State Record Bass

When is someone gonna pull a state record bass from these gem southern minnesota lakes??

I think you mean “another” state record bass? Did n’t the state record come out of Tetonka a few years back? Or did that fish get eclipsed by another monster and I had my head in the sand and missed all the talk about it?

I think your right James.

Yah, the state record came out of tetonka and was in the high 8 pound range.

I do remember reading about a huge bass caught in the metro in the last couple years that was filleted and eaten before it could be examined by the DNR. Apparently the length measurements of the carcass were well beyond the current record’s listed dimensions.

Or maybe I just dreamed that all up. Can’t remember… brain failing me.

Must of been a good dream, or maybe a nightmare since the bass was eaten. Hang in there James. You must of had fishing withdrawls before you went to bed last night. Catch 2 fish and call the Doc in the morning.
Thanks, Bill

Yes the current state record bass was caught out of Tetonka and weighed 8lbs. 12.75 oz. to be exact. The record before that weighed 7 something and was taken out of Lake Emily near st. peter. I just can’t believe that one of the southern minnesota lakes hasn’t coughed up a fish that goes 9+ on the butcher’s scale. With what I’ve been seeing the last couple years I don’t think a fish of that calibur can be too far off.

Welcome Crawdaddy and I sure hope you are right. Great to have you on board with us.
Thanks, Bill

you are right h2o about the guy eating that bass. it was caught off the fishing pier on odowd lake the dnr said by the measurements that it would have been real close to a 10 lb bass.

I just can’t believe someone would gut a 10 Lb bass!

James..just think…George Perry’s World Record was eaten too!!

Different times… different attitudes.

That would have made for a couple thick fillets. And I think a 20″ walleye is way to big for the best eating. Nuttin’ like a 5″ thick slab of bass in the fryer to get my mouth watering.

I think a record bass will eventually come out of Chester Woods near Rochester in the next few years. I’ve heard a number of stories of nice sized bass being returned to the water.

And I’m counting on you to catch it to Lew.
Thanks, Bill

I appreciate your confidence Bill, but anyone that knows me knows that the big fish are always caught by the person in the other end of my canoe.It’s Murphy’s Fishing Law #17.

James, too big to eat? You got to pickle them big bass!!! gives them better texture!!!!

Yum, Yum!!!!

saw a bass that looked to be well over 23″ on saturday. Since largemouth are in my opinion the toughest species to estimate weight for I won’t even attempt it. Water had a slight chop to it and there wasn’t much sunlight so sight fishing was difficult, but my buddy and I saw her cruising a very shallow sand flat. After throwing to her for about 5 minutes I decided to rush her with my Maxxum 101 to get a closer look, but when I got close I couldn’t even catch her with 36 volts juicing through the wires of my motor. She took off into some thick pond weed and although we returned to the spot twice throughout the day we never saw her again. We were on a Faribault area lake.

I think you’ll be surprised which lake it comes from. Some of the lesser talked about lakes yield some big bass. Many of the them have stunted crappies/bluegills about the size of a larger crankbaits and plastics.

Emily used to be a tremendous bass fishery. I haven’t fished it in a couple of years but did alot in the 80’s and 90’s. The lake was pretty cyclic… according the the fishing pressure, the depth of bass scales in the trash cans, and the amount of fertilization blowing in from the the golf course. I was more than disappointed the last time I was there by the state of the lake in general. It is capable of producing a state record if it were left to its own design but I doubt we’ll see it unless the local fishing, boating, and land owner practices change. Its a sad thing… in the late 80’s I fished Emily in the fall with a good friend of mine from Mankato and we boated and released in the neighboorhood of 90 bass in an afternoon. The top 6 total weight pushing 36 lbs (all 6 in the 22 – 23.5 inch range). In the late 90s, the lake looked and smelled dead. The algea bloom had quadruppled, the run off was incredible… the golf course fertilization constantly ended up in the water and the bass boated were sickly. I’m not a fanatic about water quality but the change in Emily was truly a sad thing to behold.

There are a few small rarely fished gems in Southern, MN but not many left. I hope that they don’t suffer the fate of Emily… While larger ecosystems are very capable of dealing with heavy pressure, most of those gems can’t withstand the fleets that arrive and harvest that occurs when someone says “I nailed a near state record” on them.

Curt

I FISHED EMILY FOR THE FIRST TIME LAST YEAR AND IT WAS A DISAPPONTING OUTING. IN 1999, I CAUGHT TWO BASS THAT WEIGHED 7POUNDS 3OUNCES (MOUNTED) AND A 7 POUND 5 OUNCE(RELEASED) OUT OF A SMALL LAKE IN SOUTHERN MN. THESE FISH WERE ONLY 21.5 INCHES LONG WITH 17 AND 18 INCH GIRTHS. A COUPLE OF YEARS AGO, AN 8POUND 6OUNCE LARGE MOUTH WAS CAUGHT AND RELEASED ON AGATE LAKE NEAR BRAINERD. I SAW THE PICTURES. THAT WAS A CLOSE CALL.

Nice fish!! and BEJEEBUS they were FAT… I’ve weighed several 21 inch fish that were not close to 7 lbs. My outing in the 1980’s is still a sweet memory… Its all recorded and logged. I fished the Lake with Randy Jacobs out of ‘Gator’. If you know Randy. We had a great time but I doubt it will ever be the same on Emily. The largest bass I’ve boated in Minnesota was 23.5 inches I didn’t measure the girth but I weighed her before releasing her and she was 8lbs 3 oz. Like you said above… from a small Southern MN lake that does not receive much pressure.

Curt

CURT,
THAT IS A GREAT FISH AND RELEASED TOO!

I’ve seen enough 5-7lb bass C&R out of Madison to believe a couple state records are in there.

IN 1999, I HEARD A GUY CAUGHT AND RELEASED A BIG BASS ON LITTLE CORMORANT LAKE ON OPENING DAY. THE MEASUREMENTS WERE 20 3/4 INCH GIRTH, AND 22.5 OR 23 INCHES LONG. I SEEN A PICTURE OF THIS FISH, AS IT WAS THE WINNER FOR MN IN THE BASSIN’ MAGAZINE BIG BASS CHAMPIONSHIP CONTEST. WITH THOSE MEASUREMENTS, THIS BASS WOULD HAVE EASILY BEEN THE NEW STATE RECORD. AT THE TIME, I CALLED THE MAGAZINE TO ASK ABOUT IT, AND THEY ASKED ME IF I WANTED TO CONTEST THAT ENTREE. I SAID NO, BUT WAS JUST WONDERING WHY IT WASN’T THE NEW STATE RECORD. EVIDENTLY, THE FISH WAS RELEASED. DOES ANYBODY KNOW ANYTHING ABOUT THIS FISH?

That fish had to be HUGE… I can’t imagine a 23 inch fish with 20in girth in MN… incredible fish. I’d just like to see it.

Curt

MY THEORY ON THIS IS THAT IF THE BASS WAS CAUGHT IN MINNESOTA, I THINK IT MAY HAVE BEEN CAUGHT BEFORE OPENER AND THEREFORE COULD NOT BE KEPT AS A RECORD. THE FISH LOOKED BIG IN THE PICTURE(PRESPAWN) OR THE GIRTH MEASUREMENT WAS INACCURATE. IN ANY CASE, HE WON THE TRIP DOWN SOUTH FOR THE NATIONAL BASS TOURNEY FOR $50,000. HE DIDN’T WIN HOWEVER.

Riggy,

I wonder how much that fish really would have weighed. I doubt the measure system would be accurate enough with a girth like that. Sure would have loved to see that fish… even if it just swam by the boat hahaha.

James… Madison has some dandies. I haven’t fished it in ages but I’ve seen some of the ones you’re talking about. Years ago when the TwinRivers Bass club out of Mankato was going strong several large fish were boated in Madison. It seemed most productive when the reeds and rushes were going strong. I’ll have to head over there again sometime soon. I heard there was a tournament there last week… I’ll have to see how the weigh in went.

Curt