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World's Largest Largemouth Bass Caught In Dixon Lake
By Jeremy Henricks
3/21/2006
On
March 20th, 2006, Mac Weakley of Carlsbad, CA, fishing with longtime friends Mike Winn
and Jed Dickerson, seemingly bested the world-record bass of 22-pound, 4-ounce by landing a 25-pound, 1-ounce monster. Caught
from southern California's famed Dixon Lake, there's only one problem with this otherwise great catch...it was foul-hooked.
Using a Bob Sangster handmade white rattlesnake jig on 15-pound P-Line monofilament, Weakley was fishing off the bass'
spawning bed when he unintentionally snagged the fish on the side, about 3 inches behind the dorsal fin. The real catch in
this story is that the International Game Fish Association (IGFA) may or may not recognize the fish.
While state
regulations indicate that a fish must voluntarily take the bait in its mouth, the IGFA only states that "intentionally"
foul-hooking a fish will disqualify a catch. Several witnesses have stated that the fish was not snagged intentionally. However,
another twist in this story is that the fish wasn't weighed on certified scales, which may further complicate matters.
Knowing the rules on foul-hooking, Weakley also tossed the fish back, but not before snapping several photos and videotaping
the fish. For now, it's still questionable as to what the IGFA plans to do, and so far they're not talking, except
to say that they'll review it if submitted.
Of course, all of this depends on whether or not Weakley decides
to pursue the record.
My suggestion–if you're ever around Dixon Lake–is that you grab your pole
and start fishing. You never know, you may be the next angler to catch this monster bass, bringing you instant fame and countless
endorsements. Just remember to properly catch and record your catch according to state regulations and IGFA rules.
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