We all know about Al McReynolds 1982 World Record 78lb, 8oz-er. I want to know, how big do they get? Has their potential size ever been realistically or scientifically estimated?

- edit - I guessed 100#

I have a hard time beleiving fish over 100# are still out there. With the many boats and anglers up and down the striper coast someone would have gotten one by now, even if those monsters stay off shore reports by commerial fisherman would spread far wide. The opinion of a small fish in a big pond means nothin.

durring my sophmore year in college i went down to the chesapeake for the beginning of summer break.. we were out on a boat fishign for croakers and the most enourmous dead striper floated by us. we snagged it and brought it up along side the boat and the thing had to have been over 80 pounds easy.. It was freshly dead and we even inspected its mouth for hookmarks. Nada. After much debate we decided it died after spawning, but man oh man, what a site to behold. After ooing and ahhing, we let it drift down current.

i bet there are a few bass swimming around that are over 100 but i doubt there are many over 110, but who knows.

I would think there is one out there that defy's all expectations. Where?

i have heard that people hand feed 100+ pound bass at a certain SE MA fish pier

I read somewhere, about a coast guard diver who they say saw a bass one day that was "as big as a volkswageon". :err: somewhere off NJ...Hopefully its swimming in rhody this year!

it will be a very long time before Al's record is broken.

I've heard some stories that if you want to see some monsters,
Just follow a seiner or gill net boat around when they haul their gear!

Here's a link to an article with some interesting opinions and theories about large bass.

http://www.bassdozer.com/articles/surf_ghost_fish.shtml

Administrators, sorry if this link if it is considered commericial and feel free to remove this post. I just thought it was interesting and pertained to this discussion.

many big fish this year wait and see :btu:

I'll be surprised if a new world record isn't set this year. I don't know if it'll be in this neck of the woods or down south later in the year. But I think there are more than a few 80 pound fish swimming around right now and probably a few over 100.

Here's a link to an article with some interesting opinions and theories about large bass.

http://www.bassdozer.com/articles/surf_ghost_fish.shtml

Administrators, sorry if this link if it is considered commericial and feel free to remove this post. I just thought it was interesting and pertained to this discussion.

No problem. Not here, anyway. I have a hard copy printed out of every article on the Dozer's site myself. It's too good a resource to keep to yourself :D

IMO, we will need 4 or 5 years till it happens

I don't think any of us can discredit the idea that there could conceivably be cows in excess of 100lbs in our waters. Fish reach these sizes and ages because of their superior genetics and will remail elusive. Isn't this idea the reason why we all gather here day after day trying to pick up any additional scrap of information to bring us closer to the possibility of landing a striper of epic proportions. This idea is the basis for all types of fishing. This is why I will wake up at 4am fish Quabbin Reservoir till 3pm drive an hour home, load the truck up with my surf gear and fish till sun up. How can you not love the sport?!

While scuba diving a few years ago on a wreck to be unnamed; a bunch of divers including myself saw a striped bass that I'd estimate to be well over 100 pounds. The fish was massive and being about 15 feet from it the bass was larger that any mounted striper I have seen by alot. I know everything in the water looks bigger but even if it lost 25% of its size it would still be the world record. Another member on another board also saw the fish while diving there on a separate occasion and we have spoken about it a few times. I have dove there and fished the wreck many times since the sighting and have never seen it again but that one sighting keeps me going back many times every year just in case she is lurking.

1976 year class :humpty:

Here's a link to an article with some interesting opinions and theories about large bass.

http://www.bassdozer.com/articles/surf_ghost_fish.shtml

Administrators, sorry if this link if it is considered commericial and feel free to remove this post. I just thought it was interesting and pertained to this discussion.

No problem - we just don't want other sites :spam: ing us :hihi: for their own personal gain - That's a good site :btu:

One of the unanswered questions in the Ghost Fish article is spawning.

I do not understand how these big fish spawn, and if they spawn at sea how their offspring would survive off-shore. Does not seem intuitive to me.

I believe there are monster cows out there....when and where is the question.

I have heard tales of the seiners/draggers pulling up fish that we all dream about. And some of the bi-catch that would have set records. But I am not getting that info first or even second hand, so it could just be folk-lore.

I believe there are fish over 100#s, but they are elusive and might not come to inshore waters as frequently.

the other thought that crossed my mine when reading the ghost fish article, is that Al McRenolds fish did not have the alligator head. From all of the pictures I can remember seeing, Al's monster had a monster head. Big and thick like you would expect from a striper, not the lean head suggested in the article. So, I would assume that Al's was a very big, old, and up until that day elusive striper of the typical inshore variety.

-IWK