texasfishingforum.com logo
Main Menu
Advertisement
Affiliates
Advertisement
Newest Members
TraeMartin, Power-Pole CS, T-Rigger, JoeGoes, EcKo
119150 Registered Users
Top Posters(All Time)
hopalong 120,579
TexDawg 119,518
Bigbob_FTW 94,889
John175☮ 85,892
Pilothawk 83,260
Bob Davis 81,483
Mark Perry 72,289
Derek 🐝 68,312
JDavis7873 67,416
Forum Statistics
Forums59
Topics1,037,842
Posts13,935,392
Members144,150
Most Online39,925
Dec 30th, 2023
Print Thread
Page 6 of 12 1 2 4 5 6 7 8 11 12
Re: Bringing it back: Do you believe there is a state record bass alive in a TX lake? [Re: LeonSulak] #13513858 04/12/20 12:09 AM
Joined: Nov 2006
Posts: 660
N
NTX Angler Offline
Pro Angler
Offline
Pro Angler
N
Joined: Nov 2006
Posts: 660
Sight fishing Fork about 10 years ago I spooked a female and as she came out of the area she wax in went under my boat. Her eyes where the size of golf balls. I just sat down in the boat and my wife said are you ok? I was speechless that fish was every bit of 20lbs+. So my question has always been why has no one caught or reported a catch that big?. If I had not seen this fish I would think there is just not one that big to catch.

Moritz Chevrolet - 9101 Camp Bowie W Blvd, Fort Worth, TX - Monte Coon (817) 696-2003
Re: Bringing it back: Do you believe there is a state record bass alive in a TX lake? [Re: LeonSulak] #13514134 04/12/20 04:13 AM
Joined: Jan 2007
Posts: 10,559
J
Jarrett Latta Offline
TFF Guru
Offline
TFF Guru
J
Joined: Jan 2007
Posts: 10,559
Most guys have never even held a 13lber much less a 16,18, or 20. Its really hard to describe just how big a 20 or an 18 or whatever it weighs in the water. I've personally caught 3 over 13 and I can honestly say I've only ever seen 3 over 13 in water and I don't think any of them were over 14 maybe 1. If you've never caught one, seen one caught or held one a 12+ jumping and thrashing around will make you think it's a 20 especially if you lose it haha

Re: Bringing it back: Do you believe there is a state record bass alive in a TX lake? [Re: Jarrett Latta] #13514153 04/12/20 04:56 AM
Joined: Oct 2003
Posts: 26,650
senko9S Offline
TFF Guru
Offline
TFF Guru
Joined: Oct 2003
Posts: 26,650
very true. ive had my hands on big teen bass from 13-20lbs hundreds of times. they are truly freaks of nature that 99% of anglers will never see out of the water. I agree a lot of the big bass record sightings were probably 11-12 pounders.

Re: Bringing it back: Do you believe there is a state record bass alive in a TX lake? [Re: LeonSulak] #13514177 04/12/20 06:31 AM
Joined: Nov 2006
Posts: 660
N
NTX Angler Offline
Pro Angler
Offline
Pro Angler
N
Joined: Nov 2006
Posts: 660
My personal best is 11.2. Caught several 20lb reds and other species. The fish I saw was twice the size of my 11.2. I mean this thing scared me and I knew the minute I saw her it was special. Over the years I wondered about a fish that big. She is probably so old that might have been her last spawn. If a bass reaches that size she has to be at the end of her life cycle. Which dramatically reduces her chances of being caught.

Re: Bringing it back: Do you believe there is a state record bass alive in a TX lake? [Re: NTX Angler] #13514265 04/12/20 11:59 AM
Joined: Jan 2007
Posts: 10,559
J
Jarrett Latta Offline
TFF Guru
Offline
TFF Guru
J
Joined: Jan 2007
Posts: 10,559
Originally Posted by letsgofishin
My personal best is 11.2. Caught several 20lb reds and other species. The fish I saw was twice the size of my 11.2. I mean this thing scared me and I knew the minute I saw her it was special. Over the years I wondered about a fish that big. She is probably so old that might have been her last spawn. If a bass reaches that size she has to be at the end of her life cycle. Which dramatically reduces her chances of being caught.



Not necessarily, my sharelunker from lake NAC was 27", it looked 15+ in the water since it was a long fish. I caught one over 13 at Kurth that was only 25.5" and looked 8-9 in the water on a deep bed. She ended up being almost 22" girth though. So the fish you saw maybe was just really long, maybe not old. One thing I've noticed is that fish over 13 seem to develop a really wide tail. Almost disproportionate to it's body. If you look at many of the 15+ in the water you'll notice that. The only fish I thought would go 14+ was on Toledo in 2014. Actually saw the tail first and it stood out immediately.

Re: Bringing it back: Do you believe there is a state record bass alive in a TX lake? [Re: LeonSulak] #13514340 04/12/20 01:23 PM
Joined: Jan 2017
Posts: 105
BorNella Offline
Outdoorsman
Offline
Outdoorsman
Joined: Jan 2017
Posts: 105
How many 8ft humans are there? Currently 3 known based on what I can find. I am not comparing people and fish but my point is there is a ceiling for all species regarding size and every now and then you have an abnormality. There may not be any 20lb fish in the state of Texas. Only 2 states have a record over 20 (California 20yrs ago and Georgia almost 90yrs ago). 20lbs is the holy grail of largemouth bass. I am not saying Texas doesn't have one but won't be surprised if one is not caught during my lifetime but I would like to see it happen. [/quote]

Good analogy!

[/quote]


How many 600 pound people are out there. We aren't supposed to weigh that much but it does happen. Height vs weight is apples to oranges [/quote]


I don't know, how many? My comparison had nothing to do with comparing fruit. It was based purely on rare documented occurrences. The fact that there have only been a handful of documented bass 20+ lbs proves the rarity. I don't believe it is not possible just don't have the same optimism of the possibility that's all. [/quote]



I realize you weren't comparing fruit. That is just a common saying that i thought you may have heard before. Your 8 ft analogy works if I was saying a bass could grow to 40 inches.

They can't. But can they get heavy? Obviously they can. Why not in Texas? I'm just saying not a single person on here has any idea what could be living out there.

It is the exception to the rule. Not the general rule itself. I just find it unlikely that there isn't a single fish alive in this state that could break the record.

Last edited by Sambow; 04/12/20 01:35 PM.
Re: Bringing it back: Do you believe there is a state record bass alive in a TX lake? [Re: Jarrett Latta] #13514342 04/12/20 01:24 PM
Joined: Oct 2006
Posts: 13,504
Ken A. Offline
Groovy
Offline
Groovy
Joined: Oct 2006
Posts: 13,504
Originally Posted by Jarrett Latta

Not necessarily, my sharelunker from lake NAC was 27", it looked 15+ in the water since it was a long fish. I caught one over 13 at Kurth that was only 25.5" and looked 8-9 in the water on a deep bed. She ended up being almost 22" girth though. So the fish you saw maybe was just really long, maybe not old. One thing I've noticed is that fish over 13 seem to develop a really wide tail. Almost disproportionate to it's body. If you look at many of the 15+ in the water you'll notice that. The only fish I thought would go 14+ was on Toledo in 2014. Actually saw the tail first and it stood out immediately.


Good point Jarrett. The 15 I caught in Jan 2012 was 27" long. She did not have the huge distended belly like many giant fish you see. However, I could barely get both hands around her tail down at her tail fin.

I guided for years on Fork during the heydays full time and saw a bunch of giants in the spring. Saw a couple I believe to be in the 14-15 class. You are correct about them being much bigger once you get them out of the water. It is very hard to estimate their weight while they're swimming. You can estimate their length but it is very hard to determine how deep their body is when they are in the water.

One of the best sight-fishermen I know is Dr JL and he will tell you stories of landing 11 to 12 pound fish that he saw and thought they were 7 to 9 pounds. He has caught fish up to 14.60 off the bed looking right at them.

He is so humble he would never post a pic of his fish so I will. Here is a 15.50 he got at Camelot Bell in the spring of 2013 (not off a bed). Look at the girth of the fish down at her tail.

[Linked Image]



Re: Bringing it back: Do you believe there is a state record bass alive in a TX lake? [Re: LeonSulak] #13514412 04/12/20 02:15 PM
Joined: Nov 2006
Posts: 660
N
NTX Angler Offline
Pro Angler
Offline
Pro Angler
N
Joined: Nov 2006
Posts: 660
I'm just telling you what I saw. I have been catching bass for 40 years, its just one man's opinion. Good luck out there I hope someone catches a 20 in Texas someday.

Re: Bringing it back: Do you believe there is a state record bass alive in a TX lake? [Re: LeonSulak] #13514494 04/12/20 03:07 PM
Joined: Jan 2017
Posts: 105
BorNella Offline
Outdoorsman
Offline
Outdoorsman
Joined: Jan 2017
Posts: 105
The reason I argue so hard about there being a state record out there out there is because of the numbers of fish we have no idea about.

A few years ago we had a bad freeze in Port O'Connor and it killed a bunch of trout. POC is NOT known as a place for big trout but I went into Pringle about 3 or 4 days after the freeze. There were still hundreds of 25-27 inch trout that were floating in Pringle alone. That was after the birds, people, and the state had already been in there picking up the really big ones. It was shocking to see how many big ones were left. My buddy and I wondered how we didn't catch multiple 6 or 7 pounders a trip.

We just don't know what has learned to adapt to conditions in some of these lakes. I have no idea how many bass live in Texas but the argument that a few state records aren't out there seems unlikely. It will be broken at some point I guarantee you that.

Re: Bringing it back: Do you believe there is a state record bass alive in a TX lake? [Re: LeonSulak] #13515573 04/13/20 07:29 AM
Joined: Dec 2014
Posts: 601
Larry Mosby Offline
Pro Angler
Offline
Pro Angler
Joined: Dec 2014
Posts: 601
If you look at the very limited number of real SALs caught annually in Texas I think the chances of someone catching a new state record are even much slimmer. However that doesn't mean she isn't swimming in Texas waters it's just that the odds of getting her to bite in the first place are so small. I believe giant bass get to such a large size by being less aggressive feeders and more of opportunist. TPWD has a video of feeding a Sharelunker donated to the Texas Freshwater Fisheries Center that really helped to open my eyes to this. In the video the smaller bass were aggressively feeding on the gold fish the scuba diver was offering to the 16 lb female. Unless the gold fish were very close to the giant female when released she wouldn't get because of the lesser and much more aggressive bass. When she did inhale one she was way gentler about than the ferocious one from 3 - 6 lbs. This video supports John Popes findings in his book Tracking Trophies of DD bass being less aggressive.

Say you're fish a small lake of a 1000 acres then with the bass being only roughly 2' in length then there are only 21,632,000 places for her to rest if the lake were only one foot deep. Multiply that number by the average depth of the lake and the spaces large enough for her to occupy increase exponentially. This is why it's important to learn how to fish key structure that bass prefer so that you increase your odds. Secondly you have to be there when she's active so timing is a big player. So many times when anglers hook up with a ten pound bass or larger they are not prepare with the right tackle and equipment or they just get too excited and make mistakes. Having had three double digits on back to back and to the boat, but only landing one, I'm speaking from experience.

I believe she's out there swimming and hopefully I land her when I get her on!


Larry Mosby
Re: Bringing it back: Do you believe there is a state record bass alive in a TX lake? [Re: Larry Mosby] #13515652 04/13/20 12:41 PM
Joined: Oct 2006
Posts: 13,504
Ken A. Offline
Groovy
Offline
Groovy
Joined: Oct 2006
Posts: 13,504
Originally Posted by Larry Mosby
If you look at the very limited number of real SALs caught annually in Texas I think the chances of someone catching a new state record are even much slimmer. However that doesn't mean she isn't swimming in Texas waters it's just that the odds of getting her to bite in the first place are so small. I believe giant bass get to such a large size by being less aggressive feeders and more of opportunist. TPWD has a video of feeding a Sharelunker donated to the Texas Freshwater Fisheries Center that really helped to open my eyes to this. In the video the smaller bass were aggressively feeding on the gold fish the scuba diver was offering to the 16 lb female. Unless the gold fish were very close to the giant female when released she wouldn't get because of the lesser and much more aggressive bass. When she did inhale one she was way gentler about than the ferocious one from 3 - 6 lbs. This video supports John Popes findings in his book Tracking Trophies of DD bass being less aggressive.

Say you're fish a small lake of a 1000 acres then with the bass being only roughly 2' in length then there are only 21,632,000 places for her to rest if the lake were only one foot deep. Multiply that number by the average depth of the lake and the spaces large enough for her to occupy increase exponentially. This is why it's important to learn how to fish key structure that bass prefer so that you increase your odds. Secondly you have to be there when she's active so timing is a big player. So many times when anglers hook up with a ten pound bass or larger they are not prepare with the right tackle and equipment or they just get too excited and make mistakes. Having had three double digits on back to back and to the boat, but only landing one, I'm speaking from experience.

I believe she's out there swimming and hopefully I land her when I get her on!


Good info right there Larry. You have as good a shot as anyone in the state of hooking a giant living where you live. Good luck buddy!



Re: Bringing it back: Do you believe there is a state record bass alive in a TX lake? [Re: senko9S] #13515695 04/13/20 01:17 PM
Joined: Jun 2010
Posts: 5,181
JacksonBean Offline
TFF Celebrity
Offline
TFF Celebrity
Joined: Jun 2010
Posts: 5,181
Originally Posted by senko9S
very true. ive had my hands on big teen bass from 13-20lbs hundreds of times. they are truly freaks of nature that 99% of anglers will never see out of the water. I agree a lot of the big bass record sightings were probably 11-12 pounders.



You and Jarrett are spot on but it seems like it's really unpopular to voice that opinion. I happen to agree with both of you. If you watch that video from Biwa, you realize that IF someone actually caught that fish, they'd find a way to get a certified scale to it. It's like a dinosaur remnant. You worded it best..... most people will never see a 20 lb fish out of the water so it's really hard to call it in the water.

J


[Linked Image]
Re: Bringing it back: Do you believe there is a state record bass alive in a TX lake? [Re: LeonSulak] #13515703 04/13/20 01:19 PM
Joined: Jan 2007
Posts: 10,559
J
Jarrett Latta Offline
TFF Guru
Offline
TFF Guru
J
Joined: Jan 2007
Posts: 10,559
It could happen but they don't live forever, so every 5-10 years it takes another freak special fish to survive. In my opinion for a public lake, it'll take one of these new lakes to grow one or a lake like choke or falcon to flood and cycle through like it used to. Heck Rayburn you hardly see 10-11's anymore.

Re: Bringing it back: Do you believe there is a state record bass alive in a TX lake? [Re: LeonSulak] #13516413 04/13/20 09:15 PM
Joined: May 2011
Posts: 1,868
P
pil,b Offline
Extreme Angler
Offline
Extreme Angler
P
Joined: May 2011
Posts: 1,868
PK, deep cold water so they live longer. The late Dave Campbell said that when he picked up Scot Tongates 16. 3 there years ago. fish

Re: Bringing it back: Do you believe there is a state record bass alive in a TX lake? [Re: Larry Mosby] #13516420 04/13/20 09:20 PM
Joined: Jan 2018
Posts: 2,561
J
Jeff From Iowa Offline
Extreme Angler
Offline
Extreme Angler
J
Joined: Jan 2018
Posts: 2,561
Originally Posted by Larry Mosby
If you look at the very limited number of real SALs caught annually in Texas I think the chances of someone catching a new state record are even much slimmer. However that doesn't mean she isn't swimming in Texas waters it's just that the odds of getting her to bite in the first place are so small. I believe giant bass get to such a large size by being less aggressive feeders and more of opportunist. TPWD has a video of feeding a Sharelunker donated to the Texas Freshwater Fisheries Center that really helped to open my eyes to this. In the video the smaller bass were aggressively feeding on the gold fish the scuba diver was offering to the 16 lb female. Unless the gold fish were very close to the giant female when released she wouldn't get because of the lesser and much more aggressive bass. When she did inhale one she was way gentler about than the ferocious one from 3 - 6 lbs. This video supports John Popes findings in his book Tracking Trophies of DD bass being less aggressive.

Say you're fish a small lake of a 1000 acres then with the bass being only roughly 2' in length then there are only 21,632,000 places for her to rest if the lake were only one foot deep. Multiply that number by the average depth of the lake and the spaces large enough for her to occupy increase exponentially. This is why it's important to learn how to fish key structure that bass prefer so that you increase your odds. Secondly you have to be there when she's active so timing is a big player. So many times when anglers hook up with a ten pound bass or larger they are not prepare with the right tackle and equipment or they just get too excited and make mistakes. Having had three double digits on back to back and to the boat, but only landing one, I'm speaking from experience.

I believe she's out there swimming and hopefully I land her when I get her on!



yep you can see that at bass pro when they feed the large bass dont chase the crappie eat the most minnows

Page 6 of 12 1 2 4 5 6 7 8 11 12
Previous Thread
Index
Next Thread

© 1998-2022 OUTDOOR SITES NETWORK all rights reserved USA and Worldwide
Powered by UBB.threads™ PHP Forum Software 7.7.3