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The Next World Record Bass
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.........A Genetic Fluke ?
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by Fish Chris
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The following article is not a prediction about “what will happen”, but rather, factual
information which should pose some distinct possibilities of “what could happen”.
Many people mistakenly believe that a Largemouth Bass will get to world record size (22 lb 4 oz) if it gets plenty of food, lives long enough, and does not get caught. This is quite simply not the case. Genetics play a huge role on how large a fish can potentially get. Most Florida strain Largemouths, given optimum growing conditions, warm
climates, and an abundance of the right food source (usually hatchery trout), seem to top out at about 16 to 18 lbs.......still a long ways from the 22 lb 6 oz fish needed to break the world record by IGFA standards.
All this said, fish, just as any other living creatures, do vary somewhat in size. So then, a fish which has the genes to get to 19 lbs on an average day, might just go on a
trout-eating binge in which it consumes 3 trout of 1 1/2 lbs apiece, then it is caught,
and BOOM ! We have a new world record of 23 lb 8 oz ! This would be a normal record bass scenario. But here, I want to focus on the abnormal record bass !
The André the Giant Bass ! All creatures, including fish, are born with a complex set of genes which determine among many other things, growth characteristics. Although extremely rare, the genes which determine growth can be abnormal. In many cases the fish might not grow much at all and end up as a runt, which is not able to compete and therefore perishes. In some cases the fish might start out growing very fast, but soon experiences burnout and also perishes. But in a very tiny percentage of these abnormal gened fish, it is possible that everything could line up to produce an extremely outsized individual !
There have been several documented cases of oversized fish of many species being caught, but the following case definitely stands out.
For many years the Massachusetts state record bass held at just over 11 lbs. A very nice bass for the short growing season and harsh Winters associated with that part of the country. Then in 1975 one very lucky angler, Walt Bolonis, was fishing through the ice on Sampson’s Pond for Perch and caught an incredibly huge Largemouth bass of
15 lbs 8 oz ! Mr. Bolonis’ fish not only smashed the Ma. record by over 4 lbs, but also, it might just be the largest Northern strain bass ever caught ! (unfortunately there are no separate records kept for Northern and Florida bass)
Anyway, the point is this: In any fishery which produces a single 15 1/2 lb bass, one might expect to see 3 over 14 lbs, maybe 10 over 13 lbs, and even 30 over 12 lbs............ But the fact is, while Sampson’s Pond is considered to be a good lake for large bass by Ma. standards, it had not even produced a single bass over
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11 lbs for many years before or since Mr. Bolonis’ record catch ! I think it’s safe to say that this bass had some very unusual growth characteristics !
This is most probably a case of abnormal growth genes. But could there be other gene abnormalities which might affect growth ?
The hermaphroditic bass: Many anglers believe that all female bass will produce eggs, and all male bass will fertilize them. However it is a known fact that some bass fail to develop sexually.
How could this affect growth ? Most species of animals expend quite a large part of there life energies / food reserves on making babies. Largemouth bass particularly so. Without the pressure to make babies, one can easily see how a bass could continue to gain weight during the spawn, while all the rest were losing it.
Several years ago I had a personal experience along the lines of hermaphroditic fish. I had decided to raise a breeding colony of an African Cichlid called a Hap. Obliquidens.
I started out with 8 babies of about 1” long. About a month later, two were beginning to show some nice color (a male characteristic) and the other 6 were staying pretty drab. Seven of the eight were growing decently, but one of the drab ones was just leaving the others behind ! When I would feed them, the (already) big one would eat until it looked like it would pop ! Of course I was thinking, “Wow, this one is going to make all kinds of babies” !
At about 3 months this oversized, and increasingly over aggressive fish had the other seven pushed to one small area on the left side of a 100 gallon aquarium ! Occasionally the much smaller males would show signs of interest in the smaller females, but the abnormal fish had no interests other than eating and growing, and trying to run every other fish in its tank out, so it would have all of the space and food for itself ! Needless to say, that fish soon met the porcelain whirlpool !
Against all odds: So, with the possibility of abnormal growth or sex genes, one can easily see how a fish could vastly outgrow its siblings. But here are some things to keep in mind. First of all the occurrence of abnormal genes is exceedingly rare. And of course for those abnormalities to result in what we anglers would perceive as a positive effect (super-growth) is even rarer. Secondly, for any fish to grow a lot larger than all the others necessitates that it feeds a lot more, and more aggressively than all the others. In the basses world, this attitude equates to a much higher likelihood of being caught ! Of course this fish could be in a private, basically unfished pond somewhere. Or maybe it lives in an overlooked or inaccessible area of a popular lake. In any case, I tend to believe that if something is even remotely possible, given enough time, and enough chances, it will eventually occur !
The darker side of human nature: Some people might not want to contemplate this, but there is no sense in burying our heads in the sand ! If you have not noticed, biological science is heading onto some very shaky grounds. Cloning. The unraveling of gene codes. The adding, removing, and reorganizing of individual genes ! For better or (more likely) for worse, we are on the verge of designing life ! With millions of dollars on the line for a world record bass, how long do you think it will take for someone to create a 25 lb........heck a 50 lb bass ?!?!
Of course, even with those kinds of tampered with genes, it would still take a huge amount of luck for a fish to actually live long enough and grow that large without being caught or dying from other causes ! But if it were to grow to record size, should it count as a new world record ? If not, how could we tell it apart from the real thing ?
In closing: I believe we will see a new world record bass within a few years. California has certainly been on a roll in 2001, with several bass over 18 lbs, topped off by a
20 lb 12 ounce giant caught by Mike Long.
So if you see a 23 lb, perfectly shaped, pot bellied hog being held towards you by some very lucky angler, you will have probably seen a normal record bass. But if you see something really crazy........ say for instance, a 26 lb’er, or even bigger, which is not shaped like any bass you have ever seen, please remember this article.
