so is it an official record...i fish bass all the time its my life i haven't herd that is was a new world record..

I cant beleive the lack of coverage that many newspapers and websites are giving this!! The old world record largemouth bass caught by George Perry has been persued for more than 77 years, and was almost broken several times, and could be worth MILLIONS of dollars in promotions and endorsements, and yet it seems the coverage and excitement in the bass fishing world is as sluggish as the economy!
Has everyone just given up and become complacent? I know just 4 years ago this would have generated ten times more excitement and news. It is that it is from Japan that is the problem?? Would it have generated more talk and enthusiasm if it were from California like everyone expected it to be?? I am not sure, but I know that the attitude of many trophy hunters and average bass anglers is rather disappointing. In this economy right now, we need to be excited about something! This is a great catch no matter where its caught! Tell me if you think the same thing or see it differently.


All the information on this bass is available at my site at Delaware Trophy Bass. http://delawaretrophybass.com

Northeast Bass Fishing For Trophy Bass

Can't really get excited about this one, granted it is an awesome catch no doubt. However it being speculated it was caught on live bait then on artificial and it only being less than an ounce heavier than Perry's. I think once this record is really beat, not just beat but smashed with a 25lb.+ monster then there will be some real coverage. Plus if it's kept alive to be displayed somewhere might generate even more publicity. Impressive fish though and should be respected.

Fish'd It (Dan) www.manvsbass.com

This is the first I have heard o this monster being caught. WOW!!!

Live Bait DOES NOT disqualify it. It just makes it not as marketable to get big money. Thats it. The pictures are real. They are from a variety of national media sources.

Northeast Bass Fishing For Trophy Bass

BASSZILLA!!

Cole

see ya.

Northeast Bass Fishing For Trophy Bass

Dude, you copy and paste so much together I CAN'T UNDERSTAND anything you copy and paste...I won't say write as I can't tell where you start and the other sources start!

It's Crappie round here.

It looks like the record will NOT be accepted by the IGFA as he was fishing in a non-boating area of the lake from a boat. His catch is awesome but will not count as the 'new record' as the IGFA has a policy against such.

Take your meds.

I agree Richard.......Lets hear some more details about this... http://www.worldseriesoffishing.com/

Cole

I wrote to the Japanese agency responsible for certifying the catch and here is their response.

"The angler submitted a world record application to Japan Game Fish
Association. We are in the process of checking it; as soon as it is
confirmed of its validity, the application will be forwarded to the IGFA for a
world record. Because it was a very important catch, we need to take
enough time to make sure everything is correct and IGFA-legal."

Best regards,
Tsutomu Wakabayashi

Secretary-General, Japan Game Fish Association (JGFA)
Asahi Bldg. 2F, 1-11-2 Ebisu, Shibuya-ku, Tokyo
150-0013 JAPAN
Phone:81-3-5423-6022

Northeast Bass Fishing For Trophy Bass

UPDATE 8/27/09
Here is an email Matt Lures received from a very reliable source. He lives in Japan and owns a tackle store there. his name is Greg Vella
I have come to the conclusion that Japan will probably not allow the big bass to become a record (JGFA). There is just too much (political)　at stake, with the recent push to make all of Japan “catch and kill” for bass and bluegill. The Japanese government has spent millions of dollars on this program, which includes supplementing the income of the commercial fisherman at Lake Biwa.
> Letting Mr. Kurita’s fish become the new Japan record (JGFA) will send the wrong type of message to the taxpayer, and draw unwanted attention to the positive aspects of bass fishing.
>
> Here is where we stand:
>
> I mentioned before a about the distance from the bridge restriction ( the bass was caught near the Biwako Bridge)–It seems that his boat was not within the restricted area, but now they are saying they are going to DQ him because he CAST into the restricted area (which is not legally a “restricted” area anyway). I don’t understand? Lake Mission Viejo has a 20 foot from the dock no fishing zone, but that means your boat must not be withing 20 feet when fishing, not your cast. Another example would be the buoy line at Perris, or Casitas. As long as your boat is outside the buoy line, you can cast wherever you want.
> This is weak.
>
> What is weaker is that they are now saying the he “broke the law” to catch the fish due to his bait (a bluegill). Bluegill are not illegal to be used for bait (nobody cares), but they are illegal to release back into the lake alive. The bass “No Release” law includes bluegill and everybody is aware of this due to posted signs all over the lake. But they are now saying that Mr. Kurita “released” a bluegill back into the lake when he pinned it on his hook, and tossed it in front of the giant bass.
>
> This is really pushing it, IMO.
>
> What they don’t know, and I just found out today, is that Mr. Kurita is registered, like I am, to be able to release bass and bluegill.
>
> Even so, I sure they will make up something else; they do not want this fish to become a record, because:
> As of two days ago, the paperwork has not even been submitted to the IGFA.
> JGFA is saying that it must pass their scrutiny before he is “allowed” to submit to the IGFA; it should not be this way, as the IGFA is a separate entity.
> It seems it is catch 22 for Mr. Kurita.
>
> There is so much misinformation going around that it is sad, at best. The same type of people that said the Biwa Lake grow fat on all the salmon (there are none) are giving opinions on stuff they know nothing about.
>
> Hope all is going well for you,
> Capt. G
And here is something else that crossed my mind today. If he used Live Bait, which was a Coi, it weighed at least 4 ounces, probably more, and you would think that the bass swallowed it after being caught, which means it had at least 4 ounces added to it artificially by the angler when it was weighed. Should this really count?

Northeast Bass Fishing For Trophy Bass

BREAKING NEWS!



BREAKING NEWS SEPTEMBER 15th, 2009




IGFA receives documentation, photos on pending world record largemouth bass caught in Japan



Weight matches current IGFA record held for 77 years by Georgia's George Perry




Manabu Kurita photos at http://delawaretrophybass.com



DANIA BEACH, Fla. USA, (September 15, 2009) --- Documentation for a much talked about 22 lb 4 oz largemouth bass, caught from Japan's largest lake in July, has arrived into the International Game Fish Association (IGFA) headquarters for world record recognition.




Late Monday, the IGFA, the 70-year old non-profit fisheries conservation, education and record-keeping body, received the application for the largemouth bass (Micropterus salmoides), caught July 2, by Manabu Kurita, 32, of Aichi, Japan. IGFA rules for fish caught outside the U.S. allows anglers 90 days to submit their applications from the date of their catch.




IGFA conservation director Jason Schratwieser said the World All-Tackle application is currently under review after it was received through the Japan Game Fish Association (JGFA).


Schratwieser said the application stated the bass weighed 10.12 kg (22 lbs 4 ozs) and was pulled from Lake Biwa an ancient reservoir northeast of Kyoto. Photos and video were also submitted with the written documentation.



Kurita's fish would tie the current record held for over 77 years by George Perry caught on Georgia's Montgomery Lake, June 2, 1932, near Jacksonville, Georgia.




In North America the largemouth bass, and especially the All-Tackle record, is considered by millions of anglers as the "holy grail" of freshwater fish because of its popularity and the longevity of Perry's record.


Largemouth bass have also been introduced in many countries and in Japan fisheries officials consider it an invasive species. In addition, because bass are not native and are stocked in Japan, many speculated that the big bass was a sterile triploid. However when biologists in Japan examined the ova of the big female they concluded that the fish was not triploid.


IGFA World Records Coordinator Becky Wright reported Kurita's fish measured 27.20 inches in length and an almost equal girth of 26.77 inches. She said Kurita was using a blue gill as live bait trolling through a canal.


A decision by the IGFA of whether Kurita's fish will tie Perry's record may take up to a month.


"We have a formal relationship with our sister organization, the Japan Game Fish Association where they first collect and review record applications for fish caught in Japan," said Schratwieser. "It works out well because they not only translate applications but can also contact the angler if more documentation is needed.
"We still have a number of questions to ask them and Kurita regarding local laws and the area he caught it in while he was trolling through a canal on the lake," said Schratwieser.
"We hope to make an announcement in three to four weeks."



Annually the IGFA publishes a comprehensive list of current records on nearly 1100 species of fresh and saltwater fish across the globe in its highly acclaimed World Record Game Fishes (WRGF) book which is divided into all-tackle, line classes, fly, and junior record categories.



The IGFA has been recognized as the official keeper of world saltwater fishing records since its founding in 1939. In 1978 it added the field of freshwater record-keeping when Field & Stream magazine transferred its 68 years of records to the IGFA Fishing Hall of Fame & Museum, the association's world headquarters in Dania Beach, Fla.

The IGFA is a not-for-profit organization committed to the conservation of game fish and promotion of responsible, ethical angling practices through science, education, rule making and record keeping. IGFA members are located in over 125 countries and territories. The IGFA welcomes visitors to its interactive Fishing Hall of Fame & Museum in Dania Beach, Florida.

Northeast Bass Fishing For Trophy Bass

Again two notes:

1) If accepted it will tie the record NOT break it.
2) The area in which the fish was caught may be in waters which are deemed NOT in accordance with the IGFA's RR's.

Still an awesome catch but NOT the new world record in any case.

I just received 5 new photos and a magazine article directly from Manabu Kurita who caught the new pending world record bass, We have been talking a lot over the last few weeks and his english is getting better. he is a real nice guy. I have photos of his bass and his daughter and other bass from Japan as well that appear on NO OTHER SITE that he sent me if you want to see them. http://delawaretrophybass.com

Northeast Bass Fishing For Trophy Bass

The rest of the story




By James Hall




Editor, Bassmaster Magazine






Manabu Kurita told me the truth today about how, when and where hecaught the pending world record bass. Every detail. How do I know it’sthe truth? I know because Mr. Kurita doesn’t care if his fish iscertified as a world record or not.




Manabu Kurita fishes in the area where he caught the 22-5 largemouth.




Shy and unassuming, the 33-year-old Kasugai native became hooked on bass fishing 18 years ago.




“I saw a photo of a largemouth bass in a magazine and I was very impressed with how it looked. So, I tried fishing for bass and I became passionate about catching them,” Kurita explained.




Kurita’s passion takes him to the lake more than 150 times a year. According to his estimations — and those close to him consider the estimates conservative — Kurita annually catches more than 100 bass greater than 8 pounds.




On July 2, 2009, he landed his biggest fish ever (although not thebiggest he has hooked). The 22-pound, 5-ounce behemoth ate a live sunfish he had rigged on a 5/0 Fina Power Finesse bait hook.




“I had noticed this big fish swimming around the bridge piling, andI was pretty sure she would eat a bluegill. So, about 11:30 a.m., I went to the bridge piling and cast the bait to the north side. I twitched it a couple of times and the big bass ate it. It was my first cast,” Kurita explained.




Kurita showed me the exact spot on the bridge, made the exact cast and explained how surprised he was once he landed the fish.




“I knew it was big, but I did not think it was that big,” he admitted.




Using the same techniques as when he caught the potential worldrecord, Kurita landed this 8 1/2-pounder while showing the area to Bassmaster Magazine editor James Hall.




The IGFA has not yet certified Kurita’s catch as a world record because of a rule that states a record fish cannot come from a sanctuary or no-fishing zone. The remaining question has been about whether the three marked bridge pilings where he was rumored to have caught the fish are no-fishing zones, and, if they are, was Kurita actually fishing near these three pilings? (The other bridge pilings are not marked, so fishing, anchoring and tying to them is totally legal.)




When I asked Kurita to take me to the exact spot where he caught the bass. He did not hesitate. We drove directly to one of the three marked pilings, confirming the rumors that he caught the fish in an area that was marked: “Do not stop.” He could just as easily have taken me to another bridge support, one that would have completely negated the naysayers.




His honesty was refreshing. His motives seemed pure.




However, this supported those who questioned the legality of hiscatch. Does the “Do not stop” sign suggest, and thereby give authorities, the ability to ticket anglers fishing the marked pilings?




This determination is left to the local police and, ultimately, theJapanese Game Fish Association and the International Game Fish Association.




After my meeting with Kurita, I met with Yoichiro Oguri, president and owner of Popeye, a very popular tackle store chain (Japan’s version of Bass Pro Shops). Mr. Oguri is a very well-connected and respected icon in the Japanese fishing industry. During our conversation, I asked if he had a contact within the JGFA, and, if so, could he find out the status of the Kurita world record application.




Mr. Oguri contacted JGFA and found out the delay was because of the fact that they were unsure of the local laws surrounding Biwa’sno-fishing zones. Mr. Oguri then contacted the Shiga-Ken Police Department (enforcers of Lake Biwa laws). He asked them if fishing was allowed near the three marked bridge pilings. The answer was “yes.” It is illegal to anchor or tie to the bridge pilings, but fishing next to or around them is completely legal.




Kurita broke no laws in the catching of the 22-5.




Mr. Oguri then contacted the chairman of the JGFA and informed him of his findings.




Moments later, the JGFA gave Kurita’s catch the thumbs up and sent a letter of support to the IGFA. As of this writing, the IGFA has not yet commented on the status of the record. However, it seems all concerns about the legality of this catch have been answered. It is likely Mr.Kurita’s bass will be recognized as the biggest largemouth ever caught.




And if for some reason the IGFA still does not recognize Kurita’s accomplishment?




“That’s OK,” Kurita replied with a shy grin. “I think I might be able to catch a bigger one next year.”




You can talk with Manabu Kurita LIVE in the forums at my site where he is a member.

Northeast Bass Fishing For Trophy Bass