Tournament Angler Catches Possible World Record Spotted Bass in California
OutdoorHub Reporters 02.26.15
A Nevada angler may have gone home with what could be the world’s largest spotted bass after a fishing trip to California’s Bullards Bar Reservoir. Lou Ferrante, a co-angler in the Rayovac FLW Series, caught the massive bass while fishing in a 19-boat tournament on Saturday. According to FLW, the fish was initially weighed at 11.2 pounds, but the tournament had no certified scale available. Instead, Ferrante had to race to a supermarket in Truckee to get an accurate measurement. At 10.95 pounds, Ferrante’s bass could potentially wrestle the title away from the current all-tackle world record, which is listed by the International Game Fish Association (IGFA) as a 10.48-pound bass from the New Melones Reservoir in California.
“I broke off my Senko about two or three casts before the fish bit,” Ferrante said. “I think God told me to pick up the rod with the grub instead of re-tying. It took me about two or three minutes to land it, and I almost fainted when I saw her in the net.”
Currently the title belongs to a fish caught by Keith Bryan, president of Powell Rods. Bryan caught his bass in July 2014, and although he said he was honored by the world record, he also admitted that he had no illusions about how long his record would last.
“As great a spotted bass fishery as the state of California has become, I’m certain that this record will fall again soon,” he said last year. “But, to have held this record for even one day is a dream, and an accomplishment that any angler should be proud of; it is something that I can say for the rest of my life, that I caught a World Record spotted bass. This has truly been a dream come true.”
