Bass Record Curious

Fishing

It’s either the fish story of the year or one of the biggest hoaxes pulled off, but the tale of a world-record bass continues to pick up steam.

As the story goes, the legend of legends among fishing records was caught and released in California.

The world record for largemouth bass, 22 pounds, 4ounces, caught way back in 1932, supposedly was broken by a 24-pound bass snagged at Spring Lake, a small city lake in Santa Rosa.

The fish was reported caught by Paul Duclos, 32, then released back into the lake after he had tied the fish off, called home and had his wife bring the bathroom scale to weigh it. An adult and two kids witnessed the event.

City officials say that when Spring Lake was drained and refilled with water in 1985, 160 bass from a pure strain of Florida largemouths were planted. That would make those fish 12 years old, when bass usually reach their largest sizes.

The story has picked up enough validity that Outdoor Life is planning a four-page spread, and while there is skepticism over how big the fish actually was, most believe a fish in the 20-pound range was caught and released. That is why the lake has been inundated by fishermen, especially on weekends, and why bass pros have come from as far as Southern California to try to catch the magic bass.