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After 77 years, the most coveted record in bass fishing no longer stands alone.
George Perry's record largemouth bass that weighed 22 pounds, 4 ounces has held the world largemouth bass record since June 2, 1932. On Friday, the International Game Fish Association confirmed that the record is officially tied.
Manabu Kurita of Aichi, Japan, caught the record-tying bass on July 2, 2009, in Lake Biwa, an ancient reservoir northeast of Kyoto, Japan.
Kurita, 32, was using a Deps Sidewinder rod and a Shimano Antares DC7LV reel loaded with 25-pound-test Toray line when he pitched his bait, a live bluegill, next to a bridge piling. It was Kurita's first cast to the piling where he had seen a big bass swimming. He twitched the bait a couple of times before he got bit. After a short, three-minute fight, he had the fish in the boat.
Kurita was quoted as saying "I knew it was big, but I didn't know it was that big."
When measured, the fish had a fork length of 27.2 inches and a girth of 26.7 inches. The IGFA has line classes up to only 20 pounds for largemouth bass, so Kurita had no chance at a line class record as well.
The 70-year-old non-profit fisheries conservation, education and record-keeping body received Kurita's application and documentation on Sept. 19, 2009.
IGFA rules for fish caught outside the U.S. allows anglers 90 days to submit their applications from the date of their catch. The documentation was received through the IGFA's sister association, the Japan Game Fish Association. IGFA conservation director Jason Schratwieser said Kurita's application was meticulously documented with the necessary photos and video.
"The moment Kurita weighed his fish, word spread like wildfire," Schratwieser said. "We knew this would be significant, so we immediately contacted the JGFA for more information. Established in 1979, the JGFA compiles and translates all record applications of fish caught in Japan before forwarding to the IGFA.
"It works out well, because they not only translate applications but can also contact the angler if more documentation is needed," Schratwieser added.
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