State Record Largemouth Sitings

[ricqik]

Have anyone seen a Largemouth(s) that you know would've have easily broken the MN state record while you were fishing?

I can't stop thinking about a largemouth I saw while fishing this past early summer.
I've seen my share of MN trophy largemouth's but none this big.

Here how it happened.
It was the 2 weeks into bass season when this sitng occured. I've already spent half the day on the lake and caught a good share of the bass. I decide to it was time to move over into the next adjoining lake. I turning up the speed on my trolling motor to "5" and was steadily cruising along towards the channel when all of the sudden I spotted some fish 20' towards shore in 2' of water. I quickly turned the troller 180 and come to a stop within seconds and then shut off. I waited until my small wake subside and realized it was a really good size bass along with a couple of smaller ones. I quickly cast right onto the shore and worked my lure into the water. The big bass still suspended there motionless with her pectorals fanning back and forth. As my lure got to within 5' the smaller bass that was right behind big bass quickly swam up to my lure and stopped. The smaller bass stared at it in a slightly curled position. I twitch and he would too and while maintaining that "ooh what is that" position. The smaller bass inches towards my lure and I twitch once more and he gulped it. I set the hook and quickly I reel him in and threw him in my boat. I recast it to shore again and work it to within 5' again. I slowly inched closer and closer to her. Once within 2' of this big bass, she started to back up. I stopped imediately until she calms down. She stops about 2' back from her original spot. I twitch it whil inching it towards her. She again backs up some more and I stop. After about 20 seconds or so I reel in and recast. Again when I get my lure close enough she backs up. I reel in and switch to live bait. I snapped on a bead size sinker and a plain hook with a fathead and cast it 10' past her. I worked it to within 5' and stopped. This time she responds and curves her body like she going to stike. With the fathead wiggling around she eases closer and closer. My heart starts pounding as she gets closer. She slowly reaches the bait, stops. All of the sudden she lost interest and just suspends there fanning her pectoral while the fathead wiggled about against her jaw then onto the top of her nose. She backs up some and turns around and slowly swims away. I reel in quickly and follow her slowly trying to stay parallel with her. She moves closer towards me as she swims and I move our some to keep a distance. She reaches some thicker weeds and I can barely see her. She stay real close to the bottom until the weeds got too thick. I finally lost sight of her and took a big sigh. I turn around to measure the smaller bass I caught that was with her and he came out at 18.5" and approximately 4 pounds + or - 2 ounces. This little bass was 2/3 her length and half her height. I quickly guess her length to be around 24"-25" and easily 9 pounds. Something like this I can never forget nor would anyone else. I continued to stay around the area for another hour in hopes of her popping back out. An hour passed by quick. I say to myself to stay another 15 minutes. Each time the minutes are up I extend it another 15 and another and another. The sun starts to disappear over the horizon till I can no longer see. I ended up having repeats in my dreams for 2 nights. Someday I'll see another one.

[Guest]

I have a friend whom I believe is credible who said he had a Smallmouth on last Spring on Mille Lacs that would have gone over 8lbs easy and he thought it was a for sure state record. It jumped and spit his bait. This guy has caught a lot of big smallies on ML and said he had a great view of the fish and has never seen any compare with the size of this one he lost.

Though I doubt it was a state record, the Largest Bass I have ever seen was on Sylvia/Twin. I was out fishing for walleye's at night. I also would stop fishing and cruise around looking at all the fish with a spot light, in the clear water it is amazing all the fish you get to see. The bass were spawning full bore out in front of my families cabin on down to the end of the the closest point. When I got down along the point and it's drop off I spotted a big female. My guess would be 23-24 inches and full of Eggs. It actually swam along with me as I moved down the point and I got a real good look at times it was only 5or6 feet away. My guess is that is high six maybe seven pounds. I fished that point like crazy the rest of the year and went "shining" many nights but never saw her again. Usually a big bass on a point lived there and could almost definitly be caught there at night. Not that one. It moved somewhere else.

[Chev_trucks501]

Hey Guys,

I actually think I have caught a state record Largemouth but being the rock head I am I released it. I was ice fishing for the first time on a central MN lake about 5 years ago. I was jigging in about 20+ feet of water with a buck shot spoon and minnow attached. Since I really didn't know how to ice fish I was just screwing around and I dropped my spoon to the bottom and reeledit up a foot and just started jiggin like mad. Like I said this was the first time I had been ice fishing and I really didn't know what I was doing. All of the sudden my pole just doubles over but there was no real strike. Just like a snaged a log or something on the bottom. So I start reeling up and there was no fight at all. When I got it close to the hole the thing took off. But still didn't fight a whole lot. Anyways got it to the hole again and pulled it out and WOW it was a largemouth! I measured it and had my friend confirm that I wasn't dreaming. 24.5" and the darn thing looked like a football! It was absolutely huge. Well I didn't have a scale or a camera and didn't know the exact rules on keeping bass in late february so I let it go. Only to find out later that lots of people tell me it could have been a state record! I have been back to that lake many times in my boat in search of it but no monster bass. Well there is my brush with luck. Hey how long do Bass live anyways? I would imagine if this lake produced one trophy bass it could produce more?

Well thanks
Chev

[Bobb-o]

Is it legal to keep a fish out of season if it is possible it is a state record? my thought would be no. Also what if the body of water you were fishing on had a catch and release only tag on, the reason I ask is that there have got to be some huge smallies and 'eyes swimming around in the mississippi by St. Paul but it is catch and release only.

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"I may not agree with what you have to say, but I will defend to the death your right to say it"

[Steve Foss]

Size of the fish doesn't matter. If it's catch-and-release only or out of season, you must return the fish to the water as soon as possible. I don't have the regs in front of me so can't quote their wording, but that is the message.

Technically, a C.O. having a bad hair day could cite you for keeping the fish out of the water long enough to take a picture and/or measurements, but I've never heard of that happening.

I guess the best a guy could do is get good fast measurements of length and girth to calculate weight from the GxGxL divided by 800 formula, get a graphite replica made and put the measurements and weight estimate on the plaque. Not quite the same as all those bragging rights, etc., I know.

[This message has been edited by stfcatfish (edited 03-13-2003).]