This is a quote from an article by Doug Hannon;

The current world record emerged from the darkest days of the Great Depression early in the last century. At 69 years old, many see it as forever insurmountable, but I believe that this century will mark the passage to a new world record bass. George Perry's mark, like Roger Bannister's breaking of the 4-minute mile, will never be forgotten, but, because of the many new factors that exist, it will almost certainly be broken. Among these are new resources and improvements in existing resources, genetic and other scientific breakthroughs, and dynamic management priorities rather than single, statewide regulations. Add to this the inevitable increase in public knowledge of the proper techniques, types of lures and presentations, and places to look for record bass, and it becomes a foregone conclusion that by now, if even a miniscule number of such fish existed, one would almost certainly have been caught. I believe we are fast approaching the day when significant numbers of fish of this stature will be swimming in public waters.

For a world record largemouth to be caught it must exist, so I would begin with that premise. Throwing out fraudulent or unverifiable claims it has not been done, so the logical conclusion is that up until today such fish do not exist. It makes more sense then to say that the 22-pound bass caught by Bob Crupi was most probably the biggest largemouth in existence. I completely discount claims to 24-pounders, because, by even elementary statistics, that would require the presence of hundreds of bass in the 22-23 pound range. Yet, by doubling the size of the pre-Florida strain state record, what the catches of Crupi and others do prove is the power that population genetics and the introduction of the Florida genetic strain can have on the eventual size of bass.