Possible World Record Bass Caught and Released

Angler Scott Duclos of Santa Rosa, CA, caught the fish of a lifetime on March 1, 1997.



Duclos landed a potential world record Largemouth bass on 75 acre Spring Lake, on the outskirts of Santa Rosa. The problem is, he released it without getting official measurements and other pertinent information.

When Duclos landed the fish he called his wife at home and had her bring the bathroom scales to the lake. They weighed the fish on the scales, and it weighed an even 24 lbs. This is where the story becomes cloudy. Duclos took photographs of the trophy fish and then released it back to the lake.

Duclos claimed that he thought the world record was in the 27 lb. range, and told reporter Terry Knight of the Lake County Record Bee that he had never killed a fish before and he didn't plan to start with this one.

Knight, who has interviewed Duclos extensively, says that he has had a number of photo experts Examine the photo and that they estimated the fish to be approximately 29-31 inches in length. They estimated the girth of the fish to be approximately 29-30 inches.

In comparison to the current world record of George W. Perry, this fish definitely stacks up. Perry's Bass was caught in 1932 at Montgomery Lake Georgia. This behemoth bass weighed 22 lb. 4 oz. had a length of 32 1/2 in. And the girth was 28 1/2 in.

No one is quite sure what will happen with this monster bass. That remains up to the California Department of Natural Resources and the International Game Fish Association.

We will update you as new information is gathered and more facts are verified.

Tim Tipton, Professional Outdoor Writer
P.O. Box 556
Brooks, KY 40109