[jerry condrey]

I have it on good authority that a huge largemouth bass of 16.8 pounds was shocked up last month at High Point City Lake. It does not surprise me a bit. I know there are huge fish in that lake.
If caught, she would smash the state record of 15 pounds 14 oz.

 

[GripaLip]

Holy !!!!! I think I know where I'm going to break in the new yak in 2 weeks........

 

[Abert43]

Time to plan a trip up

 

[sundrop]

Last month she was probably full of eggs, wait til next year now..

 

[jerry condrey]

True enough. I read somewhere though that as female bass age, they produce fewer eggs. Anyway, her very presence tells me she has passed the genetic material for growth to her offspring. I hope so anyway.lol
However.. I called there and no one had heard of a shocking survey being done this year, but the employee said there was a netting survey.

 

[Bleedingblue]

Wow, that is a beast! Definitely shows there is potential to have quite a few double digit fish in there.

 

[turtlestew]

Sometimes I wonder if these stories are like the ones you hear about the man sized catfish that the "divers" saw at the dam of every lake on the motor retrieval mission. Sure do hear alot about huge bass getting shocked up in local lakes, but never any pics Not doubting your story Jerry, just wouldn't be suprised if there was a little embellishment going on. You would think someone would take a pic of a 16.8!

 

[OptiMystic]

Sometimes I wonder if these stories are like the ones you hear about the man sized catfish that the "divers" saw at the dam of every lake on the motor retrieval mission. Sure do hear alot about huge bass getting shocked up in local lakes, but never any pics Not doubting your story Jerry, just wouldn't be suprised if there was a little embellishment going on. You would think someone would take a pic of a 16.8!

I like the catfish variation where a tractor trailer goes off the bridge while carrying chickens. The divers come back up scared because there are catfish down there eating whole chickens. I heard it about Brown's Bridge at the upper end of Lanier when I grew up and have since heard the same story about a number of other lakes...

 

[jerry condrey]

Yup. I have seen fish up close over ten from there, been in the boat when two were caught.

 

[jerry condrey]

Sometimes I wonder if these stories are like the ones you hear about the man sized catfish that the "divers" saw at the dam of every lake on the motor retrieval mission. Sure do hear alot about huge bass getting shocked up in local lakes, but never any pics Not doubting your story Jerry, just wouldn't be suprised if there was a little embellishment going on. You would think someone would take a pic of a 16.8!

I know, right? But this person swears to it, so I will believe it for now.

 

[jerry condrey]

Honestly though, I fail to see why Wildlife would take pics and release them to the public, ya know? Maybe this person was not supposed to say anything, who knows. But I have known him for 20+ plus years, and his business lends itself to working with NCWRC, so I believe him. I think that a bass that can break the state record by less than a pound (which is certainly very possible) should not be relegated to the backroom of fishing tales of catfish trying to swallow divers, lol.

 

[OptiMystic]

I was really bummed the first time I heard someone tell the chicken truck story about another lake. When the water was low (relatively speaking; it was probably still 50' or more there) and clear you could make out something rectangular down below the bridge that was supposedly the bones of the flat bed because the scared divers didn't hook up the cables and it wasn't salvageable after a few days. I so believed that story when I was young. I wish I was still that naive sometimes.

 

[turtlestew]

Honestly though, I fail to see why Wildlife would take pics and release them to the public, ya know? Maybe this person was not supposed to say anything, who knows. But I have known him for 20+ plus years, and his business lends itself to working with NCWRC, so I believe him. I think that a bass that can break the state record by less than a pound (which is certainly very possible) should not be relegated to the backroom of fishing tales of catfish trying to swallow divers, lol.

To be fair, the versions of the catfish story I heard never involved attempted ingestion, just menacing looks and scared divers that wouldn't go back I definitely believe there's a state record somewhere out there. I've just heard rumors about state record breaking fish shocked up on about every lake around here though. Just seems if they were all true, someone woulda broke the record by now. But who knows.

 

[sundrop]

I large flathead will grab a duck.. just saying....

 

[Nat's Dad]

Well if there is a state record in that old lake I expect she won't fall for no dang speedcraw.

 

[turtlestew]

If there's a state record in HPCL, Jerry will be the one to catch it! Hoping to see pics!

 

[Bleedingblue]

I definitely believe there's a state record somewhere out there. I've just heard rumors about state record breaking fish shocked up on about every lake around here though. Just seems if they were all true, someone woulda broke the record by now. But who knows.

I agree that they are probably all not true but I do believe pretty much every lake has some fish that are way bigger than you would expect. The problem is that there are so very few of them. The giant fish from this story is very likely the biggest bass in the whole lake. Even on a small lake like HPCL the odds of presenting your lure to that particular fish are low. Since that is an old and wise fish, presenting it a lure that it will hit are even lower. You could fish that lake every day for a years and never get the right combination at the right time. This is why ponds give up so many big fish. First the size make it much easier to get the lure to the fish. Also the nature of ponds have low pressure so when that lure is presented the fish are less educated and likely to hit.

 

[GripaLip]

Even on a small lake like HPCL the odds of presenting your lure to that particular fish are low. Since that is an old and wise fish, presenting it a lure that it will hit are even lower. You could fish that lake every day for a years and never get the right combination at the right time.


I'll be glad to give it one heck of a shot though.........

 

[biglenr]

Did he happen to mention what part of the lake the bass was shocked in?


Just curious.... I haven't launched my kayak there 3 times in the last month or anything....

 

[jerry condrey]

No, Len, he didn't say. A shock survey conducted in '98 gave up a 15 near the East Fork bridge, however. I will say in my opinion she's almost certainly living near the river channel, probably the eastern arm of the lake. Every lake has areas that give up big fish more consistently than others , and one area in particular out there not only gave up the lake record of 11-2, but several over ten pounds. My pb out there is nine-three, and I grant you I have had ahold of some much bigger, that eluded me for one reason or another. My cousin Rick was throwing a crank near the dam last week, and a huge bass hit his bait and screamed to deep water. He got her up once, saw it was indeed a bass, she sounded and snapped his line. Said she turned the boat!