See how your state stacks up against the others when it comes to record setting largemouth bass.
We all would like to have our names etched into stone for catching a record fish. There are some people in this world who go after those monsters day in and day out in hopes of breaking their state records. I don’t know how much skill is really involved to get the one that breaks these records, some of which are decades old; it just seems like a lot of luck and being in the right place at the right time.
Largemouth bass and other species of the bass family can reach more than generous sizes for freshwater fish. The current 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 record had been standing since 1932 when George Perry caught a 22-pound, 4-ounce largemouth from Montgomery Lake in Georgia.
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, 5 oz
Lake Dunn
Paul Crowder
2012
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, 10 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
State
Weight
Location
Angler
Year
Kansas
11 lbs, 12.8 oz
Private Pit Lake
Tyson Hallam
2008
Kentucky
13 lbs, 10.4 oz
Wood Creek Lake
Dale Wilson
1984
Louisiana
15.97 lbs
Caney Lake
Greg Wiggins
1994
Maine
11 lbs, 10 oz
Moose Pond
Rodney Cockrell
1968
Maryland
11 lbs, 2 oz
Private Pond
Rodney Cockrell
1983
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, 12.75 oz
Tetonka Lake
Joseph Johanns
1959
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
8 lbs, 12.8 oz
Noxon Rapids Reservoir
Darin Williams
2009
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, 12.3 oz
Cedar Lake
Benny Williams Jr.
2012
Oregon
11 lbs, 9.6 oz
Private Pond
Randy Spaur
1994
Pennsylvania
11 lbs, 3 oz
Birch Run Reservoir
Donal Shade
1983
Rhode Island
10 lbs, 6 oz
Johnson’s Pond
Brandon Migliore
2016
South Carolina
16 lbs, 2 oz
Lake Marion
P.H. Flanagan
1949
South Dakota
9 lbs, 3 oz
Hudson Gravel Pit
Richard Vierick
1999
Tennessee
15 lbs, 2 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
11 lbs, 9 oz
Banks Lake
Carl Pruitt
1977
West Virginia
9 lbs, 9.9 oz
Dog Run Lake
Eli Gain
2001
Wisconsin
11 lbs, 3 oz
Ripley Lake
N/A
1940
Wyoming
7 lbs, 14 oz
Private Pond
Dustin Shorma
1992
I know one thing, I would love to travel around and try to find some of these private ponds that are producing these record fish. It would be interesting to see if they passed the genetic size traits to some of their fingerlings.
All I can say is, good luck to everyone and may the fish gods shine upon us to possibly land one big enough to attempt to rival or break these records.
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The post How’s This for Motivation? Largemouth Bass Records for All 50 States appeared first on Wide Open Spaces.