Posts Tagged ‘Red Flag’

8 Million Dollar Bass Escapes!

As far as her releasing the bass, Javad Trew said there really was no question about it at the time. He said that he and his mother practice catch-and-release exclusively. Spring Lake sits in a regional park, and the Trews were concerned about a park rule against removing “animals, dead or alive,” which they saw posted on a sign. Plus, he said they didn’t even realize that a 22 ½-pound largemouth would qualify for a world record until he looked it up later that night.

However, it turns out that Spring Lake is not a catch-and-release waterway.

“I just found out last week that it’s all right to keep fish from there,” Javad Trew said. “I don’t get all the (fishing) magazines or follow the tournament trails, so I didn’t know if it was a world record; I thought maybe it could be a line-class record. Besides, she’s still pretty proud that she released it. There’s something about catching a big bass like that. You want to release it if it’s healthy.”

The Fishing Hall of Fame, however, isn’t throwing the baby out with the bathwater. They decided, officially, to recognize Trew’s fish – at 22 pounds, 8 ounces – as the 12-pound line class world record for largemouth bass. Also, they are unofficially acknowledging it as an all-tackle record while at the same time maintaining Perry’s 22 pounds, 4 ounces as the official record.

“We made up our minds and that’s what we’re going to do with it,” Dzialo said. 

As of the first week in December, the IGFA was still considering Trew’s record application, which she submitted in late September.

“Obviously, this is a very important record. The largemouth bass is one of the most sought-after records of all,” said Doug Blodgett, records director at the IGFA, adding that close to a thousand records applications for numerous fish species come through the IGFA every year. “As far as the information that I’ve received, there’s nothing stated so far that brings up a red flag. All of the rules of the application were fulfilled. Still, we’re not going to rush into this. We’re not going to make a decision without being 100-percent certain about it.” Read more…