pounds. However, the official verification process is still ongoing. If it is fully verified, Remington will be the new Indiana record-holder by over a pound. The current record was set by Dana Yoder in 1992 with a 7-pound, 4-ounce smallmouth bass. Yoder caught his fish in Twin Lake in LaGrange County.
Yoder passed away from cancer in 2021, but his record-setting bass sits on his friend Gary Mike Sheets' wall in his church office, who shared his congratulations in a social media post for Rex Remington's stellar catch. "Congratulations to Rex!!! What a monster fish," Sheets wrote before adding that he would proudly display the fish on his wall. "I never thought it would be beat in my lifetime!'
Many people offered their congratulations in the comments. One person wrote, "Nice to see a fish like that in Indiana!" Another reposted the photo, saying, "If this is official, Rex will probably hold this record for a long time."
Certification by officials at the Indiana DNR should be complete sometime this month.
