You've felt the thrill of pulling in what you consider a "big hog," but that still doesn't come quite close to what one angler experienced across the globe catching today's current world record for the biggest largemouth bass. In fact, all the bass I've conquered combined probably wouldn't even add up to the world record bass caught by Manabu Kurita in Lake Biwa, Japan. Technically, Kurita's bass was one ounce larger than the previous world record largemouth bass, which was caught by George Perry in Montgomery Lake in Georgia back in 1932. However, since Kurita's bass wasn't two ounces heavier, it's officially considered a tie.
Still, look at this thing.
For those of us in the United States who don't speak metric, that hog weighed about 22.4 pounds and was about 29 inches long. It equates to 10.12 kg, and Perry's record fish was 10.09 kilograms. Close, but not enough of a gap to prevent the tie, says the IGFA. Now, I don't speak Japanese, but I think I can probably guess what they are so excited about. That is, quite simply, the biggest bass you can lay eyes on.
These are by far the most popular game fish in America, and the next world record largemouth bass could very well come from Florida, California, Texas, or another location where freshwater fishery management has led to big, big bass. But bass anglers looking to enter the record books can't exactly rule out Japan.
