There's arguably no fish record more coveted than that of a largemouth bass. Whether it be a record for a particular fishery, a state, a country, or the entire planet, the possibility of etching a name into stone for breaking a number that's stood for years is something that motivates every angler. In fact, there are plenty of fisherman out there who have done their fair share of leisure fishing and now exclusively chase records, hoping to one day secure their name in angling history.
Considering how far fishing technique and technology has come, you have to wonder how some of these records have held up as long as they have. Have we pressured fish to the point of adaptation? Are fish just not growing as big as they used to? Or, is it possible that it has as much to do with luck as it does skill? Were these record holders just at the right place at the right time? Longstanding records aren't exclusive to largemouth bass, but the truth is rainbow trout, walleye, catfish, and even smallmouth bass just don't hold the same panache. Some of it has to do with how prevalent largemouth bass are across the country, and there's also probably an added allure with the popularity of tournament bass fishing.
Largemouth bass and other species of the bass family can reach more than generous sizes for freshwater fish. The current IGFA world record for the biggest largemouth bass was set by Manabu Kurita with a 22-pound, 5-ounce, 29-inch monster caught on Lake Biwa in Japan. The previous bass fishing record had been standing since 1932 when George Perry caught a 22-pound, 4-ounce largemouth bass from Montgomery Lake in Georgia.
Every State Record Fish in America
| State | Weight | Location | Angler | Year |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Alaska | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A |
| Alabama | 16 lbs, 8 oz | Mountain View Lake | Thomas Burgin | 1987 |
| Arizona | 16 lbs, 7 oz | Canyon Lake | Randall White | 1997 |
| Arkansas | 16 lbs, 8 oz | Mallard Lake | Ann Mardis | 1976 |
| California | 21 lbs, 12 oz | Lake Castaic | Micheal Arujo | 1991 |
| Colorado | 11 lbs, 6 oz | Echo Canyon Reservoir | Jarrett Edwards | 1997 |
| Connecticut | 12 lbs, 14 oz | Mashapaug Pond | Frank Domurat | 1961 |
| Delaware | 11 lbs, 1.6 oz | Wagamons Pond | AJ Klein | 2016 |
| Florida | 17 lbs, 27 oz | Unnamed Lake | Billy O'Berry | 1986 |
| Georgia | 22 lbs, 4 oz | Montgomery Lake | George Perry | 1932 |
| Hawaii | 9 lbs, 9.4 oz | Waita Reservoir | Dickie Broyles | 1992 |
| Idaho | 10 lbs, 15 oz | Anderson Lake | Mrs. M.W. Taylor | N/A |
| Illinois | 13 lbs, 1 oz | Stone Quarry Lake |
Edward Walbel | 1976 |
| Indiana | 14 lbs, 12 oz | Unnamed Lake | Jenifer Schultz | 1991 |
| Iowa | 10 lbs, 14 oz | Lake Fisher | Patricia Zaerr | 1984 |
YouTube:KYA Afield
| State | Weight | Location | Angler | Year |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Kansas | 11 lbs, 12.8 oz | Private Pit Lake | Tyson Hallam | 2008 |
| Kentucky | 14 lbs, 9.5 oz | Highsplint Lake | Mark Ward | 2019 |
| Louisiana | 15.97 lbs | Caney Lake | Greg Wiggins | 1994 |
| Maine | 11 lbs, 10 oz | Moose Pond | Rodney Cockrell | 1968 |
| Maryland | 11 lbs, 6 oz | Huntington Farm Pond | Colton Lambert | 2013 |
| Massachusetts | 15 lbs, 8 oz | Sampson Pond | Walter Bolonis | 1975 |
| Michigan | 11 lbs, 15.04 oz | Big Pine Island Lake | William Maloney | 1934 |
| Minnesota | 8 lbs, 15 oz | Auburn Lake | N/A | 2005 |
| Mississippi | 18 lbs, 2.4 oz | Natchez State Park Lake | Anthony Denny | 1992 |
| Missouri | 13 lbs, 14 oz | Bull Shoals Lake | Marvin Bushong | 1961 |
| Montana | 9 lbs, 5.8 oz | Lake Elmo | Brandon Wright | 2021 |
| Nebraska | 10 lbs, 11 oz | Sandpit Near Columbus | Paul Abegglen Sr. | 1965 |
| Nevada | 12 lbs even | Lake Mead | Micheal R. Geary | 1999 |
| New Hampshire | 10 lbs, 8 oz | Lake Potanipo | G. Bullpit | 1967 |
| New Jersey | 10 lbs, 14 oz | Menantico Sand Wash Pond | Robert Eisele | 1980 |
| New Mexico | 15 lbs, 13 oz | Bill Evans Lake | Steve Estrada | 1995 |
| New York | 11 lbs, 4 oz | Buckhorn Lake | John L. Higbie | 1987 |
| North Carolina | 15 lbs, 14 oz | Private Pond | William H. Wofford | 1991 |
| North Dakota | 8 lbs, 7.5 oz | Nelson Lake | Leon Rixen | 1983 |
The above picture shows Robert Eisele with a bass weighing 10 pounds, 14-ounces in Meanatico 1980.
| State | Weight | Location | Angler | Year |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ohio | 13 lbs, 2 oz | Private Pond | Roy Landsberger | 1976 |
| Oklahoma | 14 lbs, 13.7 oz | Cedar Lake | Dale Miller | 2013 |
| Oregon | 12 lbs, 1.6 oz | Ballenger Pond | B. Adam Hastings | 2002 |
| Pennsylvania | 11 lbs, 3 oz | Birch Run Reservoir | Donald Shade | 1983 |
| Rhode Island | 11 lbs, 3.2 oz | Johnson's Pond | Brandon Migliore | 2016 |
| South Carolina | 16 lbs, 2 oz | Lake Marion | P.H. Flanagan | 1949 |
| South Dakota | 9 lbs, 5 oz | Indian Scout Lake | Matthew Dunham | 2020 |
| Tennessee | 15 lbs, 3 oz | Chickamauga Lake | Gabe Keen | 2015 |
| Texas | 18 lbs, 2.8 oz | Lake Fork | Barry St.Clair | 1992 |
| Utah | 10 lbs, 2 oz | Powell Lake | Sam Lamanna | 1974 |
| Vermont | 10 lbs, 4 oz | Lake Dunmore | Tony Gale | 1988 |
| Virginia | 16 lbs, 4 oz | Connor Lake | Richard Tate | 1985 |
| Washington | 12 lbs, 9 oz | Lake Bosworth | Bill Evans | 2016 |
| West Virginia | 9 lbs, 9.9 oz | Dog Run Lake | Eli Gain | 2001 |
| Wisconsin | 11 lbs, 3 oz | Ripley Lake | N/A | 1940 |
| Wyoming | 11 lbs, 9 oz | Kleenburn Ponds | Caleb Salzman | 2018 |
I know one thing, I would love to travel around and try to find some of these fisheries that are producing these largemouth bass records. It would be interesting to see how much they differed.
All I can say is, good luck to everyone angling this season and may the fish gods shine upon us to possibly land one big enough to rewrite the record books.
