Lunker

Missouri: Possible Record Striper: The MDC is confirming the catch. Cunningham weighed the fish on certified scales at the MDC hatchery below Table Rock Dam at about 7:30 that morning.

Aug 24, 2011.

It weighed 60.55 pounds and was just over 47 inches long.

Big Smallmouth Days

This past week was a dream for any smallmouth fanatic — we caught and filmed an epic run of trophy fish. Several smallies topped 6 lbs, and five fish we weighed all broke the 5 lb mark on a digital scale. Every bite was a reminder why chasing these giants is just plain electric.

It was a mixed-bait bonanza: jerkbaits, football jigs, crankbaits, and lipless cranks all drew heavy strikes. Still, the “sour grape rouge” and football head jigs were the clear standouts — nothing beats seeing a big smallie crush a classic bait.

Newer Record Set!

New World Record Sunfish Caught: He was soaking a live nightcrawler a foot above bottom on a drop-shot rig in 10 feet of water on mighty Lake Havasu February 16, hoping to hook a sunfish or perhaps a bass, when something remarkably large inhaled his bait. In-Fisherman… Dan Johnson - February 28, 2014

“I couldn’t believe it,” he says. “I’ve caught red ears up to 2½ pounds, but nothing close to this.”