Was Giant Japanese Bass Caught Off Limits?

We knew it was going to take quite a long time to verify whether Manabu Kurita had indeed landed the world record bass at the beginning of this month, but questions keep coming up, each one making it harder for Kurita to take sole possession of the record.

First was the fuzzy rule about the weight: 22 pounds, 5 ounces. Technically, it weighed more than the world record of 22 pounds, 4 ounces. By IGFA rules, however, any fish under 25 pounds that is a contender for world-record status must top the current world record by two ounces.

Now there’s a question about where the fish was caught. It may have been hooked in an area closed to fishing. The area is being investigated by the IGFA. If Kurita did get his monster bass in an off-limits area, George W. Perry’s world record from 1932 will continue to stand alone. --Lance Madden