FROM BASSMASTER WEBSITE:
Seventy-seven years and counting. That's how long George Perry has sat atop the record books in the largemouth bass category, but he may be sharing his
perch if a recently caught Japanese bass is as big as has been reported.
The story comes out of Lake Biwa in the Shiga Prefecture of Japan. The bass reportedly weighs 10.12 kilograms or a little less than 22 pounds, 5 ounces and measured 73.5 centimeters (nearly 29 inches). No girth measurements are available at this time.
Manabu Kurita is reportedly the fortunate angler. He is sponsored by Deps, a Japanese fishing tackle manufacturer. If his catch holds up, it would be the biggest legally caught certified largemouth in history (Perry's fish weighed 22-4) ... and a tie with Perry's catch as the International Game Fish Association's all-tackle world record.
A tie? That's right. According to IGFA regulations for record fish weighing less than 25 pounds (such as all of the black bass subspecies), the replacement (record applicant) must weigh at least two ounces more than the existing record. The Japanese fish that is subject of such interest and inquiry today outweighs Perry's fish by less than an ounce.
"A catch which matches the weight of an existing record or exceeds the weight by less than the amount required to defeat the record will be considered a tie," according to the IGFA.
Lake Biwa is the largest lake in Japan, covering some 259 square miles, and is said to be one of the oldest lakes in the world. It is surrounded by mountains and renowned for its beauty and deep (more than 300 feet), crystal clear waters.
Biwa and its bass population have been in the news in recent years as Japanese officials work to ban and eliminate invasive (nonnative) species from the lake. In fact, the Lake Biwa Museum restaurant offers black bass as a menu item.
The previous Japanese bass record weighed 19.15 pounds and was caught by Kazuya Shimada from Lake Ikehara on April 22, 2003 on a swimbait.
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