Lake Record LMB at Havasu

[Terry]

The local paper said that Stan Culling of LHC caught a 10.52 on a dropshot/6#. Lake record was a 9-14, I think. John at Angler's weighed it, so it must be true.

Very nice for anywhere, especially Havasu.

I'm on my way over there for a week starting 3/31. Oh yeah!

Terry

[TEAMDEADMONEY]

Thats a big dog for sure....

I've seen a largemouth there that probably went 10 lbs but I could get it to come onto the bed. The male was almost 4 lbs and I caught it but the female stayed about 6-7 feet away and wouldnt commit. It was a donkey so I know they are there.
Also Gerry had about a 10 lber come up after a smaller fish he had hooked only to swim back down into the abiss. He said it was a Donkey as well.
Congrats on that fish Stan....

Pete

[DL]

Got this via email from the Arizona Game and Fish Report:

Here’s an interesting fishing story. Stan Culling, the assistant manager at the Bill Williams River National Wildlife Refuge, was fishing for smallmouth bass near the London Bridge at Lake Havasu using 6-pound-test and a Robo worm on the evening of March 21. He hooked into an 11-pound, 24-inch-long largemouth bass with a 20-inch girth. It was quite a tussle. Dee Pfleger, our veteran wildlife manager for the Parker Strip area, graciously came out that evening and took a picture Culling’s surprise lunker. As a side note, Dee says fishing along the Parker Strip is on fire for smallmouth and largemouth bass.

In the friggin channel of all places

[Andrew Jackson]

...Great fish. Saw a picture of it in front of Angler's Pro Shop. She aint swimmin anymore.

Same week end a 9.35 was caught in the AC tourney on Saturday and one of the AC anglers fished Sunday and caught 9+. Incredible...

[B Becker]

what do you mean, "she aint swimmin anymore"???? did he keep it???? I hope not!!!!

[Ray L.]

I also heard she is not swimming in the Lake anymore....

[Oldschool]

Lake records are always interesting as they seem to change from time to time. 1955 I caught a 11 lb bass off the Roads End camp dock that was considered the lake record for a long time. I guess everyone has forgotten about that bass.
Tom

[Terry]

Hey Old,

Got a picture? I'd love to see it. Lake records are sometimes lost or forgotten. I don't know who is the Official Keeper of the Record, but a little documentation would dispel doubt and get your props back.

Terry

[smittyfish]

Shouldn't the manager of a wildlife refuge know the importance of catch and release. I hope the fish got injured and couldn't be released, otherwise it would be a bit disappointing.

Either way it is a very nice fish..........congrats Mr. Culling.

[Gerryjig]

Thats a big dog for sure....

I've seen a largemouth there that probably went 10 lbs but I could get it to come onto the bed. The male was almost 4 lbs and I caught it but the female stayed about 6-7 feet away and wouldnt commit. It was a donkey so I know they are there.
Also Gerry had about a 10 lber come up after a smaller fish he had hooked only to swim back down into the abiss. He said it was a Donkey as well.
Congrats on that fish Stan....

Pete

yep, had a tailspin fish on (2lber) with what I first thought was a big striper trying to eat it.....then I got a good look at it for 10 or 15 seconds.....TOAD largemouth! just cruising with it below the boat, DB saw it too. Went to the same spot tourney day after dreaming of catching it in the tourney!....no such luck though. They are definately in there and they probably eat baby smallies, stripers and carp! Nice Havasu LM!

[Oldschool]

Hey Old,

Got a picture? I'd love to see it. Lake records are sometimes lost or forgotten. I don't know who is the Official Keeper of the Record, but a little documentation would dispel doubt and get your props back.

Terry

Terry, the way old record validations work; after submitting photo's and news paper/magazine clipping or what have you, the old record stays hidden and the new record gets an *modern record. Been through this before. The 11 lbs Havasu bass was caught on a waterdog that the dock man gave me to play with. I was 12 years old and on Easter vacation with my family. The bass wasn't my personal best at that time, I had caught a 12 1/4 lb bass that same year from the Hansen Dam area (Livingston rock quarry). The old man at the marina was very excited with the bass and he had a picture taken with me holding bass standing next to me. The man sent the picture into Sports Afield magazine. The bass turned out to be a stare record for Arizona at the time, although it was caught on the California side and a lake record for Havasu. Sports Afield editor; Jason Lucas awarded me a Langley bait casting reel and certificate. The documentation is available somewhere, it's just not worth the effort to me to have an astrix listed with the modern record.
I went through this a few years ago with Big Bear lake when they listed the lake record at 6.75 lbs. I lived at Big Bear for years during the summer months and had caught several 8 lb bass. My mentor; Jerry (Red) Cowan held the record at 9 lbs 1 oz. I had won the Big Bear Sportsmens Club annaul derby in 1963 with a 8 lb bass and sent the local Grizzly newspaper clipping, with the article, requesting that they correct their records to add Reds 9 lb 1 oz bass, noted in the article as the lake record. Today the modern Big Bear record stands somewhere around 7 lbs.
It can be very diffcult in the era of C & R to validate record bass, becuase certified scales are rarely available and transporting a big bass usually results in stress that can kill the fish. My advice is to anyone who thinks they have a record bass is to focus on the validation process; certified weight, witness and good photos. Today photos are easier, certified weights are still a problem.
Thank you for your reply and appreciate the concern.
Tom

[Ringer]

After reading all the controversy over record fish that are released I would kill it too. Kind of hard to call a man a liar if the fish is laying on the scale.

[cLanderman]

ooooo.... those are some fightin' words.

Though you can argue that your record won't be beat by somebody catching the same fish anytime soon.

Then again, I have a lot of hatred for people fishing beds during the spawn season anyway. What can you do though when tournaments are held during the height of the season.

[Oldschool]

Not to start a controversy over C & R, because I believe it is a good practice and went to a lot of trouble 40 years ago arguing it's benefits. I once was kicked in the butt and knocked off the end of a dock while resusitating a big bass by an irrate fisherman. Needless to say, I was very angry. I have also gotten onto the anti live bait band wagon a few times.
The truth is big bass are very susceptable to livewell stress and over 50% of these bass held in a livewell for several hours without oxygen generators and water temperature controls, do not survive the experience. The problem is over handling, keeping the bass out of water longer than 1 minute at a time. The bass goes into shock form lack of DO and water over 70 degrees, no matter how carefully you try to prevent the stress. If the bass is a potential world record, it's old and more than likely will not survive the handling, put it on ice...it's too valuable to be wasted.
I released a 19.3 lb bass back in 1994, only to learn afterwards that the scale was 2 lbs off, the bass may have been 21.3, because they forgot to rezero the scale after removing a tray. All I have is a faded Polariod photo, and was in too much of a hurry to get the bass back in the water.
Tom

[Ringer]

I believe in C&R and have only killed one bass intentionally and it is 11.4# and on my wall. I talked to G&F during a habitat project and the biologist told me that the largest females were way beyond their reproductive prime. Said he would rather see people kill big bass than the 4-6 pounders. Of course he was not worried about the fun of catching it again just reproduction.

[Oldschool]

Getting way off track on this thread.
The Havasu bass should be a northern strain LMB, unless someone stocked FLMB into the lake. 10 lb northern strain LMB were fairly common in Mead during the late 50's to early 60's and occasionally a 10 lb bass would show up at Mojave. Havasu however didn't produce many 10 lb bass, so that is what makes any bass at Havasu over 10 very special.
Tom

[B Becker]

Go easy Chris, don't be a "hater" the article said "in the evening", so I don't think he was sight fishing.....good luck in the spring if you can't sight fish or don't like it I understand the stress factors and such, just a shame that the poor girl can't live to fight another day....and I am pretty sure it wasn't a Florida strain.....nice fish anyway, can't wait to see some photos

Ringer, I'm so glad I met you at Pleasant, it is good to put a name with a face....you crack me up!!! I need to get you one of those shirts from Bass Pro Shops that says "there is a place for all God's creatures; right next to the meat and potatos" or I guess on your wall in this case!!

[cLanderman]

Not hating....more or less just frustrated. Watched a few @@@holes in a jon boat throwing small bed fish on ice this week.

[Terry]

Tom,

That's the thing. If these are NLMB we're taliking about, then they are absolutely huge. I know AZGFD planted FLMB down by Yuma/Martinez many years ago, but don't remember any at Havasu. Could be wrong though. I may take the time to count lateral line scales next week when I'm there (assuming I catch anything).

Your 1955 fish wasn't a FLMB for sure. None on west coast until 1959, as the story goes.

Terry