I wrote a lengthy blog post on George Perry's 22 lb 4-ounce fish. Through my research I wound up crossing paths with Bill Baab, the worlds foremost expert on Perry. I believe it to be the most extensive critical review of the record out there. Some never before evidence around the timing of the catch is also introduced. I'm no Hemingway, but I hope you enjoy the read! Let me know your thoughts, any new skeptics?

(By the way clicks/views are not monetized on the site. I'd post the whole thing here, but it's rather long and the pictures would be out of place.)

The Greatest Whopper Ever Told

www.lunkerlore.com

Outstanding research and editorial, Josh. You've made a non-believer out of me.

Excellent article.

Of note, the second heaviest bass ever caught in Georgia was 18lbs 1 oz Lake Margery 1987
The third heaviest from Georgia 17lbs 14oz Lake Cobb County 1965

Josh - Well written article. I prefer to think of George's catch as more of a legend that provides all of us diehard bass fisherman with the fuel for dreams of catching the next world record every night before a day on the water. I will always believe the catch was legit because I want to believe the story. I have grandsons who are eager to learn the joy of bass fishing and although I am still active in tournament fishing and can't wait to get on the after every chance I get, my dream is for my daughter, son or grandkids to catch the next world record. But I'll be just as happy if they too dream of beating George's record.

The conclusions you reach are likely accurate. I spent a career as a Detective and I know that one cannot dispute the overwhelming facts you present. But I want...no I need to believe that I can catch a fish on my next cast that will beat George's record.

Thanks for the story.

Just looking at the picture above, how many of you would hold your PB, not to mention a possible lake, state or world record, the way he's holding over water? I would have both hands, a stringer, and a net around that sucker. I probably wouldn't even put him the livewell worrying he may slip out through the drain.

Count me as a non-believer.

Something seems fishy

Thanks for the feedback gents. Basser1OH, I agree with your sentiment. Big fish dreaming is half the fun!

when the legend is better than the truth............print the legend

Interesting read. I agree with Fouz.

Very well written Mr. Alwine. Thanks for sharing another great piece of work.

Donald

I also wrote the record keeping house, IGFA and asked about Perry's fish. Their response to me was, "We have limited information on that file." I feel like at a minimum the fish deserves an asterisks. Of course this has no real impact on me personally, but I do feel slightly bad for the guys who have spent sizable chunks of their lives chasing after the record. If you've read Sowbelly you know there are quite a few who fall into that bucket.

Good read thanks for sharing

Great read!

Nice read man!!
Interesting to me is the weight- as it turns out that weight is about the very maximum weight a bass can achieve even with bass all over the world and that number has been an incredible carrot for all giant bass chasing. So the legend becomes so ingrained that it is accepted as truth and the weight remains tied for the record. It's just one of those mystical things I guess.

I've noodled the same thing over quite a bit Doc. It's one of the reasons I think it's likely Perry actually did catch a big fish. If he caught an upper teen it would have been easy to stretch the truth just a bit and arrive at the numbers he did.

There's very old reports of fish in the mid 20's from the late 1800's. Of course those can't be verified either. Dottie's weight at 25 lbs, was 12% heavier than Manabu's bass. What are the odds she's the biggest bass that ever swam?

True!
I need a time machine- I have always dreamed about going back in time to the late 1800's and trying some giant bass sight fishing in Florida-(with current boat and equipment of course!).

I've read several times that no photo was taken and that particular photo has been debunked multiple times on the internet. I vaguely remember threads on TFF that linked articles about that photo.

It's always seemed to me to be too far ahead in weight to what's been caught in that state.

Very good review of the entire story. The only thing that makes me want to believe is the picture with the child next to the fish. To consider all the other "evidence" that Perry, relatives, and writers from the 20th century present there are way to many things that don't add up. I remember years ago it was found that several world record fish in the books for years were debunked. Think it was Smallmouth and Walleye and maybe one more.

Sounds like Georgia has the same motto as Texas:

Never let the truth get in the way of a good story!!!

Most of the freshwater records set prior to about 1980 are highly suspect. The story around the top couple Musky rivals Perry's story in terms of twists and turns. I've spent more time than I care to admit researching that record as well!

Yeah I'm kinda skeptical of many of the records, largemouth stories, etc.
If you are a hard core record chaser that is something to keep in mind. It's like trying to catch the pot of gold at the end of the rainbow. I guess the Biwa record is pretty solid and factual so that is about the same size as the Perry story fish and guys can generally shoot for that number with some sense of an objective goal. Dottie to me is a strange story as well but that's just me. Until somebody brings in a fish bigger than the Biwa one (that sadly will probably need to be kept, xrayed, dissected, etc), then in my mind Biwa fish is the legit record. The Perry deal will always be a mythical tale for the ages, and even if true only ties the Biwa fish.
The weight of a really big bass can change significantly as well, like what they just ate for example. It's almost like some other measurements would be more objective, but we focus on weight.

Since meticulous records and modern methods of measurement were not kept or available at the turn of the 20th century and before its difficult to know exactly how accurate the folklore is surrounding record fish catches were. I'm also not sure how accurate statistical comparisons to todays standards would even apply since environmental conditions, forage and habitat have changed so much since then. It's just a guess but I'm thinking mother nature had a much better handle on stewarding her environment back then than what she has now making conditions much more favorable for growth and numbers than what they are today.

I'm no tree hugger by any means, but it seems pretty evident that the population explosion, encroachment into natural habitats, industrialization and generalized pressure on the natural environment have had a profound negative impact on the natural environment. It seems reasonable that if there ever was a time for the habituation of monster sized bass it would have been way back then much in the same way bull elephants, rhino's and sharks did, to name a few. I see no logical reason why bass cant suffer the same decline that other species have over the course of time and loss of habitat.

Great read Josh. Well written and full of great details. I believe Mr. Perry indeed caught a very large bass but that it was mis-measured (probably with a cloth tailor's tape, up & over the body) and that the scales were most likely off by a good bit when he weighed her. Sadly we may never know the facts.

I will admit the pic of the man holding the fish with the little boy got me pretty excited. That fish is a legitimate giant. Could it be Mr. Perry's fish? We may never know, but the fish in that picture is a Monster and I think could very well be a fish in the 20 pound class.

As for me I believe Dottie is the true world record bass. The guys pursued the fish for years and were honest & upfront about foul-hooking her when they brought her in. That took a lot of character in my opinion. They could have just as easily never mentioned they foul hooked her and Jed Dickerson's name would have been attached to the world record bass.

The Biwa bass was indeed a giant and appears to be legit but IMO Jed Dickerson holds the world record with Dottie.

What a great read. I had never even thought to look into the history of the work record. Very well composed article

It's easy to question a catch during the great depression by an 8th grade educated farmer sharing a rod while rowing a wooden boat. June 1932 Bass fishing was not the business it is today. Catch and release was not popular, fishing was eating and George was searching for food. The Field and Stream contest did offer a prize for the winning fish. during my college years every paper written was tied to Bass fishing including George Perry's catch. Integrity, trust, honesty weren't discussed as today. Integrity, trust, honesty were a way of life.

I agree, the Perry bass should have been wiped from the slate since there was never any real proof.

The good news is here in Texas we have two very legit records, one being the one over 18 on live bait, and the artificial bait record Ethel. No question about those!
No mythical stories, or foul hooked hand held scale weights.

Another odd happening in the story of the world record is the lure. Ever since I can remember the Creek Chub Wiggle Fish was referred to as the lure that Perry used to catch the world record. Just looked at a Field and Stream article on collectibles and in the interview with Terry Drace in 1973 Perry himself states that the lure was a Creek Chub Fintal Shiner. Field and Stream calls it a big misprint.

Awesome read...

"Fake news"

I don't think the fished weighed over 20 myself. But, that's me.

I've often wondered how many 20 lb. plus bass have died from natural causes in Lake Fork and I truly believe there were/are 20 lb. bass in the lake. Like the 18 lb'er that was caught crappie fishing, these huge fish never come to shallow water and have never seen an artificial lure. They feed on crappie, bar fish and probably now on small sand bass. I think the chances are good that a new state record is munching on a crappie at this very moment.

I would not be surprised if you are correct. Manabu's bass was caught near a bridge piling. I would not be surprised if there was a behemoth that suspended during the day and the moved up on the 515 bridge pilings each night to feast on crappie.

Very good read. I'm now a non-believer in the current world record.

"When the legend becomes truth, print the legend." I love this line!

Interesting article. I am not convinced that the record is wrong but I'm not convinced that it's right either. The article brings up a lot of interesting facts but the overall theme is that many "facts" are assumed. Record keeping was certainly not what it is today, the lack of photographs is easy to explain (I personally think that the "bass" being held next to the young boy is actually some type of grouper or seabass.) and weights/measurements are questionable.

The most compelling argument in my mind is the how similar Perry's fish is to other "records" of the time. HW Ross purportedly caught a 23 pound 2 oz bass sometime between 1870 and 1889. The head of this fish was sent to Forest and Stream's headquarters (later bought by Field & Stream) in New York and the dimensions were documented. George Johnston Nicholls submitted a bass to Field & Stream in 1926 that weighed 24 pounds and was caught in Alabama. Finally, Fritz Joseph Friebel caught a 20 pound 2 oz bass in 1923 in Florida.

Here are reports of 4 fish that weigh within 4 pounds of each other, spread out over 62 years, caught by 4 men with no relation and in 3 states that all happen to border each other. Were all of these fish mis-identified, mis-measured or "mis-weighed" (made up my own word)? How can we determine 85-147 years after the fact which, if any, of these fish are legitimate? If we cannot make a determination on these 3, how can there be a firm determination on Perry's fish?

IMHO, I think that the base of the argument is "how likely is it that George Perry caught a 22 pound bass?" For that question, my answer is "How likely is it that anyone catches a 22 pound bass?" What was the probability of this fish being caught? What was the probability of Jed Dickerson catching Dottie? What is the probability that I will catch a 20 pound bass?

It's kind of a fun story to think about. Some days I'll think of things that convince me that Perry's record is legit. Other times I convince myself that it's not for various reasons. BUT, I don't think anyone will ever know for sure.

The fact that Perry's purported weight happens to be close to the max size of LMB does not create a compelling argument in my mind that it's real. Had Perry claimed a larger number, say 32 lbs, his fish would have been dismissed outright and we may have never even heard about it. Similar fates have awaited scores of other outlandish giant bass claims over the past hundred years. Without any real evidence we can't know whether Perry's claim has merit or he just happened to guess a top end weight better than the rest. At least that's how I look at that aspect of the story. As I mention in the article, my best guess is that Perry did in fact catch a big fish, maybe even in the upper teens, then intentionally or otherwise, he erroneously arrived at the weight that he did.