# Whats the biggest



## 10lbsorbust (Feb 16, 2014)

I was having a conversation with a fellow angler the other day and we were talking about big bass in Ohio. Sadly, I feel like we are far behind in comparison to other states as far as management for largemouth, and other then the state record and an occasional story about big fish, there really is not a top 10 lets say big bass in the state kind "log" we will say that keeps track of giants caught. So I was wondering, what is the largest bass you have heard, or seen caught in Ohio? I know there have been 10lbers caught, but has anyone heard of an 11lber or even a 12lber? Makes me wonder if the state record will ever be touched as I myself have never heard of an 11 or 12.


----------



## Marshall (Apr 11, 2004)

I agree that the state does not put much effort into bass for our inland fisheries. The story i hear is that the reproduce naturally so nothing is done. Stocking fish probably is not the answer. I think habitat is the answer. I can tell you this. Every lake in the south i have fished has numerous fish structure habitats throughout their lakes. You see stake beds everywhere. A stake bed is just that. At low water conditions they drive a bunch of stakes into the ground. They do this at different water levels. This provides fish a place to hang out in areas lacking good cover. It also makes for a good place for fry and panfish to hang around too. Most of our lakes are silted heavilly in the upper ends and in coves. Habitat structure like the stake beds in these areas would provide more usable space for the fish to live. Just look at our lakes during winter drawdowns. You will see how barren certain areas are. 
I have not heard of any 11 or 12 lb bass either. The biggest i have seen was a pretty legit 10 lber from ohio power ponds. Our seasons are shorter than in the south. You dont have to drive but 6 hours south to see a difference in the seasons. Longer falls and quicker springs may be the difference. As for forage, our lakes seem to have plenty of shad. Our lakes are small compared to many lakes in other states that produce big bass. But here in ohio its our small lakes and ponds that produce most of our trophies. The small waters of our lakes could make the fish more pressured and smarter. Its no suprise if you fish a lake or pond that is not fished much that you catch bigger bass. 
Based on seeing many tournament weighins over the last 20 years its evident the lakes which have the bigger fish. They all have some big fish but you still do not see many 6 or 7 lb bass weighed in. You see occasional 5's and lots of 3 and 4 lbers caught. Most weighed in are up to 3 lbs with the bulk being 1.5 to 2 lbs. With that said it is real difficult to bring even 5 fish at 3 lbs a piece to weighin in inland lakes. There are a few exceptions but they are few. Time of the year makes a difference too. In the spring you will see bigger fish. 
My guess if a new state record is caught, it will be from private waters or AEP. I don't see it happening from a local public reservoir.


----------



## 10lbsorbust (Feb 16, 2014)

Man its like pulling teeth in this place to get any kind of conversation going! Thanks for the reply though Marshall. I really don't want this thread to be a "where will the next state record come from" thread, more just people talking on what the biggest bass they have caught (not a personal best thread either), seen, or heard of. It just seems like anything over 8lbs is like a unicorn in Ohio. I really wish there was a list for the top ten biggest bass caught in Ohio, it would be interesting to me to see the gap between the top and the number 10 fish on the list.


----------



## Fisherman 3234 (Sep 8, 2008)

Biggest I've heard caught was a 10 +lber caught by Solomon Curtis from one of the AEP rec ponds. He has said he has lost bigger fish there before... I agree with Marshall on the next record being caught from private or AEP waters. Some potential bodies of water that produce big fish that may come close are Clearfork, Burr Oak, Forked Run, and don't forget Lake Erie. Most of the mega bass you see down south and from California are a Florida Strain bass, the ones up here are a northern strain...


----------



## NCbassattack (May 5, 2014)

Guess I can throw my two cents worth in, even though all of my best largemouth came from NC or SC. ( My best smallie came from Erie, 5 pounds, on the Buffalo, NY side).
In many of our waters in the south, it is true that stake beds are added, mainly as cover for newly hatched fry.
That being said, it's not a common thing in NC. Many of our lakes have substantial shoreline vegetation, such as canary grass, primrose, and hydrilla, which offer ample protection, not to mention ambush points for adult bass.
And while it is a fact that Florida strain bass have been stocked in many southern lakes, it's mainly in lakes of the deep south and California, as mentioned above. The record 22 pound four ounce bass came from Georgia, and was almost certainly a Florida strain.
But there are few if any Florida strain bass here in NC, and every year many bass over thirteen pounds are taken in the state, a few over fourteen, and there was a 15 pound fish taken in 2009 from Lake Jordan. I believe it's our longer growing season more than anything else as to why southern largemouth grow bigger.
NC biologists last year shocked up a 16 pound eight ounce fish from my home reservoir here in High Point!
That fish was certainly a northern strain fish.
The Florida strain fish stocked in most of the deep south were stocked to augment, not replace, the naturally occurring bass found there, and there's little doubt they hybridized with the local bass. Florida strain bass also have to be continually stocked, as the northern strain genes will begin to dominate again if the stockings occur north of the Gulf coast states. States with Floridas are California, Texas, Arkansas, Louisiana, Alabama, Tennessee, Arizona, Georgia. There have been sporadic stockings in other southern states, but the stockings didn't take hold.
I firmly believe Ohio has some potential 10 pound plus fish prowling your waters, you just gotta get out there and find 'em!


----------



## EB1221 (May 24, 2012)

Several years ago (when it was still open) I helped a young guy carry 2 big ones from Evans lake. Largest was just over 7lbs. Would have been heavier but it spit up a 7" bluegill on the way to the car. Springtime and he was fishing a jig and pig. That was the biggest I have seen. My personal best was just over 5lbs from the now drained Liberty lake.
EB


----------



## NCbassattack (May 5, 2014)

Spring is a great time to get the big girls. Just a few weeks before the spawn, late February here, March for you guys.


----------



## NCbassattack (May 5, 2014)

From what I've read this morning, the Florida bass is now regarded as a separate species from the largemouth. And, while there used to be just a spotted bass, there are now several look alike but separate species!
Here is a chart showing records from all 50 states. Notice how some northern bass are nearly as big as their southern cousins, as in the 15 plus Massachusetts fish.
http://r.search.yahoo.com/_ylt=A0LE...es-pics//RK=0/RS=Jkl2CD15M0cC54Q6f6RCrTVHoyI-


----------



## 10lbsorbust (Feb 16, 2014)

EB1221 said:


> Several years ago (when it was still open) I helped a young guy carry 2 big ones from Evans lake. Largest was just over 7lbs. Would have been heavier but it spit up a 7" bluegill on the way to the car. Springtime and he was fishing a jig and pig. That was the biggest I have seen. My personal best was just over 5lbs from the now drained Liberty lake.
> EB



Information like this is what I am talking about, the biggest I have seen caught in person was an 8lber in Ohio. Any one else care to share, this is a forum and all, thought more people may chime in or its kind of pointless.


----------



## Roscoe (Jul 22, 2007)

I was fishing with my Grandad in the 1960's when he caught 2 10lb. Bass, both in private lakes in SW Ohio. Caught both on live Bluegills. He kept them and I had to eat fish with bones. He didn't filet them. My largest is 7-3 from Ceasar Creek Lake in SW Ohio.


Roscoe


----------



## NCbassattack (May 5, 2014)

I remember my cousin and I fished a tourney at Shearon Harris lake back in 1999, late February. We finished third out of 123 boats, and weighed in 8 fish (ten fish limit per boat.) Those fish weighed 38 pounds+, with an eight pound ten oz kicker fish I got on a 3/4 oz Fat Free Shad.
To make a long story short, the CBA was paying out three big fish pots, and we figured my big girl would grab one of those. Nope. There was an 11.50, a 10.98, a 10.30. Mine wound up fifth biggest..lol Really a humbling experience, but the third place check made us feel better..lol

Found this video from last spring at the lake. Make you wanna go!
https://video.search.yahoo.com/yhs/...r&sigi=12qcm584e&hspart=mozilla&hsimp=yhs-004


----------



## homepiece (May 11, 2007)

If it is coming from public waters in ohio, more than likely it will come from AEP, but I'm sure that there are some 10s around ohio in other lakes, especially those stocked with trout.. My parents live in logan and he said that his friend that works at old man's cave saw a 10 caught at rose lake(trout stocked lake) there as well. I think I saw pics on here of an 8+lber that was caught from Lake Hope as well. 

My biggest from ohio public water is a 7lb 6oz after spawn AEP bass. I have seen some out there that are easily over 10, and have hooked into and lost a couple of giants. I have caught 8 fish over 5 lbs from that same pond though.

My biggest ohio bass from non public water was from a Columbus area golf course. Didn't have a scale, but it was easily over 9 and may have been close to 10. Both of my hands fit side by side in its mouth and I wear a xl glove.. I wish I had a picture of it. I have caught one 10lber in my life, but that was out of a neighborhood retention pond in florida years ago. My cousin got a 13lber that same day from the same spot on a snoopy pole and a worm.

In my mind, there are some 10s in ohio, but they are old, smart, and live in a lake with an abundant and easy food source and lower fishing pressure. That narrows a lot of water, but in my mind.. there are a more than a few places around here that could hold them. I have been concentrating on AEP for the past couple of years and have seen the tanks that Solomon and his group have posted online as well.


----------



## ducman491 (Oct 31, 2011)

I wonder if we are fishing too small here because the vast majority of the fish are 2lbs. How often do you really tie on one of those KVD XL crankbaits or a 10" worm? Granted there aren't the numbers of 8 plus pounders in our waters compared to southern states but they are there.


----------



## NCbassattack (May 5, 2014)

A lot has to do with the age of the fish. Largemouth bass can live as long as 16 years in some cases, with the females living somewhat longer, and these are the bigger fish. A five pound bass from Ohio is probably at least a year older than one from here in NC, and two years older than one from Georgia.
I don't subscribe to the "bigger bait, bigger bass" theory. I have caught nine pound bass on Zoom Ultravibe Speedcraws, which are 3.5 inches. I have caught 12 inch bass on ten inch worms.
It all depends on what they want at the time. If a bass is hungry, and a bait drops in front of it, it's going to eat that bait, because competition for prey in the wild is fierce, and a meal turned down is a meal lost.


----------



## 10lbsorbust (Feb 16, 2014)

No one else?


----------



## DHower08 (Nov 20, 2015)

My pb is 8 4 from a private pond also caught a few 7s from the same place. Public large mouth is a pile of 5s and my pb ohio smallie is just over 5. A 10+ in ohio sure would make me smile big


----------



## Bassin' Fool (Jul 29, 2010)

Rumor is Luna Lake (private) in the Clinton/Canal Fulton area in NE Ohio has some giants. I've personally seen pictures of a 9 lber and 8 lber from a resident who lives on the lake


----------



## Fishing Flyer (May 31, 2006)

Largest Ohio bass I caught went 23.5", followed by a 22.5" bass a few minutes later at AEP, during a float tube tournament. There are pictures in my album on here I think. Another guy on that same evening but on a different lake caught a 23.5 and a 24.5. The 24.5 was an absolute slob with a huge gut that I would have guessed ran in the 8 to 9 lb range. I watched the same guy land another 24.5 inch bass down there, and it too was just huge. I've caught some pretty big bass at Caesars Creek as well. Longest measured 22.5", and after I bought a scale I measured a 6 lb bass. If I remember over the weekend I'll try and find the pictures for all of the fish I mentioned.


----------



## GrandRiverBassman (Mar 26, 2016)

I have caught several 22-24 inch bass in the 7# range fishing from shore. All from smaller ponds, two public and two private in northeast Ohio in just a couple feet of water. Also several 5lb smallies in the lake and rivers during the spawn. 

After all this talk about AEP, I'm thinking of a trip this spring. I've heard the water there is ultra clear and fishing from shore is difficult. Is a float a must have for AEP or is it wadeable?


----------



## Shortdrift (Apr 5, 2004)

The longest bass I caught was a 25" largemouth From a private lake in Medina County 50 years ago. Didn't have a scale and never lifted her out of the water as she was loaded with eggs.

My heaviest was a 7#-4oz smallie caught off Sherrod Park in Erie 14 years ago. Had a scale I could trust but no camera. To be honest, I caught her in May while jigging a VibE and thought I had a monster wallwye on. She never jumped and I didn't see her until I finally raised her up out of 16fow under the boat. I was initially disappointed that i didn't have that MONSTER Walleye but then changed my mind aoce I saw the weight.


----------



## NCbassattack (May 5, 2014)

Shortdrift said:


> The longest bass I caught was a 25" largemouth From a private lake in Medina County 50 years ago. Didn't have a scale and never lifted her out of the water as she was loaded with eggs.
> 
> My heaviest was a 7#-4oz smallie caught off Sherrod Park in Erie 14 years ago. Had a scale I could trust but no camera. To be honest, I caught her in May while jigging a VibE and thought I had a monster wallwye on. She never jumped and I didn't see her until I finally raised her up out of 16fow under the boat. I was initially disappointed that i didn't have that MONSTER Walleye but then changed my mind aoce I saw the weight.


A seven pound smallie is the stuff of dreams Ron. Awesome!


----------



## laynhardwood (Dec 27, 2009)

NCbassattack said:


> A seven pound smallie is the stuff of dreams Ron. Awesome!


Erie is smallmouth heaven. My 7 came from same area in April just after Ice out. May is even better


----------



## NCbassattack (May 5, 2014)

I fished Erie from the Buffalo side with my brother in law. (wife's from there)
We caught fish about all day, most between 1-3 pounds, with a couple of 4's thrown in.
My best smallie came from the New River, near Mouth of Wilson on the NC /VA state line. It was around 4.9 pounds, but my brother got a six pounder that same day.
Him, his son, my son and I caught 125 smallmouth that day. Most were 12-14 inches, but it was a blast.


----------



## All Eyes (Jul 28, 2004)

The 2 biggest bass I've seen both came out of the old AEP strip lakes off the beaten trail. Not sure of exact weight but neither of them were pushing 10 lbs. Maybe closer to 8.


----------



## GrandRiverBassman (Mar 26, 2016)

All the talk of ticks down there turned me off to it. When do tucks typically emerge down there?


----------



## Fishing Flyer (May 31, 2006)

There are ticks but they've never been a huge problem for us. I check constantly, and if I'm not hiking in waders I usually just wear bug spray to keep them off. If you're going totally off trail down there then you're lost in my opinion. Stay on the trails to have less brush ups with the grass. I would say they probably become worse in May than earlier.


----------



## homepiece (May 11, 2007)

If you are going to be bushwhacking around and fishing from shore at AEP I could see it as being a major concern if you didn't have waders or high boots on. But I fish from a kayak and put on bug spray once it gets warm.


----------



## GrandRiverBassman (Mar 26, 2016)

Purchasing a kayak is in my near future plans so I'll wait on AEP and hammer smallies in the lake and her tribs. The talk of a ten lb bass in Ohio had me excited but I can't do ticks.


----------



## sherman51 (Apr 12, 2011)

that 25 incher must have been an awesome catch. my largest was a 23 incher caught about 50+ yrs ago. I was fishing for small bluegill for bait with about an 8' or 9' line tied to a 6" stick I held in my hand. I was dropping the small hook and small piece of worm around the edges of the lily pads when she took my bait. it was a tussle but I brought her in. didn't have any scales back then.
sherman


----------



## fishhogg (Apr 16, 2009)

The biggest thing to keep in mind here, is you are talking about the northern strain of largemouth bass. A big northern bass is 5lbs...anything bigger is truly a giant fish, and probably very old. You really need to have the Florida strain if you want the big fish, and they don't handle this climate very well. I have seen a few big largies come from the bays of lake Erie, and the main lake as well. They catch them up there up to 6lbs and better. Most of my fishing is done on lake Erie for those toothy fish, but I love to take a day now and then and go for the brownies, especially early spring. Now that is what I am talking about.


----------



## NCbassattack (May 5, 2014)

Actually, most big bass from southern states are the northern strain. It's all about the longer growing season down here. Florida bass have been stocked in other states, but with the exception of California, the Florida gene pool gets overwhelmed by the local northern strains.
Northern strain bass have the potential to reach 16 pounds and more in southern waters, as far north as Virginia. Florida bass are native to Florida and southern Georgia. Scientists now say the Florida bass is a different species entirely, no longer lumped together with the largemouth.


----------



## snagless-1 (Oct 26, 2014)

My best lmb came from Ladue, caught from shore just as a game warden was checking my fishing license.He was as excited as I was, and said forget the license land that fish. I had no scale ,the bass was just shy of 24 inches,he estimated the weight to be about 7-7.5 pounds.I think Ohio needs a bass season like P.A.or New York,let them spawn,we do not hunt deer all year when they have little ones.


----------



## TankerYanker (Jul 9, 2014)

My biggest largemouth came from salt fork... just under 6lbs on a crankbait. I've also seen a 7.13lb largemouth get weighed in at the Tuesday evening Tappan tournaments a few summers ago.


----------



## BuckeyeFishin07 (Apr 10, 2017)

My largest was one last summer just under 7 pounds from one of the ponds on the AEP lands. I caught her in late August so I can only imagine what she would weigh during pre spawn.


----------

