OUTDOORS: What site for possible record bass

Fifteen days ago, a Japanese angler named Manabu Kurita set the bass fishing world abuzz with news of a possible record catch. The headlines were practically covered in drool from the excitement, and there was a massive run in cyberspace on exclamation points.

"Angler may have landed record!!"

"Possible new world-record bass?!?!"

"World-record bass reported in Japan!!!!"

Those who follow the chase for the beefiest largemouth of all time have been expecting the record to fall for years, but no one saw this coming. More precisely, no one saw it coming from where it did.

Georgia farmer George Perry hooked a 22-pound, 4-ounce fish in 1932, thus establishing the modern record. For 77 years, bass anglers have debated the validity of the record -- it was the Depression; Perry ate the fish -- and searched the world over for one even larger.

Since the 1970s, the focus has been on a string of tiny bass factories in California -- lakes Dixon, Castaic, Mission Viejo, Miramar and others. Of the top 25 largemouth bass caught, 21 were pulled from California lakes.

That's what made Kurita's catch so shocking: He caught his fish, which is said to weigh less than an ounce more than Perry's, from Lake Biwa in the Shiga Prefecture of Japan.

In an interview with Bassmaster Magazine editor Ken Duke, former Bassmaster Classic champ Denny Brauer, who fished Lake Biwa 20 years ago, had this to say: "I looked at it as a really neat lake. I never ever in my wildest dreams envisioned the potential world record coming out of there.

"Over the years, there's been countless forecasts about where the next world record's going to come from, and I don't remember anyone mentioning Japan. It totally blindsided me when I heard about it."

Duke agreed, saying, "I can't think of anybody who ever put Japan on the map as a serious threat to break the world record."

Kurita's fish reportedly weighed 10.12 kilograms (just under 22 pounds, 5 ounces) and measured 73.5 centimeters (almost 29 inches). He caught it around noon July 2 using live bait. His reel was a Shimano; his rod a Deps model and his line was 25-pound-test fluorocarbon.

Making the catch even more believable for those who might not be easily inclined to accept it, last year Kurita reportedly caught an 18.5-pound largemouth from Lake Biwa on a large swimbait. In other words, neither Kurita, nor the lake, is a stranger to big bass. They may not have been what the bass world was expecting, but they are certainly worthy.

But there is a bit of intrigue associated with the possible-record catch. International Game Fish Association regulations stipulate that for record fish weighing less than 25 pounds, the record applicant must weigh at least 2 ounces more than the existing record. Kurita's fish outweighs Perry's by less than an ounce. That means, despite being a heavier fish, should it be certified, Kurita's bass will share the top spot in the record book with Perry's.

Still, considering how long the record has been around and how many pursue it daily, even a record-tying catch is worth a few exclamation points.

Contact Andy Thompson at