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

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.

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.

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.

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.

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

Yer just being patriotic, bro. Nothing wrong with that! :7

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.

10.12 kilograms = 22 pounds 4.972495 ounces

Rounding up is fine, but not for the record books. Unless we had a weight of Perry's fish at the same precision, nobody will ever know if this new one is actually larger or not.

Could you imagine if you were this dude who just caught a 22-5? I can understand the IGFA rules about having to beat the record by some reasonable amount but dang!!

If this fish is all legit (which feels like to me) I'd sure be inclined to say this guy should have his name listed first for the record.

Regarding the fish getting caught in Japan - it doesn't bother me at all. Seems no different than it being caught in California. In both cases the bass were transplanted. Maybe some day the record will come out of China, who knows. I saw some nice looking bass water there last summer.

In any case I can't wait to hear more about the story of the catch.

Yeah I have to agree with you swimbait. hey Lake, nate here, I have to say that the fact that the fish was caught in japan doesn't bother me, in fact heres one way to look at it: The japanese fishing industry has helped our tournament fishing in a lot of ways. techniques in japan have made their way out west and so have some very high quality products and bait detail second to none which have greatly helped our circuits and shaped very well rounded anglers. NOT TRYING TO ARGUE, just my two cents, and figure if the next record isnt in the us, might as well have it be japan, and not some random country which hasnt "pitched in" to make us better fisherman. i mean gary yamamoto, the senko, lucky craft? thanks japan.
nate
p.s. john dont u love spots?

so your the one who changed forum names. lol..yah spots are my friend. NOT.

Come fish the FED on July 26 Nate. Its going to be sic. If youw ant to talk about it in more detail email or call me so we dont hijack thr thread. I dont want to get yelled at again for doing so lol

According to this website, a Roman Made swimbait was used.

http://www.bigindianabass.com/big_indiana_bass/

It looks like that 70cm fatty that was caught earlier this year in Japan also fell to a Roman Made swimbait.

http://lurecult.wordpress.com/2009/03/23/fabricacion-en-roman-made/

Some of the pictures of the big bass were posted on the Roman Made site, but its not clear if they are implying that the bait was caught on that lure, or if they are just posting the pictures.

The text on the site you just linked came from Tackletour this morning.

In any case, somebody find out what this momma bass was caught on, inquiring minds are dying to know :)

If anyone knows Matt Paino ... (hint hint) ... it is now 8am Friday morning in Japan

http://www.bassfan.com/docktalk.asp?id=6479#6479

IFISH say's,

That's a negative on China gettin the record Rob, I'm chinese and lemme tell ya, they'll be eaten up before they even get close to that size. :+ My grandma always gives me crap for not eating bass If she orders it at a restaurant. I told her I'd leave the table if she did that. :+

IFISH

Can't wait to find out what's in her! Must have just swallowed a duck and all it's chicks!

Must have been the hair!

That's amazing...

Wait a minute...
The record bass was suppose to be caught at a local park, by a little kid throwing power bait on 4lb. test :7

WOW is all I can say

Desirable Characteristics Of Hybrids
Hybrid sunfish (a bass is a sunfish) in general exhibit a trait called hybrid vigor. This means that the hybrids can outperform their parental species in one or more ways. Rapid and superior growth is one way hybrid sunfish exhibit “hybrid vigor”. Largemouth bass, for example, are capable of attaining weights over 20 pounds, but we obviously see few bass this size!
The rapid growth of the hybrids is partially due to the reduced reproductive capacity of these fish. Contrary to popular belief, these fish are not sterile; they are simply mostly male. This results in a population that has few females, and thus, spawning and reproduction are low.
Yet another desirable trait of hybrids is their aggressive nature. Studies show they are easier to catch than other species of fish. Hybrids prefer the shallower areas of lakes and ponds and, therefore, are more readily available to fishermen than are the fish in deeper waters. This aggressiveness, high catch ability, and accessibility to anglers combine with their rapid growth to result in a true "trophy" bass fishing situation when properly managed!


Can we get some of these in my local lake please!