The IGFA only has line classes up to 20 lb for largemouth bass, so Kurita had no chance at a line class record as well. The announcement came after six months of deliberation by the IGFA. Again, more correspondence was issued to the JGFA to request that Kurita take a polygraph test. Some anglers did come close, however. This largemouth bass caught in Japan officially ties a 77-year-old world record. Weekend Links with Jon Marthaler: David Kahn's exit and a big day for classic sports, Gophers to offer scholarship to DeLaSalle's Evan Williams, Sykora assigned to Houston Aeros, soon to be free agent. Here's a look by ZIP code, It's all in the stars: An outdoors frontier goes front and center, Twin Cities (virtual) Marathoners share their DIY race-day results, DNR cuts walleye bag limit for Upper Red Lake, Firearms, bows, trail cams: DNR auction of confiscated gear begins, Good weather boosts outlook for Minnesota pheasant hunters. That fish undoubtedly helped to spawn a billion dollar industry that today makes up a significant part of the sport of recreational fishing. Schratwieser said the closest came in 1991, when Robert Crupi caught a 22 lb bass in Lake Dixon, California USA, that still reigns as the 16 lb line class record and the third heaviest approved bass record in IGFA history. In the end, the IGFA staff concluded it would be both in the best interest of the IGFA and that of Kurita if he submitted to a polygraph analysis. Kurosaki coerced the fish to bite a custom tied minnow fly, and skillfully played the fish for five minutes before he landed what would become the men's 8-pound tippet class record. The largemouth bass (Micropterus salmoides), was caught from Lake Biwa which is an ancient reservoir northeast of Kyoto. Kurita, 32, of Aichi, Japan, was fishing Biwa that July day using a Deps Sidewinder rod and a Shimano Antares DC7LV reel loaded with 25 lb Toray line when he pitched his bait, a live bluegill, next to a bridge piling. In response, the IGFA immediately corresponded with the JGFA to speak with the angler about this issue and to gather information regarding the legality of fishing where Kurita caught his bass. The Best Cabela’s Cyber Monday Deals: Bargains Before the Holiday, The Best Bass Pro Black Friday Deals: Holiday Bargains on Hunting, Fishing, and Camping Gear, The Best GoPro Black Friday Bargains: Online Deals on the Camera Gear You Love, Fishing Close to Home During the Pandemic. In addition, because bass are not native and are stocked in Japan, many speculated that the big bass was a sterile triploid. On December 15, Kurita was examined by a professional polygraph analyst in Japan. For over 77 years the record stood as bass fanatics theorized when and where the record would be broken. 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. Technically, Manabu Kurita's 22-pound, 4.97-ounce largemouth bass from Japan's Lake Biwa is now tied with a bass nearly 1 ounce lighter caught more than 77 years ago in rural Georgia. All rights reserved. The International Game Fish Association announced today that the 22-pound plus largemouth bass caught in Japan last July ties the IGFA All-Tackle World Record. The bass world is abuzz again with reports of a new world-record largemouth bass. Snow? Until Kurita’s tie the seven heaviest bass records behind Perry’s came from California lakes. The bass measured 29 inches in length. Kurita was quoted as saying “I knew it was big, but I didn’t know it was that big.”. The International Game Fish Association today rocked the bass fishing world by announcing a new world record — or co-world record — caught by … “Hopefully, people now understand the amount of due diligence the IGFA conducted on this record. Freshwater fishing’s “Holy … In North America the largemouth bass, and especially the All-Tackle record, is considered by millions of anglers as the “holy grail” of freshwater fish because of its popularity and the longevity of Perry’s record. Keep an eye on this page for the latest news on this breaking story, which we'll post in the links below: Many products featured on this site were editorially chosen. “Little did people know that introduced bass grew big in places besides California, and that there are true monsters swimming on the other side of the world in Japan.”. Online bidding has started on everything from firearms to bows to trail cams – even a 13-point shoulder mount -- confiscated out in the field by Minnesota conservation officers. Schratwieser said, “The moment Kurita weighed his fish, word spread like wildfire. It soon became clear to the IGFA staff that this would be a contentious issue no matter if the record were approved or rejected. 1, a reported 22-pound, 5-ounce giant, has been caught on the other side of the planet by Depps Tackle Co. pro-staffer Manabu Kurita, form Lake Biwa in the Shiga Prefecture of Japan. Due diligence pays off, “Six months may seem like a lot of time to determine if a fish ties a record,” said Schratwieser. But this time the news is not from southern California, where Mac Weakley famously foul-hooked the 25-pound, 1-ounce Dixon Lake behemoth in 2006 and where, it's been widely assumed, the record was bound to come from. This bass weighs one ounce more than the existing world record. That 22 lb 4 oz behemoth won Field and Stream Magazine’s big fish contest and 46 years later, when the IGFA took over freshwater records from Field and Stream, it became the All-Tackle record now one of over 1,100 fresh and saltwater species the IGFA monitors. IGFA All-Tackle records are now free for viewing by the public at igfa.org. Five rivers to try. It was not considered a new record because of problems with … If this fish's reported weight holds up, Kurita's 29.4-inch giant is 1 ounce heavier than George Perry's 77-year-old, 22-pound, 4-ounce record.