anybody see?

[collegeoutdoorsman]

I was wondering if anyone saw the picture of the bass in outdoornews magazine.....it was 24" long and the estimated weight was over 8 pounds...is that even possible?

[Steve Foss]

A 20-inch bass, either largemouth or smallmouth, will generally run about 5 pounds (I've caught four that size, but none bigger), so I'd say at 24-incher would be at least 8 pounds. A 24-incher at pre-spawn, full of eggs in the spring, would weigh more, I reckon.

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Steve ([email protected])

[This message has been edited by stfcatfish (edited 10-12-2002).]

[fishfearme]

Its rare that a 20 inch bass goes 5 pounds. More like 4.5. I would say that bass was well over 8 pounds. I would say it was over 9. A friend of mine caught a 23 incher last year on a metro lake. That fish was just under 8.

[Steve Foss]

I weighed two of the four bass caught that were 20 inchers. One weighed 5 lb 4 oz, the other 5lb 2 oz. One scale was hand-held Berkley digital, the other was certified scale. Both were summer bass with very fat bellies that must have been on the feed.

But that's not a lot of fish weighed to base an average on, I guess.

[This message has been edited by stfcatfish (edited 10-13-2002).]

[Guest]

It is estimated that a 20 inch bass is right around 5.0 lbs. A 23 inch bass is about 7.6 lbs. So I would definately say that a 24 inch bass should be between 8 and 8.5 lbs. After about 22 inches, a bass will grow approximately 1 pound per inch. There is a point where they stop growing much longer and add a lot of girth (but I don't think they get big enough for that in MN) .

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Adam Johnson
www.adamjohnsonfishing.com

[Renneberg]

I would have to say that that bass was just over 8 lbs. She looked very healthy in that pic.

It good to see that they released that fish.

[Crawlerman]

FishFearme-- if it would be 9 it would be a new state record! What I find odd about bass in MN is the state record is only 8lb 11oz; though catching a straight 8lber isn't all that unheard of. With most fish species in MN your more than likely not going to see a fish anywheres near the state record in your lifetime (I haven't even heard of anyone catching a 40lb channel cat.. nothing bigger than 30.. yet there the state record sits. or for that matter a 70lb flathead, 17 lb walleye, etc...) I'm suprised someone hasn't beaten the state record for bass in all this time. So many "near record fish" Just seems really odd to me.

[JoJo]

Yep Dude it's true. That fellow worked for our company back then. He brought the head in to show people. I wasn't in that day, but a few guys said it brought tears to their eye's knowing that a fish that huge was table fare.

Rumor around here has it that he didn't know it was a Bass until his friend told him.

[Deitz Dittrich]

jojo- I had heard the same thing.. that he thought it was a carp.. Tis a sad story.. but it just makes the state record that much more easy to beat... But then we would loose points in the N-vs-S tournament.. LMAO

[Steve Foss]

Most reports I've heard of 7 lb-plus bass come from central/southern Minnesota. Does anyone thing there's a chance in heck of a Bemidji area lake producing an 8 or 9, or is the growing season just too short and the water just a little too much colder than southern Minn.?

[Deitz Dittrich]

Crawlerman, There was a state record fish caught a few years back.. maybe like 7 years ago.. not exatly sure.. I know it came out of Lake O'Dowd just south of the cities...A Hmong gentleman caught it shore fishing with a spinnerbait. He had the fish half filleted when a friend came over to see him andhad him stop.. From what I understand and maybe some of this is myth, the fish with the skin and all weighed just under 10 lbs.. But since it had been tampered with(half fillet job) it could not be recognised as a state record fish.

As for the inch debate.. my biggest bass came from Leach Lake, was 23 1/3" and on a hand held scale went 7.2lbs. SO? Depending on 24" could easily be 8...Just my opinion!

[Deitz Dittrich]

stfcatfish,

My largest bass came from Leach lake, I lived in the Bemidji area for 6 years and they do get a few bass each year over 7 lbs, not head of any over 8.. the advatage of the bass in the Bemidji area is they are unpressured, very few anglres fishing for them up there. I do think that their growing season is a tad short, but you never know... I know I caught more 5 lb fish up there than I do in the Metro.

[Steve Foss]

Exudedude:

You're teasing us! You told everything except how big your biggest bass was.

[Deitz Dittrich]

stfcatfish,

I did, just up the thread a little further... It was early fall on Leech, fish was somewhat thin, 23 1/3" long and went 7.2 lbs on a hand held Normark scale...

I have caught bass over 5 bls on a lot of lakes up North in the bemidji area...

Grant
Deer
Beltrami
Turtle
Turtleriver
Stump
Moose
Movil
Spring(wink wink Good luck finding that one)
Bemidji
Plantaganet

All have good numbers of great bass in them!

[Sheephead]

I live about 5 miles from where the state record largemouth was caught(Tetonka) and I've heard the same story about that Hmung guy, only it was caught on a small lake around here, was said to be new state record but as the story goes, he ate it!
Just wondering if we're hearing a story that gets told about that little lake just down the road! I think a lot of people are always hoping that hawg is right around the corner. Most of the time just urban legend, unfortunatly.

[Deitz Dittrich]

Sheepshead,

No-I know for a fact that it was caught on O'Dowd. Just not exactly sure on the weight or how the story went. If you ever get a chance to fish the lake, its a flippers dream.. plenty of pads and fallen timber. Landing is not great and only like 10 places to park.

[Steve Foss]

Dude:

That's a lot of fish over 5 pounds for northern Minnesota, and it tells me you've done a lot of bassing. My four over 5 all came from Beltrami, where we have the cabin.

So, catching that many bass considered big for Minnesota, notice any patterns on lures you used, conditions they were caught under, similar locations, etc?

[Steve Foss]

Deleted duplicate post.

[This message has been edited by stfcatfish (edited 10-16-2002).]

[Deitz Dittrich]

Stfcatfish,

Beltrami was one of my favorite lakes, not so much for size but for numbers. My best place for big fish on Beltrami was the rock hump just ourside the small bay in the middle of the lake on the south side. Jig and pig or Carolina rig worked best. I would say in the Bemidji area, Slop seemed to produce the most big fish for me. Getinto a lake and find the worst jungle you could find, push your boat up in it and start casting. Either drop a heavy jig threw it, or a skum frog over the top.

Like I had mentioned in a previus post, I used to manage Kobilka's Sporting goods and was in charge of writing the fishing reports for the bemidji papers, I also did radio brodcasts, so needless to say I knew from guides and what not when the fish were going on a spacific lake. The best fishing I ever had in the Bemidji area was on Deer Lake, north east of Bemidji, I caught 17 bass over 3 lbs in 20 mins... Ther was a front comming in, fishing trip of a life time. All on a buzzbait!

For a good monster bass, check out the slop bay of Big Lake... best of luck!

[Guest]

I had a guy show me a picture of what he said was a 25" Bass that he caught off his dock. He was kneeling and holding the fish in front of his grandaughter, I have to say that judging the picture I beleive him and I'm not an easy guy to convience. I asked him if he knew that he had let the next state record go, he said the fish was so amazing he had to let it go. So I know for a fact that state record bass are swimming in the Bemidji area. exudedude pegged all the lakes surrounding this one.

[Guest]

I too lived in Bemidji while I went to school up there, and I also took advantage of the bass fishing while I was there. If you like fishing slop, there is no better place to go. Exudedude listed most of the better lakes, but there are more and some that probably never have been fished for bass (including my me!!). So many lakes, so many bass, so little time. Also, the years I was up there fishing bass, I never saw anyone else fish bass except for on Leech(funny story about bass fishing, I should tell it sometime).

I am pretty sure that with the mild winters we have been having, the growing season has increased the last couple years throughout the state, that is why we are seeing more bigger fish being caught. I also think it won't be long before there is a new state record, so keep casting, you may be the lucky one (although it would be a tough choice, keep it and get the record, or let it go and let it get bigger and live out the rest of it's life...NAW, not a hard choice, let it live.) Tight lines everyone!

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Adam Johnson
www.adamjohnsonfishing.com

[Crawlerman]

Let it go and don't tell anyone.. or don't mention the body of water you caught it on "oh.. somewheres in the metro area.." is a better idea. (not anyone on here but..) a lot of people will overfish a small body of water if they hear there is a "state record" swimming in there; and why wouldn't they? Heck.. a pond in my area that was a former "DNR Walleye stock pond" was fished out of everything but fingerlings and bullheads; all the Walleyes and even sunnies were taken out of there and there wasn't 2 feet between anglers on the Ice! Crazy! This is unless of course you catch it out of the River or a BIG lake like Minnetonka or Mille Lacs. They are big enough that it won't increase fishing pressure significantly from what it allready is. But anywhere in the metro.. you sometimes have to be careful on what you tell people; espically if it's a record or near record fish!

[Steve Foss]

Exude:

Been fishing Beltrami since Dad bought the cabin in 1983. Been shopping at Kobilka's (Xen's North Country before) the whole time. Probably saw you there a time or two.

Spot you mentioned is one of my prime's, too. Caught one of my 5-pluses there, and have had great luck over the years.

There's a guy in the area now who has a mobile marine service (he comes to your boat) who said he was fishing Beltrami at walleye/pike opener, using big suckers under a bobber in the really shallow northeast corner of the lake, and caught two bass, one 7 lb and one 7.25. He's a straight up guy, and I've no doubt bass can get to 7 lb in northern minnesota, and also in a really good bass lake like Beltrami.

Still . . . that's a couple really big fish. Think it's possible? I've heard a lot of fish stories in my day (told a few, too), but I've got a fairly well tuned bull*** detector after 10 years as a reporter/editor, and he's a straight-up guy anyway. Sounded like he really believed the weights, anyway . . .

[DTro]

Yeah, about that o'dowd fish. The guy that caught it is a close personal friend of mine. The real story is that he caught this thing, and didn't think twice about eating it, as he heard that walleye was very tasty. While cleaning it, he was approached by none other that Al Linder, who happened to be filming a muskie show on the small metro lake. He said that is a very large bass, could be a record. This guy takes what is left, head and a couple of flaps, throws it in the freezer, and forgets about it for a week. He then remembers what this guy in the fancy boat told him and he locates a rusty old rapala spring scale, hooks up the entrails....and the thing pulls at 10 lb 12 oz!
I live near o'dowds and fish it quite often. Every person I talk to there has their own version of the story, and I just wanted to set the record straight.

[Guest]

The reason why "the filleted state record bass" story is so widely known is that the Star Trib did an article on it. You can bet they verified the story as much as possible. I remember reading the article. From the measurements the fish had it was estimated to be over 10lbs. I beleive it was caught out of O'Dowd. I would not say that this fish story is only that.