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Possible record-tying bass may be invalid
2:00 a.m. July 31, 2009
That potential world-record-tying largemouth bass caught in Japan earlier this month might have some problems getting certified by the International Game Fish Association.
It may have been caught in an area closed to fishing.
Jason Schratwieser, conservation director for the IGFA, said the Japanese Game Fish Association has the record application. Schratwieser said he hasn't had a chance to see it.
However, word out of Japan is that the bass may have been caught in an off-limits part of Lake Biwa, one of the world's most ancient lakes, located in Shiga Prefecture in Japan.
Manabu Kurita, a pro staffer representing Deps Tackle Co., in Japan, reportedly caught a 22-pound, 5-ounce bass that would tie the current IGFA all-tackle world-record bass of 22 pounds, 4 ounces caught by George W. Perry on June 2, 1932. (Association regulations state that a bass must weigh 2 ounces more than Perry's to break the record.)
The bass measured 29.4 inches long, but girth measurements were not given. It reportedly was weighed on a certified scale. Kurita used a bluegill, according to reports.
If Kurita caught the bass in a restricted area, it would not qualify as a world-record bass, according to Schratwieser.
“I've heard rumors, and we're going to inquire about it,” Schratwieser said. “It's in the rules. You can't fish there for a record.”
– ED ZIERALSKI
2:00 a.m. July 31, 2009
That potential world-record-tying largemouth bass caught in Japan earlier this month might have some problems getting certified by the International Game Fish Association.
It may have been caught in an area closed to fishing.
Jason Schratwieser, conservation director for the IGFA, said the Japanese Game Fish Association has the record application. Schratwieser said he hasn't had a chance to see it.
However, word out of Japan is that the bass may have been caught in an off-limits part of Lake Biwa, one of the world's most ancient lakes, located in Shiga Prefecture in Japan.
Manabu Kurita, a pro staffer representing Deps Tackle Co., in Japan, reportedly caught a 22-pound, 5-ounce bass that would tie the current IGFA all-tackle world-record bass of 22 pounds, 4 ounces caught by George W. Perry on June 2, 1932. (Association regulations state that a bass must weigh 2 ounces more than Perry's to break the record.)
The bass measured 29.4 inches long, but girth measurements were not given. It reportedly was weighed on a certified scale. Kurita used a bluegill, according to reports.
If Kurita caught the bass in a restricted area, it would not qualify as a world-record bass, according to Schratwieser.
“I've heard rumors, and we're going to inquire about it,” Schratwieser said. “It's in the rules. You can't fish there for a record.”
– ED ZIERALSKI