CARLSBAD, Calif. — “Chaos has broken out.”
Well, what do you expect when you notify the media that you boated a potential world-record bass? That was the story at the home of Mac Weakley, who early Monday caught a largemouth on tiny Dixon Lake in southern California that he and his long-time fishing partner, Jed Dickerson, weighed out at 25.1 pounds on a hand-held digital scale. If that weight stands up it would shatter what is considered to be the granddaddy of angling records — the 22¼-pound largemouth bass taken in 1932 at Georgia’s Montgomery Lake by George Washington Perry. “I feel good, awesome, in fact,” said Weakley, 32, of Carlsbad, Calif, who used a white jig with a skirt and rattle on 15-pound line to boat the brute. “I’m just stoked to see a fish that big.” Claimed by many to be a mark that could never be eclipsed, the largemouth-bass record has become the thing of legends. It’s the Joe DiMaggio 56-game hitting streak of the angling world. “It’s simply because there are people who are out there who didn’t think a bass can grow to more that 22.25 pounds,” said James Hall, editor of Bassmaster magazine. “It’s because of how elusive the record has been for so many years.” Fortunately for the naysayers, the fish was documented by two anglers with impressive resumes — Weakley and Dickerson each already are officially recognized for boating top-15 bass of all-time at Dixon Lake — and they claim to have witnesses, photo evidence of the catch and video documentation of Monday’s behemoth on the scale. “There is no smoke and mirrors,” Hall said. Dickerson believes the 25.1-pounder is the exact same fish that vaulted him to the No. 4 spot on The Bassmaster Top 25 list when he caught her May 31, 2003, at Dixon Lake — a 70-acre impoundment in San Diego County. He knows this because she has the same distinguishing black dot under her right gill plate. Back then she weighed 21.7 pounds.
You can read the rest here (thanks to a reader for the link).
Is Dixon lake a cooling pond for a nuclear power plant by any chance?
So do you eat it or mount it?
Holy Crap, indeed!
That’s not a bass, it’s a grouper. You sure he didn’t import that from the Gulf of Mexico?
Although, being California and all, it wouldn’t surprise me if the fisherman had read Mark Twain’s “Jumping Frog” story and filled this fish’ gullet with a pound or two of birdshot when no one was looking. Just to tip the scales.
Does look a bit distended, no?
Heres a thought folks. That lake has always produced BIG BASS. The normal bait for them is a replica plastic trout, 10″ long or longer. There was a 30 min outdoor program on fishing that lake and what it takes to catch a monster like that. Yes, you throw him back. I do replica bass and have a copy of the 21 lb Georgia bass, and its so big people dont believe it. Of course the offer to the lost nomad of a video on how to catch fish is still on the table, since we havent seen any photos of his “fish”. And not any fish from the market place.
jerkbait,
True, no fish yet this year, but if you really want to see pics of some of the fish I’ve caught, you can check right here .
Jerkbait, how much do you charge for the replicas?
Thanks,
Rob
He picked up that bass after I threw it on the bank while carp fishing.
He picked up that bass after I threw it on the bank while carp fishing.
ROFLMAO!!!
Costs for a replica bass, 21 Lb georgia record, $150 s&h is $35 extra, no international shipping, stateside only. Hey Lost Nomad, I looked at the photos, whos the bald guy?? Maybe cover it up when fishing and you’ll catch bigger fish??? With that reflection in the water it confuses the fish. Well, anyway, great site. Keep up the good work, NOT………….