This just went down a couple of hours ago, so I wanted my buddy Rob's bass site to be the first to have it.

Certified weight: 10.12 kg. = 22 lb. 5 oz
Length: 29.4 inches
Location caught: Lake Biwa, Japan

This was just on the TV news about an hour ago, so this is all the info I have. Mr. Okamura, the president of Deps Tackle Co., helped with the interview; I did not catch the anglers name.

We are well past the spawning season when most of the giants are caught at Lake Biwa; most of the fish now are quiet slender (after spawn condition). Not this one!




Congrats to the angler on a fine catch.

Lake Biwa shocked the bass world a couple years ago by producing a bass that was well over 18 pounds (The Japan record was caught at Lake Ikehara, and weighted over 19 pounds.).


A 25 1/2 lb. bass was caught as by catch in a fisherman's net earlier this year, so many thought it would be just a matter of time before a record size fish was taken from Japan's largest (over 70 miles long) natural lake.


http://www.calfishing.com/dc/user_files/7628-WR2.jpg


http://www.calfishing.com/dc/user_files/7629-WR1.jpg


http://www.calfishing.com/dc/user_files/7630-WR3.jpg
:-)

http://www.calfishing.com/dc/user_files/7631-WR_5.jpg


http://www.calfishing.com/dc/user_files/7632-WR_4.jpg

"Known as the person who introduced swimbait fishing to Japan"

Attachment #1, (.jpg file)
Attachment #2, (.jpg file)
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Attachment #5, (.jpg file)

WOW! Not gonna go overboard because we've been hoaxed so many times before. However, it would be a strange twist of fate to have the record broken in Japan. I guess we just gotta sit tight and wait to hear more. Good scoop on the story.

southernswimbait.com
BigBait Fishing in the South

Wow. Wow. That is a huge bass. If the fish certifies at 22lbs 5oz it is going to make for a very interesting story. IGFA says you have to beat the record by 2oz to have it become the record fish which would be 22lbs 6oz.

But of course 22lbs 5oz is bigger than 22lbs 4oz. So who knows what they will say?

Can't wait to hear more about this story. This is going to be a good one because that is a monster bass.

According to the Dep's website the fish weighed 10.1 Kilograms which is 22.27 pounds. Its still a big fish that looks like it came off a bed. Shimano reel and Deps rod were used for the catch. There is no info on the lure used.

I'll see if the Japanese guys here at work can do some more translating for me.

*Update*

There is no information on the lure used. The Japanese guy here said that he suspects plastics since there is no picture. They would show a picture if it was a swimbait/big bait. He believes Deps products were used since the president of Deps was there to assist with the interview.

The photos were taken by the anglers cell phone. There is no information if the bass was weighed on a certified scale. We will have to wait for updates to get more informaion. As I know more I will post it here.

What you wrote is not correct about the info on the Deps web sight.

The fish, as I stated, is 10.12 kilograms, or 22.31 pounds (22 lb. 5oz.) That was also the numbers that were on the 6 pm. news here.

I fish the lake at least once a week, for the past 18 years, and can say with reasonable confidence that this is not a "bed fish".
The spawning season is very similar to California, starting in late March, and peaking in April/May. I have seen very few bed fish in June, and not a single one in July.

At best, the fish could tie the current record, as any IGFA record for fish less than twenty five pounds must beat the existing record by two ounces.

Still, it is an outstanding catch, and I thought you guys would like to hear about it.





>According to the Dep's website the fish weighed 10.1
>Kilograms which is 22.27 pounds. Its still a big fish that
>looks like it came off a bed. Shimano reel and Deps rod were
>used for the catch. There is no info on the lure used.
>
>I'll see if the Japanese guys here at work can do some more
>translating for me.
>
>*Update*
>
>There is no information on the lure used. The Japanese guy
>here said that he suspects plastics since there is no picture.
>They would show a picture if it was a swimbait/big bait. He
>believes Deps products were used since the president of Deps
>was there to assist with the interview.
>
>The photos were taken by the anglers cell phone. There is no
>information if the bass was weighed on a certified scale. We
>will have to wait for updates to get more informaion. As I
>know more I will post it here.

"Known as the person who introduced swimbait fishing to Japan"

Keep the details coming, please. Just looking at the pic of the fish on the tape measure makes me ill. That's a gigantic bass.

ummm.... yeah what a slug. Can't wait for this one to fire up.

That is a huge bass no question. I will be the first to admit, it kinda upsets me to think the world record could be held in Japan. I want it here in the US. No offense to Capt. G or any others in Japan. Its just the way I feel

This looks like another shot of the fish. I can't read Japanese. There's some talk on other sites that the fish was caught on a large wake bait.

http://ameblo.jp/romanmade/image-10292108615-10206725678.html

what a monster! that toad is definitely going to sell a few Deps baits. Wonder if it was caught on the Silent Killer,Realiser,or HighSider? I'm gonna guess Silent Killer...

the 2oz IGFA rule is gonna be more than interesting...I bet they put it up as a tie.

From what I can gather (again I can't read Japanese) people are saying it was caught on a bait called a Roman Made Mother. It's a big wake bait. Need someone to translate from the link above.