New World Record Bass???

[FLIPPER]

BIG AZZED BASS

 

[Tom]

25+ lbs, that is one fat fish. He released it too.

 

[MarvB]

Update from today....

March 23, 2006

An accomplished Texas hold 'em player and bass fisherman, Mac Weakley knows when it's time to go all-in and when it's time to fold.

Stuck between a foul-hooked bass and a nearly 74-year-old fishing record that is as sacred to some as the Confederate flag, Weakley folded and walked away from bass fishing history, from George W. Perry's ghost, for now.

Without the record.

Without the controversy, too.

That Weakley landed a 25-pound, 1-ounce bass, the heaviest in the history of bass fishing, should never be disputed.

But Perry's all-tackle, world-record bass of 22 pounds, 4 ounces that he caught June 2, 1932, at Montgomery Lake in Georgia still stands. Weakley stuck a fork in his own intriguing fish story late Tuesday night by deciding he and his fishing buddies, Mike Winn and Jed Dickerson, had enough of the controversy that built each day.

“We've caught big fish before and we'll catch big fish again,” Weakley said late Tuesday after telling the Union-Tribune he was not going to submit his catch to the International Game Fish Association for consideration as the all-tackle, world-record bass. “Jed still has the county record (for his 21-pound, 11-ounce bass, also caught at Dixon and believed to be the same fish before this latest feeding frenzy).

“I had enough people saying it's a world record and I should submit it. But out of respect to everyone around here who fishes for these fish and isn't sure, we want the catch to be right.”

Jason Schratwieser, conservation director for the IGFA, looked forward to getting the world-record application.

“It seems like the guy is a stand-up guy, but he was under so much public scrutiny,” Schratwieser said. “I don't know what we would have ruled. I really think it would have been tough to deliberate on. Let's just say this: Mac Weakley caught a big damn fish. No one will ever be able to take that away from him.”

Most of the controversy centered on the fact the fish was inadvertently snagged and wasn't legally caught by California state fishing regulations, that the bass wasn't hooked in the mouth as it danced on the Bob Sangster Rattlesnake Jig in a white skirt.

Weakley never denied that.

But other controversial components of the story surfaced, and Weakley never backed down from any of them.

Yes, Weakley offered Kyle Malmstrom of Encinitas $1,000 to leave his spot and let him fish for the same bass at Dixon on Sunday.

“Yep, $1,000 and four, five fishing rods,” Weakley said.

Malmstrom didn't give up the spot, but he never caught the bass, either.

No, Weakley, Winn and Dickerson didn't get their permits and rental boat any earlier than they should have Monday, according to concession worker Caitlyn Mittan of the city of Escondido. They bought a camping permit Sunday so they could be on the lake ahead of the fishermen who lined up to fish.

“I can see how guys in line might think that we got an unfair advantage by using the camping permit to get in early,” Weakley said. “But they all can get the same permits and get in the same way. I just wish people would quit focusing on all that and see the most important thing, that the bass is alive today.”

Poway's Mike Long, considered the best big-bass angler in the world, was at Dixon yesterday and had some great conversation with Weakley, Dickerson and Winn. Long believed Weakley had a 70-30 chance to get his record approved.

A true gambler, Weakley would have listened to his gambler's voice and gone all-in on those odds. But another voice, his fishing conscience, told him he'd be answering questions about the foul-hooked world record his entire fishing life. So, after touching Perry's ghost and getting a rush that beat any poker hand he ever won, he walked.

 

[Delw]

Lots of problems with this story, lawyers, bribes etc...
http://www.bassfan.com/news_article.asp?id=1664

BassFan Q&A
Weakley Gives His
Account Of The Catch

Thursday, March 23, 2006





Photo: Mac Weakley
Mac Weakley said Mike Winn held the fish for the photo because he was an experienced fish-handler.


Last Mon., March 20, Mac Weakley fished California's Lake Dixon with friends Jed Dickerson and Mike Winn. In the early hours of that day, he hooked and landed what was potentially a new world-record largemouth bass.

The bass weighed 25-01 on a handheld scale – with evidence captured on video. However, the fish was foul-hooked from a nest, and Weakley returned the fish to the water before it could be measured or weighed on a certified scale. The current world record is 22-04, set by George Perry in 1932.

In the days that followed, controversy erupted around the catch. The public wondered why Weakley and friends conferenced prior to bringing the fish to the dock. Some questioned whether Weakley had intentionally snagged the fish. Other questions included why the fish wasn't weighed on a certified scale, and why the trio had first access to the fish that morning.

In the following Q&A, Weakley tells BassFan the facts from his point of view. Key points that Weakley stresses are:


He did offer to pay Kyle Malmstrom $1,000 on Sun., March 19 for a 30-minute chance at the fish.

He did purchase a camping permit at Dixon, which is in-bounds in hyper-competitive San Diego.

He did not intentionally snag the fish.

He conferenced before bringing in the fish to both celebrate with his friends, and discuss the ramifications of such a monumental fish.

He did not intend to obscure the fact that the fish was foul-hooked.

There was no longer a certified scale at Dixon. He said it was removed when control of the concession stand changed.

He released the fish without measurements and additional photos because he didn't want to risk killing it.

He won't submit the fish to the International Game Fish Association (IGFA) for potential world-record certification.

BassFan: What did it feel like when you hooked, then landed the fish?

Weakley: "You know you're fishing for something that's just huge. It was just a full adrenaline rush. Unfortunately, she got snagged on the side. It sucks, but it happened.

I caught the fish, brought it in, got it in the boat, saw it was foul-hooked on the side, and I couldn't even really think straight – it was such a full adrenaline rush. It was just a really exciting experience to see a fish that big. To see they can grow that large – it was pretty neat.

You've said you won't submit the fish to the IGFA for possible world-record certification. Why not?

I don't want it to be an official, or unofficial, record. The three of us had put so much time into this. At first, people were pushing the fact that it could be (a record) because was it intentional or not? If not, it could be.

I didn't even know those rules even existed. I had no idea they were there. We knew because it was foul-hooked there would be tons of controversy. I didn't know the rules, but I didn't think it would count.

I was just stoked to get a 25-pound bass. That's what the video was for – for us to share as we get older. Everybody wanted a copy, so I gave it to them. People are saying they'll give me money for it, but I haven't received one dollar. I don't want to receive a dollar. I've told everybody, if they send me money, I'll send it to Make-A-Wish.

I have a great job. I really don't think (potential money) would change my life. I'm very fortunate and blessed for what I have. I'm truly blessed with great friends, an awesome family, a good job. So I don't think it would change my life at all.

Even if I hit the lottery, I'd still be going out there with Jed and Mike. We fish saltwater too – we have our own skiff. In fact, I enjoy saltwater fishing more than bass fishing.

The thing that's really sad is, I feel this record's really tarnished by everybody looking at it for this big cash-in they're going to get. That's why I think the record is so popular.

Not only that, but the fact that people are wondering if (bass) can actually grow that large. Between the three of us, we know they can get bigger than that. When you see big fish repeatedly – these fish are 23-, 25-pound fish – you don't see them often, that's for sure. But you definitely know it when you see something that large.

Now that some of the dust is settling, are you anxious to put the whole catch behind you?

Totally. I felt I did the right thing by releasing the fish. The fish is still alive and swimming in there for anybody to have a chance to catch it – whether it's a 12-year-old boy or a 60-year-old man.

That's what I feel is the most important thing – why I was in such a rush to get this fish back inside the lake.

Is that why you didn't officially weigh and measure the fish?

To set the record straight, I didn't want a bunch of people taking photos of it. It's not healthy to pass around the fish. All it takes is one person to drop it on the dock and that fish dies.






"It was not intentional. I was trying to do everything but catch that fish the way I did." – Mac Weakley



Mike (Winn) has been a charter captain, and he has tons of fish-handling skills. I was confident to let Mike do the handling of the fish. Again, the cool thing is the fish is still living. Catch and release is proved to be a very good thing for a lake.

But I'm pretty much ready to put this behind me. This will probably be the last interview I wind up doing. I don't want any product endorsements. If someone sends me free products, I'll give them away to charity.

The other thing is, I've been very open about giving away the pictures and video. It doesn't matter to me.

There seems to be some discrepancy about how you got on the water so early. Could you walk us through that?

People keep talking about that. It's a public thing, and people can go there and do the same thing. If they get outwitted because we actually figured that out (the camping permit), how is that our problem? They have the same right to do the same thing.

San Diego is very competitive – especially for bed-fishing. The more that I look at it, I'll still always enjoy the sport, and there's some really good sportsmen out there – like Mike Long, and definitely five stars for John Kerr.

The fish was foul-hooked – it wasn't properly caught. Therefore, I believe, after thinking about it, that it should not be the record out of respect for the rest of the guys like Long and Kerr, who've put thousands of hours into doing this.

I would like to see people actually try to get the rules down to the wire. All this speculation – what if you're fishing a private lake? What if you have access to certain areas that other people don't have? How is that fair?

So you think the world-record rules need to be refined?

One thing I always discussed is if you're fishing a private lake, and the general public doesn't have access to it, how can that be considered a record?

There's a gray area and people definitely need to refine it if we're to continue to pursue the world record. So when it's caught there's no controversies behind it. I think the controversy sells, and people want to stir everything up with it.

After you caught the fish, you went out toward the center of the lake before coming to the dock. Can you discuss that?

We went to the middle of the lake because it was something we wanted to experience for the three of us. We were high-fiving each other, and stoked to see the fish. That's it. Those were our thoughts.

And, "What do we do?" It wasn't because I'm going to turn this fish in as the official record. That's ridiculous. There were already witnesses on the docks who saw it was foul-hooked.

People also need to understand, I can't respond to people's questions that everyone has immediately on the Internet. I don't know how many calls I got. It was like people were pulling from every limb of your body.

So to set the record straight, you did not intentionally snag the fish, and you had no intention of ever obscuring the fact that is was foul-hooked?

I don't even know how I could answer that. My intention was to catch the fish. Things happen when you're fishing. Maybe I jumped the gun, and I set (the hook) out of sequence. Obviously I did. You know how it is when you're bed-fishing. A big fish can come in and in a second suck in and blow out a gallon of water. There was also the male to contend with.

When you're fishing that early in the morning, and it's windy, and rainy, and I pretty much have a major astigmatism, so I can't see that well as it is. The fish was foul-hooked. I admit it.

Kyle (Malmstrom) told us (on Sunday) that he actually saw the fish, felt it – actually saw that it picked it up his bait, that he got bit by it. That's the nature of the bass. That's just how it is.

We're human beings. We're not perfect. You can't always be perfect. The guys on tour fishing professionally, they do one little thing wrong and they lose a big fish. It comes out after the fact that maybe you feel bad, maybe you should have got the net out instead of flipping it up on the boat.

I'm human. I made a mistake. Unfortunately, it happened on a big fish. But it's not the only big fish it's happened on.







Photo: Jed Dickerson
Weakley said Jed Dickerson's fish first weighed 22-09, but by the time the warden arrived, it weighed 21-11.


I've had other big fish eat a jig and I didn't have the drag set right. Everybody has their fish story about the one that got away. That's the thing. Everybody wants to know if it was intentionally snagged. It was not intentional. I was trying to do everything but catch that fish the way I did.

Kyle Malmstrom told us you offered him $1,000 on Sunday for a chance to catch the fish. Is that true?

I sure did. Absolutely. Everybody thinks I'm going to stray away from that question. Jed offered him five rods (for the chance). We saw him (Kyle) fishing for this fish for a long period of time. He even let me inside of his boat, so I could take a look at that fish.

The first words out of my mouth when I saw it were, "That's Jed's fish." (Weakley's fish is believed to be the same fish Jed Dickerson caught in 2003, when it weighed 21-11. – Ed.)

He (Kyle) wanted to borrow my cell phone. His wife was giving him a hard time for being out there so long, so he made me talk to his wife to convince her that is was Jed's fish, and that he needs to stay.

He kind of stared at it in the water, and we talked back and forth. At that point, he said he's not going to leave. We decided we'd get a campsite so we'd be the first ones out.

People are losing sight of the fact that people can actually see a fish that big on a video and photo. There's so many people here that do things like poach, and there's people that snag – people who do all kinds of things. And the nature of the bass – that's how it is.

That's why I tell everybody, I hope it's a 12-year-old boy sitting on the dock (who catches the official record), so people will give it a break. If it comes from any professional, they'll always be wondering, how did you catch it?

Does that controversy have you feeling down?

I'm setting the record straight, telling you right now, it's not the record, and should not be the record.

It's the same bad beating I watched Jed take. I saw Jed weigh his fish at 22-09 (in 2003). But by the time the warden got there, it weighed 21-11.

Back then, we were like, "That's ridiculous. All the witnesses said the fish was 22-09, and (he) should be awarded that." Well, I'm not a biologist, but from what I hear, these fish can actually lose weight as they stress out. They regurgitate.

The ranger on the dock watched it spit out food. Jim Dayberry, the ranger, was like, "That's BS, I saw the thing weigh 22-09. He got robbed."

He was a member of the BBRC (Big Bass Record Club) at the time. (The BBRC would have paid $1 million for a new world record. – Ed.) We could have caused a huge stink. I'm not going to cause a huge stink of this.

There was a certified scale at Dixon when Jed weighed his fish, but it's no longer there, right?

Before, back when Jed weighed his fish, there was a certified digital scale up on the dock. What happened was, the man that owned the dock and concession stand – his name was Lyle – he got rid of the dock, and apparently the city owns the rights to the concession stand.

Lyle took his certified scale. But after the fact, (lake superintendent) Tony Smock told us they have a digital scale in the ranger station.






"It's the same bad beating I watched Jed take." – Weakley



First of all, I didn't know they had that scale. Second, I was not about to go toting that fish all over the place. It's not right when there's a whole circus around with a bunch of people poking at it and lifting it out of the water.

When Jed weighed his fish, at the end of the day, at least a hundred people had to pick up Jed's fish just to see it. That's what people aren't looking at here. People want to bring up a bunch of negative crap because it sells, and people are jealous.

The thing they shouldn't discount is the fact the fish weighed 25 pounds. There's no doubt it was foul-hooked, and no doubt it shouldn't qualify, but it weighed 25 pounds.

I looked at some of the comments on BassFan and other sites, and told the guys from ESPN that it looks to be the public out there is looking at this like a 50-50 thing – 50% are wanting this thing to be the world record, then 50% don't.

Mike and Jed and myself talked (Tuesday) night. We said, "We've been doing this a long time, and we know we have the edge as far as breaking the record. We've gotten close so many times, but we've always gone back after the fact and said, 'Forget it.'"

I looked at Jed when his weighed 21-11 and said, "Forget it. We'll go get a bigger one and blow everybody's mind."

So we decided we'll go back out, do what we do well, have a good time, and if we break it, we break it.

I think this thing has gotten way out of control. The thing I want to get across is, let's keep the integrity of it – keep that right there at all times.

I know there's a lot of people out here that do a lot of fishing at nighttime, and a lot of BS stuff. Hopefully, this will push people to do the right thing about it.

Notable

> A big question is whether the fish will attempt to spawn again this spring. Dickerson said he'll be at the lake this week, but he's not sure if he'll fish. "I'm hearing stories of people coming from Japan to spend the whole spring here – all kinds of crazy stuff. It'll be bumper-boats out there. Who knows if she'll come up or not. As big as she's gotten, I can't believe nobody's caught her on a swimbait yet."

> BassFan News is brought to you by Rapala.

 

[Delw]

this is the very first report the above Q&A was in responce to this

Dock Watcher
Weakley's Catch As
Barnett Witnessed It

Tuesday, March 21, 2006





Photo: Mac Weakley
Mac Weakley's monster, held here by friend Mike Winn, was released from the dock at Lake Dixon.


Yesterday (Mon., March 20, 2006), California angler Mac Weakley caught a largemouth bass from Lake Dixon that could have been the new all-tackle world record.

On a handheld scale, shown through videotape evidence, the fish weighed 25-01, which was nearly 3 pounds heavier than the previous record of 22-04 set by George Perry of Georgia in 1932.

Weakley released the fish before it could be weighed on a certified scale, and without measuring the fish. The reason? It was foul-hooked.

Various news sources have printed differing accounts of what transpired yesterday morning. BassFan has yet to speak with Weakley, but what follows in an eyewitness account from 18-year-old Steve Barnett of Rancho Bernardo, Calif.

Sunday Spotting

The story begins not yesterday, but the day before, when the behemoth was found by a young angler. Barnett said his brother Dan was a witness that day.

"My brother Dan was there with his friend Boon and they were fishing and saw Kyle on the fish," Barnett said. "Jed (Dickerson) and Mac (Weakley) and possibly Mike Winn were there. I guess they were out on the docks talking and Mac pulled out $1,000 cash and said he'd give it to Kyle, who was originally on the fish.

"Dan and Boon were standing right next to him, and Dan told me, 'Mac pulled $1,000 cash out, and said it's for Kyle if he gets off the fish.'"

So to recap, according to Barnett, his brother Dan was at Dixon on Sunday, where he saw the young angler Kyle (last name unknown) fishing to the potential world record, after which Weakley offered $1,000 to Kyle if he'd get off the fish.

Monday Morning

Barnett and his brother started high school at 9:30 a.m. on Monday morning, which gave them plenty of time to fish the first hour at Dixon.

"So we got up there super early – we were the first in line, ready to go in the lake," Barnett said. "Once the ranger opened the gate, we drove down to the lake and Dan jumped right out of the car with his rod – the fish was almost fishable from the dock.

"We got there and then Jed and Mac and Mike were already there. We thought, 'What the heck? What's going on?' We were kind of bummed out. Apparently they did it with some kind of camping pass, which lets you go before everybody else.

"All we could do was sit there and watch."

The Connection

From the dock, Barnett said he had a clear view of Weakley's presentation, hookset and landing. Note that the fish was bedding in clear water.

"After less than an hour, Mac swung for the first time," Barnett said. "He ended up swinging a total of five times, and on the fifth swing he got it. (The swings) were on separate casts. He'd do a flip here, a flip there, then a swing.

"I was counting. And he was using the same bait, which is really rare – for a fish to be so interested in the same bait.

"(Dickerson) did throw his Mission Fish in there once, but didn't swing."

According to Barnett, Weakley connected on his fifth swing. "They got the fish and it went straight out to deep water – like a tow truck. They yelled, 'Get the net! Get the net!'

"Right before they netted it, Dan and I saw the fish. It was foul-hooked down the left side of the fish, right next to the dorsal fin."

The trio netted the fish about 10 feet away from the dock. "They were flipping out," Barnett said. "Then they said, 'We have to go talk to our lawyer.' So they went out to the middle of the lake.

"After 15 minutes they came back. I was talking with – I believe it was Mac, but I can't say I'm positive. It was either Mac or Jed. One of the two came up – it's the only blurry memory – and they were standing with me and Dan, and (Mac or Jed) said something like, 'Yeah, there's a weird mark on its side.'

Barnett added: "I don't know why he said that, because Dan asked him before what they were going to do with it because it was foul-hooked. I don't know – it was trippy, a little weird."






Weakley's fish is assumed to be the same fish Jed Dickerson caught in 2003 (pictured here).


Barnett said his brother Dan then brought attention again to the foul hook. "They said, 'I don't know about this mark – what's up with that?' But Dan's like, 'Yeah, that's where you foul-hooked it."

At that point, Barnett noted there was some silence, then he remembers Mac saying, "Hey, just let the fish go – get rid of it."

But there had not been a photo taken of the fish yet, nor measurements. And it hadn't been weighed on a certified scale, which would have been delivered to Dixon on request.

Barnett said: "Everybody's saying he's got to get a picture, but Mac was getting antsy to get the fish back. They even asked him to get a measurement. Mike Winn said they had to have a measurement. Mac said they didn't need it – they'd already gotten one a couple years ago (see Notable)."

Barnett said of the release: "They let it go and it went straight down. It was the biggest fish I've ever seen in my life. And it was obviously the biggest one I've ever touched. I took the rope stringers off for the picture, and Mike Winn was holding the fish.

"When the thing was sitting in the water, an inch or two of its back was out of the water. When it was breathing, water was just rushing out back of its gills."

After the release, Barnett noted that he, Mac and the rest of the people on the dock "talked for a little while. It was cool. They're pretty cool guys."

Fair or Foul?

There's no doubt the fish was foul-hooked. Weakley has readily admitted that. But was it intentionally foul-hooked?

Barnett said: "Every guy I've spoken with has asked me that same question. All I can say to every person is, they were working their jigs and doing sweet stuff. They were doing some pretty enticing things with their jig – shaking it pretty good.

"A lot of times they were working it into a bed, then dead-sticking it for a while, then they'd start working it again. All they told me at the end of it was, 'When you get a big fish like that, that noses up on your bait, you don't want to take the chance – you have to swing."

Barnett added: "I didn't say anything to that, but I didn't agree with it. I would have felt the fish before I swung, but I don't think he tried to snag it."

Notable

> BassFan will conduct an interview with Weakley in the near hours, but he was quoted in the San Diego Union-Tribune as saying he released the fish because, "We figured that was the right thing to do. I didn't want to put it on the dock, measure it and then take a chance it would die."

> Most assumed that tiny 70-acre Dixon would be a madhouse today, but Barnett said he spoke with an angler on the lake. "Nobody's there. I thought it would be full – packed – but nobody's there."

> Weakley's fish is thought to be the same fish Dickerson weighed in 2003 (21-11), and the same fish Mike Long caught twice before that. The small black spot on the lower jaw is the telltale sign. Long did a scale-sample study that he said conclusively linked his fish to Dickerson's 2003 catch.

> Can the catch be considered for the new IGFA all-tackle world record? Yes, the IGFA considers every application, and would consider Weakley's if he files it. Is it likely to be accepted as the new record? No, because his "take" (or possession) of a foul-hooked fish is a violation of California fish and game regulations.

 

[Elkhunter]

I have one like that on my wall and every time I walk by it's head moves and he sings to me.