# The story behind Ohio's record LM Bass?



## olfishy

All I seem to be able to find is the guy's name, that it was caught in a farm pond in 1976, and of course it's length & weight (13.13lbs!). 

I don't need to know what pond it was caught in, but am curious what county it was in and how big was the pond?

Can anyone add more details to the story???


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## Bad Bub

columbiana county. that's all the more i know.


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## Salmonid

I also heard it was a large private gravel pit that had a year round population of stocked Rainbow Trout, providing a lot of high protein easy to slide right down food, I heard that from the DNR, he also told me that once the record happened, the owneres and a lot of locals basicaly fished it to death thinking there was a bigger one in there and then the fishery collapsed there within a few years.

Salmonid


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## saugeyesam

DO any of you guys think that record will ever fall?


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## timmyv

I don't think that record will be be broken in my life time and I'm 34. I just don't think it's possible. Just my opinion.


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## flippin fool

i really think it could be broke in my life time. with catch and release and all the trout stockings they have all kinds of chances to get huge.


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## bassman.330

East township, Carroll County. When the record was broken the pond was owned by Donahaven tree farm, the land is now the boy scout camp.


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## FISHIN216

I heard on Outdoors Ohio that he ate it


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## spfldbassguy

It'd be nice to see it broken,for the simple fact that bass here in Ohio usually don't get that huge.I mean a 13lb largemouth,that's a HAWG & to beat it would mean another hawg was caught.I do believe it'll be broken eventually,like they say "records are made to be broken".


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## Tokugawa

I think if you farmed it properly, you can do it...but what fun is that?

I don't think it will be broken out of public waters. A private pond might hold on if it is big enough with the right forage.


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## Buzzin

The records from 1976 and probally wont be broken in my lifetime! I always thought of this Idea of farming a small pond with one or two bass and feeding like crasy but wouldnt the genetics have just as much to do with it being able to grow that large as well as the amount of forage available? A while back reading a fishing article a state record was caught and kept so that the dnr could get as many breedings or off spring they could because the fish was considered a pure florida strain? Im gonna look and see if it was one posted on here or from a magazine. I know genetics play a huge role in both human life as well as animals.


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## fallen513

I think it is silly to think it won't be broken. I've personally caught 8 lb fish fairly consistently (1 every year or every other year, including new ponds I'm fishing) ... I feel these fish are in their elder years...but also, do not have the forage necessary to reach those goliath extra 5 lbs. 

How much bigger can they get? I think a 15 lb bucketmouth can come out of OH waters for sure. It's going to take the perfect recipe of forage, competition & temperature.... but if they can consistently get to 10 lbs in prime habitat... surely another 5 lbs is obtainable. 

My .02.


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## GETTIN' THERE

Don't think you will ever see it broken. Too much fishing pressure...sure most people will release the smaller fish that are caught, but most 8lbs to 10lbs
will find there way to the taxidermist. The only way it would have a possibility
is a private pond that is managed specifically for it.


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## AbuGarciaFan

i definitely think it can be broken. actually it could have been already broken and we dont know cause. just think about those people with private ponds that dont record what they catch or even care to break the record


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## buckzye11

I think it will be broken. if you go to the mcdonalds in carollton there is a replica of the record fish(at least used to be) i cant imagine ever landing a bass like that with my med action, and 8 lb line!. but i think one of the southern ohio quarries will produce the record breaker. i know there are some public lakes that have ten lbers in them.... maybe the electro shock guy could back me up. or its just fish stories


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## Predator225

I seem to recall a guy on here a few years ago who regularly posted in the catfish forum. He seemed like he was not a bs'er at all, caught and released big fish (with pics), and claimed he caught a bass that broke the record in a cast net while catching shad. He had a scale with him and weighed the fish, then released it. He would not reveal the name of the lake but for some reason i also remember deducing from what little info he gave that it was lake logan where this happened (it was a public lake).I am not sure whether he posted it in the S.E. forums or in the catfish forum, he went by the handle 'Catmazter' i believe. I will try and find it later, after i get back from cattin, of course!


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## fallen513

I've got faith it'll be broken. There are some huge fish caught all the time that nobody even knows about that are 10+ in Ohio. The difference between 10 & 13 is a few gulps of shad!


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## SeanStone

Buzzin said:


> I always thought of this Idea of farming a small pond with one or two bass and feeding like crasy.


I once fished a pond a little over half an acre that was used as a water source for livestock. It was stocked with a few sunfish, (green,hybrid,and redear) and a couple bass and a few crappie. It usually doesn't get fished much because all of the bass and crappie were thought to be dead, so all that was caught were sunfish. A friend and I were fishing this pond and i caught a 2 pound 3 ounce crappie and a 4 pound bass. Although a 4 pound bass isn't that impressive, a 2 pound crappie is pretty nice. So i believe under certain conditions a state record could be raised in a pond with few predators.


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## Tokugawa

fallen513 said:


> I've got faith it'll be broken. There are some huge fish caught all the time that nobody even knows about that are 10+ in Ohio. The difference between 10 & 13 is a few gulps of shad!


Nice fish!

LMB have a conversion rate of 7:1. So, the difference between a 10lb and a 13lb fish is 21 lbs of forage. Because they grow slower and are less active than smaller fish, it could take a while for the big fish to consume 21 lbs of prey. Because they are females, your best bet to get one in her largest size is to get her in spring.


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## NewbreedFishing

I dont think it will be broken. I believe the life cycle of a northern bass is too short. That 13lber had beatin the odds. Besides there are no such secret holes like that anymore. Bassin is on the same level now as deer hunting in terms of trophy stalkers, one slip of the lip and your spot will more then likely be exploited (public or private)


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## squid_1

I believe that those 2 large ponds in the Wilds that you can see from Rt 284 right before International Rd could hold some that could challenge it. Its been quite a few years ago but when you could fish it I know that 7+ lb fish was common place.


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## spfldbassguy

It'd be foolish to think that there isn't a record breaker swimming in Ohios' waters right now at this time.You have to figure that there's a fish or two(maybe more depending on the size of the pond/lake)that's beaten the odds.I firmly believe that the record will be broken at some point in time.It'll happen it's just a matter of where & when.


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## jcustunner24

fallen513 said:


> I think it is silly to think it won't be broken.


Agreed. To think there won't ever be another fish caught that size seems irrational to me.


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## Scum_Frog

I'm 25...it'll happen in my lifetime...more than likely by me....AHHHH I wish lol but I seriously think ti will happen.....yes fishing in ohio is pretty heavy and yes the conditions have to be perfect....but I have personally seen with witnesses bass in public waters that have pushed 10lbs for quite a few years now in the same body of water....Its going to happen.....n maybe within the next few years one might get caught thats an 11 or 12 pounder.....but that'll just prove even more that fish are out there at competitive size.....and I think the 8lb line medium action rod will need to be changed lol.....Congrats to the guy/gal in the future who catches the new Beast!!!


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## ur_averagejoe4

spfldbassguy said:


> It'd be foolish to think that there isn't a record breaker swimming in Ohios' waters right now at this time.You have to figure that there's a fish or two(maybe more depending on the size of the pond/lake)that's beaten the odds.I firmly believe that the record will be broken at some point in time.It'll happen it's just a matter of where & when.


I would almost bet that there might be one in the gravel pit over by the fairgrounds. I could tell you after a weekend if we were allowed to fish there, and show you the pic after I caught it.


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## CrappieTacos

As much as I hope the record does get broken, I really dont think it will. Here are the records in some states that I would consider to have similar growing seasons and forage populations. As you can see a fish of that size comes along only so often:

Illinois 13 lbs 1 oz caught in 1976
Indiana 14 lbs 12 oz. 1991
Kentucky 13 lbs 10 oz. 1984
Pennsylvania 11 lbs 3 oz. 1983
Iowa 10 lbs 14 oz. 1984
West Virginia 9 lbs 9 oz. 2001
NY 11 lbs 4 oz. 1987
Michigan 11 lbs 15 oz. 1959

I know there are 10-lb bass in Ohio, but a 13+ pound bass is a huge step up from 10. As someone said before, a 10-lb bass usually ends up hanging on someone's wall. Anyway, good luck.


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## Pro Angler

I have a friend hand feeding a lmb in his pond....its over 10 now.....wait til spring..he feeds it 6"-8" blue gil 3 -5 a day....no kidding...watched it...


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## BassPro822

Thats a big fish but I feel it will be broken, You have to think about all the people right now grown fish in ponds trying to beat that record. I think its wrong to do but hey what can you do about it. The record should stand for a fish caught in public waters


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## spfldbassguy

BassPro822 said:


> Thats a big fish but I feel it will be broken, You have to think about all the people right now grown fish in ponds trying to beat that record. I think its wrong to do but hey what can you do about it. The record should stand for a fish caught in public waters


 Yeah it's kinda like cheating in a sense because they can feed them as much as they can handle. It should be a public water record,that way everyone has a chance at breaking it. Yeah there's nothing anyone can do to stop people from trying to grow a record breaker in their private ponds and I still think it'd cheapen the record a little bit.


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## flathunter

several years ago while throwing my castnet in Ross LAKE near chillicothe for shad. I caught a largemouth in my castnet that would have broken the state record...I released the fish after I weighed it, if I remember right it weight 13-lbs 8 ounces...This was appx 3 years ago.


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## CrappieTacos

flathunter said:


> several years ago while throwing my castnet in Ross LAKE near chillicothe for shad. I caught a largemouth in my castnet that would have broken the state record...I released the fish after I weighed it, if I remember right it weight 13-lbs 8 ounces...This was appx 3 years ago.


How long do bass generally live in Ohio, how old was that fish at the time and is it still alive now? Like I said, I know there are huge LM out there, but they got that big for a reason and once they achieve such size, they are likely near the end of their life.


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## Tokugawa

spfldbassguy said:


> Yeah it's kinda like cheating in a sense because they can feed them as much as they can handle. It should be a public water record,that way everyone has a chance at breaking it. Yeah there's nothing anyone can do to stop people from trying to grow a record breaker in their private ponds and I still think it'd cheapen the record a little bit.


Or maybe have two records: one as the State Record and other as the State Record out of public waters.


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## spfldbassguy

Tokugawa said:


> Or maybe have two records: one as the State Record and other as the State Record out of public waters.


Now that's an idea to ponder upon. That would be fair in reguards to public and private waters. Still I think it'd be an more upstanding record if it came from public waters but the distinction betwen the two is a good idea.


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## bassattacker

i think it will be broken, could say know it will be broken, it will come from a private farm pond or a gravel pit, i know for a fact that there is some toads in some of ohio's gravel pits, 10+lbers for sure among other possible state record fish, the question becomes how far will you go to chase after that record knowing if you get caught you will be prosecuted to the fullest... and then if you turn the fish in you would have to tell a lie just to get a record...


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## BassPro822

Tokugawa said:


> Or maybe have two records: one as the State Record and other as the State Record out of public waters.




I think that this is great idea It would make it fair for all Ohioans to compete to get this. I dont have the time to hand feed a bass to try and brake the record. Sure I would love to catch a wopper that does it but its like you dont stand a chance unless you hand feed the fish


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## Rybo

I say if the state record is allowed to come from a private pond, then any fish caught within the state boundaries qualifies for state record regardless if the angler was trespassing or not. Shakes it up a bit, doesn't it?

The record is about a fish overcoming the odds of nature for a specific environment, and that is bigger than any man and any rules he can come up with.

Wet a line with a rod anywhere in the state, respect the land and water, replace the fish, be prepared to dodge some deserved bullets, and if that bad boy reads 13.14oz, it's a record.


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## fishingredhawk

In my latest blog entry, I discuss the Ohio state record largemouth.

www.ohiobassblog.com


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## Atwood

The bass was caught just outside of Kensington in Carroll County, right next to the Columbiana County line. It was a small farm pond at that time but it has since been drain and they dug out a much bigger pond for the boyscout camp. No other record found that I heard of and it has a different family of bass living in it now. He didn't eat the fish that I ever heard but I have seen it at Dairy Queen in Carrollton, he displays it there every now and then. I think his sister owns the store or at least she use to. I know some people who look over the land at the camp and they catch some pretty nice gills out of there.


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## Pigsticker

The current state record of almost all species including lm bass is currently swimming around in lake erie. Ohios share of the lake is many times over the water volume in all lakes and ponds combined in the whole state. Imo its simply odds. Also the prevalence of gobies there can really fatten up a bass.


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## Harbor Hunter

Lake Erie for sure could produce a record bass,but not a largemouth.I think there's several world record smallmouth swimming around in there.I'm also of the opinion that any state record fish should have to be taken from public waters,that would certainly discourage cheaters.Back when I worked for the ODNR,some idiot claimed to have caught a state record largemouth from the tiny little lake at Mount Gilead State Park,this bass went a tad over 14lbs. on a certified scale.What this moron didn't figure on was that the fish would be examined,after all,at that time the record for Ohio was 10.10lbs.You would think bringing in one of that size suspicions would be aroused,and they were.Turns out the fish was a Florida strain largemouth,how it ended up in Ohio was anybody's guess.I would assume that it was raised in a local pond and hand fed until it either died,or the guy caught it and weighed it,then decided to "cash in".If you look back at the record book,it took a long time for the 10lb. record to be broken,after that was smashed by the current record,it's been over 30 years now and nothing has been close.I do believe that there are bigger bass swimming around in Ohio than the current record,and I believe that there's as good a chance that they're swimming around in larger public lakes as there is that it's in a private pond.Big bass get to be big bass by not making mistakes.Ever look at some of the cover on a large lake? Big bass very rarely feed during daylight hours,they're more likely to lay up under some log pile,or below an undercut bank during the day,and even at night they don't venture far from their lair to feed.When we used to lay out nets to capture muskies at different lakes to collect their eggs,I was amazed at the size of some of the bass that were in the test nets.Twice we weighed largemouth's that were double-digits,both were from very heavily fished central Ohio public lakes.I know of an old strip mine operation in SE Ohio that few people are aware of,there's only a total of 5 lakes back in there,I've never fished it,but I've done work there in the 70's,and there's some monster bass in there.The owner of the property had caught one and knew we were coming to do some surveys in the area,so he put the fish in an aerated tank that he used to store minnows in so we could see it.I don't remember the ounces,but it was an 11 something.At the time,it definitely would have been a record fish,but for whatever reason,the guy didn't want to register it,he just wanted to release it back into one of the ponds.There was also a bass that had died but was still fresh enough to get an accurate weight that came from a campground lake not far from the ODNR headquarters near Latham.It also surpassed 11lbs.They're out there,but it won't come easy I'm sure,but with the new side imaging,and underwater camera's that many boats are equipped with,I think the record will fall sooner than later.


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## Bazzin05

I used to work for the Hamilton County Park District in the fishing and boating department and I know at Miami Whitewater in Harrison Ohio the electroshock people (I think they were from Miami University) used to do a survey ever few years and they always seemed to shock up some bass in the 8lb, 9lb and 10lb range. That is pretty impressive for a small 88 acre lake with an average depth of less than 10'. They always said that was one of the healthiest lakes that they surveyed in the area. I also know that back in the 90's there were some Florida strain bass stocked in that lake too, so maybe there are still some of those genetics in the gene pool.


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## musikman43155

Based on the size of the fish in the photo, does anyone think the fish was not actually 13#'s? I am very inexperienced when it comes to determining weight based on size, but, it seems maybe 8-9, but, 13#??


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## firstflight111

musikman43155 said:


> Based on the size of the fish in the photo, does anyone think the fish was not actually 13#'s? I am very inexperienced when it comes to determining weight based on size, but, it seems maybe 8-9, but, 13#??


no i dont think it 13 lbs but what do i know... i have only been bassen for 40 years


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