The Smallmouth Bass is, as of right now the most controversial world record in fresh water! There’s rumour of a potential “world record” that was recently taken from the Madawaska River in Ontario.
Now I personally am not sure as to how accurate the story is. What I mean is newspapers and or news media in general can and do screw stories in their own direction. Fishermen can also rip the hell out of the truth as we all know. What I do know for sure is that there is no way that a 22” smallmouth bass can weigh in at 12+ pounds and if for some fluke it did, the girth would be so tremendous that the fish would look like a freak. The picture of Steven Grails fish does not indicate a fish with a girth larger than it’s length although someone claims in the article that it had a 24” girth or was that an 18” girth… I’m confused. I believe the 18 from the picture in the paper. The paper also says that the current world record is 10lb 14oz but in fact the IGFA has put the former 11/15 back in its rightful position. So has the paper done its homework thoroughly? Who knows.
The story behind the current world record is also a beauty. In 1955, David Hayes caught a giant Smallmouth Bass out of Dale Hollow Reservoir in Tennessee. 40 years later the record was disputed and taken away from David because someone claimed to have tampered with the fish by stuffing 3 pounds of sinkers & motor parts into the fish and then closing off the throat with a treble hook. If you want to read the full story, then click here. It actually gets quite confusing with all of the people involved but the outcome is great. It could almost be a short film.
So it seems the Smallmouth Bass is the front runner in the world of fish controversy which really surprises me since the Largemouth is the real star of the Bass world. If someone breaks the Smallie record, it will come with a small reward compared to the Largemouth. The next angler to beat 22-4 will have it made… if they’re smart!
As for Steven Grail’s fish, nothing personal Steve but in my opinion your fish ain’t even close!
