With spring approaching and the bass tournaments starting up in full swing, a number of people are wondering if the current Clear Lake record of 17.52 pounds for a largemouth bass will be broken. The record of 17.52 pounds has stood unchallenged since 1990 and no one has even come close to breaking it. However, just about everyone agrees that there are at least several bass swimming in the lake that that will weigh in the 18-pound-plus class. In fact, a number of fishermen believe that Clear Lake has the potential to produce a world record bass. The lake record bas was caught near the Clear Lake State Park by the late Jerry Basgal, a lure manufacturer from Clearlake Oaks.. It was weighed on certified scales at the Ferndale Resort in Soda Bay.
The current world record was caught by George Perry in Montgomery Lake, Georgia in 1932. Since Perry broke the record there have been a number of bass that weighed more than 20 pounds taken in Southern California but after 90 years Perry’s bass remains at the top of the list. This is in despite of all the modern technology that fishermen now possess. High speed bass boats plus thousands of dollars in electronic fish finding equipment still haven’t produced a new world record. The prize remains as elusive as ever. It should be noted that a bass caught in Japan tied Perry’s record.
For years there have been rumors about a 25-pound bass swimming in Clear Lake. First there was the rumor that the commercial carp fishermen had netted a 25-pound bass and then there has been a rumor going around that the Department of Fish and Wildlife electro-shocking crews had obtained a 25-pound bass. All have proven to be untrue. The lake record of 17.52 pounds still stands.
The odds of a 20-pound bass swimming in Clear Lake are astronomical. The lake receives tremendous fishing pressure with more than 40 major bass tournaments per year plus thousands of pleasure anglers. Despite this fishing pressure the lake record of 17.52 pounds has stood unchallenged for more than nearly 30 years. In fact, there have been only three other bass caught in the history of the lake that weighed more than 15 pounds.
Even if you were lucky enough to hook a bass that weighs 20 or more pounds, landing a fish that size would be an awesome task. Bass are extremely strong and more 10-pound fish are lost than ever caught. At every tournament there are several fishermen who report having hooked a bass in the 10-pound-plus class and not being able to successfully land it. These are professional fishermen with the top of line fishing gear, but they still lose far more big bass then they land.
Largemouth bass have a lifespan of about 15 years. They will continue to grow their entire life as long as there is a sufficient food supply. The Clear Lake record bass was estimated to be 12 years old by biologists counting the rings of a scale sample taken from the fish. That means it was nearing the end of its life. Just about all bass that weigh 12 pounds or more are at least 10 years old and the number of adult bass that live as long as 10 years is less than one percent.
Even if Clear Lake had a world record bass swimming in the lake the odds of anyone catching this fish would be similar to winning the lottery. Clear Lake has 44,000 surface acres and 110 miles of shoreline. A fisherman would have to be at the right place and right time to catch that record fish. But, it could happen. Just breaking the current lake record of 17.52 pounds is an enormous task. For years it was predicted that the fisherman who broke the world record would automatically be a millionaire. It’s doubtful that in today’s world that any company would pay a million dollars to advertise a record fish.
In addition to the 17.52-pound bass the lake also holds the California record for black crappie. That fish was caught last year and weighed 4.33 pounds. It was caught by the owner of Clear Lake Outdoors tackle shop, Dave Burruss.
One reason the bass grow big in Clear Lake is the abundance of food. The lake has literally millions of various species of bait fish which provide a ready food supply for the bass and other gamefish.
