81lb Bass?

[UserRemoved1]

what's the white line above the fish?

[spence]

Originally Posted by #^&#^&#^&#^&#^&#^&#^&#^&#^&#^&#^&

what's the white line above the fish?

Antenna protruding from the brain stem.

-spence

[Nebe]

This whole thing makes me LOL..

[Swimmer]

He should realize that regardless of what he does with the fish he was and is going to be hounded for a long time to come. So he should submit it for the IGFA record and take any money he can earn with it. I feel bad for the guy. This guy played college ball, so he has an education and is having a terrible time with it allready. Imagine what it did to Mcreynolds with his barely thier education.

If he was on a boat he probably has witnesses and I wish him the very best for his catch.

[Mike P]

He has 30 days to submit the paperwork, along with a section of line and at least a diagram of his terminal rig, if not the whole rig. I don't think there's any requirement that an IGFA official actually physically inspect or eviscerate the fish. Bear in mind that many WR submissions come into the IGFA's headquarters every year, for both all-tackle and line class records, from all corners of the world, and the IGFA can't possibly inspect every fish. The fish has to be weighed from land on a certified scale. It has to be measured for length and girth, and it has to be photographed. If you have a hand-scale pre-certified by the IGFA, the fish can even be released as long as a third party witness also attests to the fish. So obviously, a fish doesn't have to be cut open and checked for weights. I have 3 friends who hold or have held IGFA line class records, and none of their fish were inspected by anyone after the weighing/measuring/picture taking. One was eaten later the same day.

My guess is that Myerson took his fish home to weigh his options, and to give himself time to think about how much bull#^&#^&#^&#^& he wants to take. I'm seriously doubting the "credible source" who claims he went to the hospital with a panic attack. This isn't the guy's first trip to the rodeo.

Oh yeah--and based on the last picture that John posted---I have no doubt that the fish goes 81.88 lbs.

[JackK]

Originally Posted by Swimmer

He should realize that regardless of what he does with the fish he was and is going to be hounded for a long time to come. So he should submit it for the IGFA record and take any money he can earn with it. I feel bad for the guy. This guy played college ball, so he has an education and is having a terrible time with it allready. Imagine what it did to Mcreynolds with his barely thier education.

This. He's already under huge scrutiny. At the very least it needs to be looked at by state biologists, other witnesses, etc. If he just runs home with it and doesn't allow it to be examined he's going to be called a cheat by many for the rest of his life.

Doesn't add up though- why not care about the IGFA record, but still care about the Cup? I think the IGFA would be 10x more important than the cup- which'll just net him a GPS and a fiberglass mount... Obviously notoriety is important to him, he made a name for himself last year, and is continuing it this year. He doesn't fish for a team. While it's great to have a shot at winning $10k, the endorsements from being the world record holder would be worth so much more.

I don't doubt that he caught it or the weight- the whole thing just seems odd to me.

[cheferson]

took a ride . long gone ....

Owner looked stressed , had an attorney there screening calls!

[JohnR]

This guy has a lot of top fish in OTW over the years and now I recognize him from last year (he had a 57) and has a few 50s this year.

He is one of the elite anglers for certain.

I can understand not wanting to go though the IGFA process, though not sure I would make the same determination. Hope I have to figure that dilema

[rizzo]

Heres a scenario for everyone to think about: You catch a world record fish. Upon inspection by a state biologist they find it had 10 pounds of lead in it, 7 pieces of #8 rebar down the spine, pumped full of water and stuffed with rotten bunker. Theres about 30 pounds.... If you think you have the record, you NEED to prove you're innocent of these games.

In this day and age its rediculous the things people would cheat for. You're going to get criticized in this situation. Gutting the fish and finding 3 yoyo rigs is one thing, stuffing the fish is another. Upon examination and you find no tampering - alright we're on to something here, adds credibility to the record.

[spence]

Originally Posted by JackK

I don't doubt that he caught it or the weight- the whole thing just seems odd to me.

As often in the case when stories drip, drip, drip in and there are many who want nothing more than to shoot the guy down.

Hell, simply getting his name wrong up front probably gave the conspiracy theorists all the ammo they needed

-spence

[Mike P]

Originally Posted by JackK

He's already under huge scrutiny. At the very least it needs to be looked at by state biologists, other witnesses, etc. .

Actually--to be accepted as a world record by the only people who count---the IGFA--it doesn't. IMO the striped bass is a species that can be readily and definitively identified from a photograph, and thus, it would not have to be examined by a incthyologist:

SPECIES IDENTIFICATION

1. Photographs must be submitted by which positive identification of the exact species can be made. Read the rules on photographs at the end of this section, and refer to the Species Identification section in the World Record Game Fishes book to determine which features must show to identify your fish. Applications without photographs will not be accepted.

2. If there is the slightest doubt that the fish cannot be properly identified from the photographs and other data submitted, the fish should be examined by an ichthyologist or qualified fishery biologist before a record application is submitted to IGFA. The scientist’s signature and title (or qualifications) should appear on the IGFA application form or on a separate document confirming the identification of the species.

[JackK]

Originally Posted by Mike P

Actually--to be accepted as a world record by the only people who count---the IGFA--it doesn't. IMO the striped bass is a species that can be readily and definitively identified from a photograph, and thus, it would not have to be examined by a incthyologist:

Sorry, I didn't mean that it should be looked at to qualify for the record- I just meant that he should have it looked at to silence any critics about it's weight. If there's nothing to worry about, what's the problem?

Only issue I could see was if he was planning on getting it mounted (assuming he is) the taxidermist might want it round and untouched. But I would think that as long as accurate measurements are taken, a small incision in the fish wouldn't subtract from the quality of the eventual mount.

Plus, the scales, otoliths, DNA etc would probably be pretty useful (or at the least interesting) to state biologists. There's quite a bit that could be learned from this fish- shame to let that go to waste. Goes for the BI 77 pounder as well.

[rizzo]

Originally Posted by Mike P

Actually--to be accepted as a world record by the only people who count---the IGFA--it doesn't. IMO the striped bass is a species that can be readily and definitively identified from a photograph, and thus, it would not have to be examined by a incthyologist:.

If that is true, it further proves the record process is weak at best and the IGFA is a bunch of jokers in a world of make believe. Like the Katy Perry video for california gurls! If you want to get caught up in the game of records at least put some legit science behind it with a credible game plan.

Another scenario: - if I kept a fish in the freezer my buddy gill netted 2 months ago, what would it look like when its defrosted?

I hope everyone is having as much fun with this as I am

[UserRemoved1]

Alien Bass

Nebe

Wait it's almost time for the raccoon

Originally Posted by spence

Antenna protruding from the brain stem.

-spence

[DZ]

Nice. The pectoral fin on that fish is larger than any bass I've caught recently.

DZ

[Fishoholic]

I'd love to hear the dimensions. Helluva fish...