large muskegon lake largemouth

[biggybassy]

hello, im new to this forum. I was out fishing the other day and i caught what i believe to be a very big bass. I have very high standards(i don't consider anything under 4 pounds big for a bass) i was casthing with my bread and butter bait (blue floating rapala) and hooked up with a 8lb 02oz bass!!!! I dont keep bass and i resent anyone that does, but i am going to get a reproduction mount. anyone from the muskegon area know a good place, iv'e never had a fish mounted before.
Thanks alot

[icefishermanmark]

do you have a picture of that hog? That's a HUGE Michigan bass.

[Fishfoote]

I've used Arnson's quite a few years ago, he did a pretty good job and is right across the street from north muskegon Meijers. Alternatively, Dan's Taxidermy (member of this site) has many excellent pictures of his work posted and he does replicas - I don't know if Arnson's does and cannot vouch for his replica work.


Basseater ;)

[wally-eye]

Ain't never seen an 8 lb bass from Michigan. Ain't saying there ain't any just didn't think I would hear about one from Muskegon Lake.... :yikes:


Been fishing 55 years and 6 lb is my biggest..........that was around Jackson about 35 years ago.....

Sure would like to see pictures and what the length and girth was?

[J - Rod]

That is huge. Muskegon Lake does serve up some big fish of all species. I don't keep bass either, but why would you resent someone that does? Maybe your just being facetious. They are one of the few fish in MI that can sustain themselves without stocking.

[kumma]

Welcome to the site and congrats on the nice fish. Post a picture of it I'd love to see a Michigan largemouth like that, what did it measure 23"-24"?. Oh and I plan on eating a few bass this summer so you might want to keep your resentment to yourself. Us sportsmen get enough grief from non-sportmen, no need for hate within our ranks.

[sfw1960]

I've had on (for a very short time) some bass near that size before , and NO (kumma) the are closer to 26"-28" and you can easily fit two coke cans in the mouth without having to crush them to fit them in there!!
:yikes::yikes:
Great job & good luck with your mount!
We'd ALL love to see it.......

[bigsid]

I witnessed a largemouth cough up a 6 inch gill I caught last year. The gill was completely scaled! I don't know about 8#, but that hog must have went at least 5 or 6. Oh yeah, if I would've landed him I'd have eaten him myself in one sitting! :lol:

J/K! ;) ...I would've pitched him back. Just my preference. I'd rather eat gills any day.

Sid

[waterfoul]

I guess I've been luckier than some then.... I have boated at LEAST 8 large mouth over 6 lbs. One of them was near 8 lbs, it was 25" long and full of eggs... no scale and being full of eggs, she went back in. Caught on opening day, 1987 on Glen Lake. I've caught at least 4 smallmouth that have been 5+ lbs, including one over 6 lbs, again from Glen Lake on opening day many years ago. I have two 6 lb bass hanging on my wall.

But Sunday I couldn't catch a keeper to save my ***... right Justin?? :rant: managed to boat 2 fish tonight over 3 lbs from Duncan Lake. Had a good night. Sunday SUCKED!!!!!! :sad:

[Moron]

I've had on (for a very short time) some bass near that size before , and NO (kumma) the are closer to 26"-28" and you can easily fit two coke cans in the mouth without having to crush them to fit them in there!!
:yikes::yikes:
Great job & good luck with your mount!
We'd ALL love to see it.......
Sounds about right.
The biggest bass I ever caught was 6# and measured 23 1/2". It's appeared to have recently spawned, as the bottom of it's tail was raw. The funny part about it is I caught it on a long shank #8 hook with a chunk of crawler while trying to get some small gils for catfish bait. The hook bearly fit around it's lip and it got bogged down in loose vegetation making it easy to land when it was only 10 foot away from shore originally. That was back in '83.

And as long as you catch a fish that's legal to keep, it's your option to either release it or eat it, anyone bothered by that has a personal problem and should keep it that way. ;)

[wecker20]

I'd have to see a pic. of an 8 pounder and official scale results to believe it. Sorry, that's just me. Maybe there bigger fish down there than up here. Been fishing tourneys for 6+ years and the biggest brought to a scale was 5-6lbs. Have heard of 7 pound smallies on Tourch chain but never witnessed it. I don't keep bass either but if someone wants to eat thier catch, it's totally fine w/ me. That is what our grandfathers and so on did w/ the fish they caught.

[biggybassy]

i didn't have a camera at the time (one of the rare times that i haven't) but i took all the measurments so i think i can get a reproduction mount. caught it on a size thirteen blue floating Rapala in the mouth of the river where the tall grass is the riverbank

[biggybassy]

it measured only 25 1/2 inches and although it was a fat bass i was really suprised because 20 inches is right around 4 pounds for most largemouth. i guess i thought it would have been longer

[Crazy Bird Hunter]

I will second Arnsons Taxidermy for most excellent work. I don't know about replica work but Brent has done quite a few fish for my family and I won't go anywhere else. His phone is 231-774-8374. By the way, NICE FISH! Too bad you didn't have a camera...you don't catch those every day.
Good Luck with your mount.:fish:

[biggybassy]

thanks, maybe i will check arnson's taxidermy out and see if they can do a reproduction mount

[fishonbb]

i know of a lake south of g. rapids that holds some giants like that and myself i've caught them up to 7 1/2 pounds there but also this is a private lake and i always release them but i do have one mounted, the 7 1/2 pounder and i have heard of a 9 pounder come out of there.

[booktens]

Brent Arnson is one of the best, Won't take my fish or animals anywhere else !!

[thedude]

i know of (and have seen on the wall) 2 9lbers that came from S. MI.
I can also see muskegon being a lake that would give up a big fish every so often. There seems to be plenty of fish there in the 4-5lb range, so something in the 8-9lb class isn't that unbelievable to me. I would guess your fish (at 25") was closer to 6.5 - 7lbs though... i've personally held several Florida bass right at 9lbs and they all measured over 28". Not say though that yours didn't have a huge girth or something....
its hard to guestimate a big bass's weight becuase their enormous mouths make them look even bigger. :)

great catch nonetheless!!

if you have the girth try this formula.....
(Length X Length) X Girth ÷ 1200

[icefishermanmark]

what's the state record? My friend has an 11lb. Michigan bass on his wall.

[Ladygill]

I believe it is 11.94 pounds. :fish: