12 Jan 2010, 3:27 pm

A lot has been written recently about Manabu Kurita, a 32 year old trophy bass hunter from Japan, about his catch of the new world record largemouth bass.



In case you have been living in a cave, he caught a 22.311 pound largemouth bass on July2, 2009, from one of Japan's oldest lakes, Lake Biwa, a 165,00 acre lake, surpassing George Perry's long standing record of 77 years.

It is illegal to release bass back into the lake in Japan as the Japanese government considers them an invasive species and is trying to irradicate them and the Bluegill that reside there.

This however has nothing to do with the attitude of the majority of Japanese bass anglers or Manabu Kurita regarding this highly prized gamefish.

Manabu is one of my closest friends and has proven his dedication and honesty to me many times over in the past year.

Many of you may have seen the article that appeared recently in Bassmaster magazine on Manabu Kurita and his trophy hunting tactics.



After this article appeared I got many comments on his methods from all over the world, some good, some bad, but, i will tell you now that there is no other trophy bass hunter alive today who is more dedicated and more commited to the pursuit of preservation of trophy largemouth bass than my friend Manabu Kurita.

He is shy and unassuming and his honesty is very refreshing.

He has taken more giant bass on swimbaits, the "Mother" in particular, which he designed himself, than most other anglers could ever hope to see in their lifetime.

Before he landed the new world record bass this year, he already held the lake record for Lake Biwa, with an 18 pound behemoth he caught in 2008 on the "Mother' swimbait.



If you would like to see all of Manabu Kurita's pictures, most of which can not be seen on any website, and talk with him in person, just stop in at Northeast Bass fishing For Trophy Bass website where he is a member and talk with him in the forums. You will not be disappointed!

Congratulations to Manabu Kurita. He is a true trophy hunter dedicated to the pursuit of world record bass like no other. I am proud to say that in the past year he has become one of my closest friends, Another person who helps him a great deal but receives no real credit is Reika Ishaguro who designs his website, communicates his thoughts and wishes to me and others, and also is a great angler in her own right.

30 Dec 2009, 10:26 pm

There still has not been any ruling on the pending record bass caught by Mr. Kurita at Lake Biwa.



It has been half a year; usually records are either approved or disapproved within a couple of months at best.

A new Japanese Yellowtail record (over 100 pounds!) was caught on Oct. 24, 2009, and it has already been approved...


But yellowtail record submissions do not have all the politics that largemouth black bass record submissions do here in Japan.

One of my sources in the know tells me that there is no way the JGFA will allow the grand fish to become a new Japan record--

Caught up in politics...-dsc04276.jpg

especially since it comes from "catch and kill" (catch and release of bass is illegal) Biwa Lake.



Interestingly enough, the IGFA is an autonomous body, and is supposed to make decisions regardless of what other (ie. JGFA) organizations allow/disallow.


Yet the IGFA has not rendered a final decision on this fish.


Steve Mras, multiple IGFA WR holder, emailed me the following:


No decision yet on possible record bass caught in Japan


The IGFA is still waiting additional information before making a decision for world record recognition on a 22 lb 4 oz largemouth bass (Micropterus salmoides), caught by Manabu Kurita, 32, of Aichi, Japan, from that country's largest lake July 2. IGFA conservation director Jason Schratwieser said the World All-Tackle application is still under review after it was received in mid-September through the Japan Game Fish Association (JGFA). "We've been corresponding with the angler via our sister organization, the JGFA," said Schratwieser. Besides being a non-profit fisheries, education and conservation organization, the 70- year old IGFA has long been the world's recognized record-keeping body for over 1100 salt and fresh water recreational fish species. Schratwieser said the bass weighing 10.12 kg (22 lb 4 oz) was pulled from Lake Biwa an ancient reservoir northeast of Kyoto. Photos and video were also submitted with Kurita's written documentation. If approved Kurita's fish would tie the current record held for over 77 years by George Perry caught on Georgia's Montgomery Lake, June 2, 1932, near Jacksonville, Georgia. In North America the largemouth bass, and especially the All-Tackle record, is considered by millions of anglers as the "holy grail" of freshwater fish because of its popularity and the longevity of Perry's record.




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Mr. Kurita has made a complete submission, with more info provided than many submissions that became records with no problem.

It makes one wonder what "additional information" the IGFA could be possibly be waiting for?



I have met Mr. Kurita several times in my tackle store in Aichi, Japan. He is an avid bass angler, with a passion for hunting big fish; it seems very unfortunate that such a fine catch that should bring so much controversy.

Nobody I talked to here can remember a JGFA record submission that has taken this long. I am not going to hold my breath on a ruling anytime soon.

http://delawaretrophybass.com

01 Nov 2009, 5:47 pm

Manabu Kurita told me the truth today about how, when and where he caught the pending world record bass. Every detail. How do I know it's the truth? I know because Mr. Kurita doesn't care if his fish is certified as a world record or not.



Manabu Kurita fishes in the area where he caught the 22-5 largemouth.



Shy and unassuming, the 33-year-old Kasugai native became hooked on bass fishing 18 years ago.

"I saw a photo of a largemouth bass in a magazine and I was very impressed with how it looked. So, I tried fishing for bass and I became passionate about catching them," Kurita explained.

Kurita's passion takes him to the lake more than 150 times a year. According to his estimations — and those close to him consider the estimates conservative — Kurita annually catches more than 100 bass greater than 8 pounds.



On July 2, 2009, he landed his biggest fish ever (although not the biggest he has hooked). The 22-pound, 5-ounce behemoth ate a live sunfish he had rigged on a 5/0 Fina Power Finesse bait hook.

"I had noticed this big fish swimming around the bridge piling, and I was pretty sure she would eat a bluegill. So, about 11:30 a.m., I went to the bridge piling and cast the bait to the north side. I twitched it a couple of times and the big bass ate it. It was my first cast," Kurita explained.



Kurita showed me the exact spot on the bridge, made the exact cast and explained how surprised he was once he landed the fish.



"I knew it was big, but I did not think it was that big," he admitted.



Using the same techniques as when he caught the potential world record, Kurita landed this 8 1/2-pounder while showing the area to Bassmaster Magazine editor James Hall.



The IGFA has not yet certified Kurita's catch as a world record because of a rule that states a record fish cannot come from a sanctuary or no-fishing zone. The remaining question has been about whether the three marked bridge pilings where he was rumored to have caught the fish are no-fishing zones, and, if they are, was Kurita actually fishing near these three pilings? (The other bridge pilings are not marked, so fishing, anchoring and tying to them is totally legal.)



When I asked Kurita to take me to the exact spot where he caught the bass. He did not hesitate. We drove directly to one of the three marked pilings, confirming the rumors that he caught the fish in an area that was marked: "Do not stop." He could just as easily have taken me to another bridge support, one that would have completely negated the naysayers.



His honesty was refreshing. His motives seemed pure.



However, this supported those who questioned the legality of his catch. Does the "Do not stop" sign suggest, and thereby give authorities, the ability to ticket anglers fishing the marked pilings?

This determination is left to the local police and, ultimately, the Japanese Game Fish Association and the International Game Fish Association.



After my meeting with Kurita, I met with Yoichiro Oguri, president and owner of Popeye, a very popular tackle store chain (Japan's version of Bass Pro Shops). Mr. Oguri is a very well-connected and respected icon in the Japanese fishing industry. During our conversation, I asked if he had a contact within the JGFA, and, if so, could he find out the status of the Kurita world record application.



Mr. Oguri contacted JGFA and found out the delay was because of the fact that they were unsure of the local laws surrounding Biwa's no-fishing zones. Mr. Oguri then contacted the Shiga-Ken Police Department (enforcers of Lake Biwa laws). He asked them if fishing was allowed near the three marked bridge pilings. The answer was "yes." It is illegal to anchor or tie to the bridge pilings, but fishing next to or around them is completely legal.



Kurita broke no laws in the catching of the 22-5.



Mr. Oguri then contacted the chairman of the JGFA and informed him of his findings.

Moments later, the JGFA gave Kurita's catch the thumbs up and sent a letter of support to the IGFA. As of this writing, the IGFA has not yet commented on the status of the record. However, it seems all concerns about the legality of this catch have been answered. It is likely Mr. Kurita's bass will be recognized as the biggest largemouth ever caught.



And if for some reason the IGFA still does not recognize Kurita's accomplishment?

"That's OK," Kurita replied with a shy grin. "I think I might be able to catch a bigger one next year."

15 Sep 2009, 11:29 pm

BREAKING NEWS SEPTEMBER 15th, 2009
IGFA receives documentation, photos on pending world record largemouth bass caught in Japan
Weight matches current IGFA record held for 77 years by Georgia's George Perry
fishing tips, knots, white bass, fishing wallpaper, FLW, Stren, Bassmaster, BFL, WBT
Manabu Kurita hold his (pending) World Record Largemouth Bass.
Manabu Kurita hold his (pending) World Record Largemouth Bass.
DANIA BEACH, Fla. USA, (September 15, 2009) --- Documentation for a much talked about 22 lb 4 oz largemouth bass, caught from Japan's largest lake in July, has arrived into the International Game Fish Association (IGFA) headquarters for world record recognition.
Late Monday, the IGFA, the 70-year old non-profit fisheries conservation, education and record-keeping body, received the application for the largemouth bass (Micropterus salmoides), caught July 2, by Manabu Kurita, 32, of Aichi, Japan. IGFA rules for fish caught outside the U.S. allows anglers 90 days to submit their applications from the date of their catch.
IGFA conservation director Jason Schratwieser said the World All-Tackle application is currently under review after it was received through the Japan Game Fish Association (JGFA).
Schratwieser said the application stated the bass weighed 10.12 kg (22 lbs 4 ozs) and was pulled from Lake Biwa an ancient reservoir northeast of Kyoto. Photos and video were also submitted with the written documentation.
Kurita's fish would tie the current record held for over 77 years by George Perry caught on Georgia's Montgomery Lake, June 2, 1932, near Jacksonville, Georgia.
In North America the largemouth bass, and especially the All-Tackle record, is considered by millions of anglers as the "holy grail" of freshwater fish because of its popularity and the longevity of Perry's record.
Largemouth bass have also been introduced in many countries and in Japan fisheries officials consider it an invasive species. In addition, because bass are not native and are stocked in Japan, many speculated that the big bass was a sterile triploid. However when biologists in Japan examined the ova of the big female they concluded that the fish was not triploid.
IGFA World Records Coordinator Becky Wright reported Kurita's fish measured 27.20 inches in length and an almost equal girth of 26.77 inches. She said Kurita was using a blue gill as live bait trolling through a canal.
A decision by the IGFA of whether Kurita's fish will tie Perry's record may take up to a month.
"We have a formal relationship with our sister organization, the Japan Game Fish Association where they first collect and review record applications for fish caught in Japan," said Schratwieser. "It works out well because they not only translate applications but can also contact the angler if more documentation is needed.
"We still have a number of questions to ask them and Kurita regarding local laws and the area he caught it in while he was trolling through a canal on the lake," said Schratwieser.
"We hope to make an announcement in three to four weeks."
Annually the IGFA publishes a comprehensive list of current records on nearly 1100 species of fresh and saltwater fish across the globe in its highly acclaimed World Record Game Fishes (WRGF) book which is divided into all-tackle, line classes, fly, and junior record categories.
The IGFA has been recognized as the official keeper of world saltwater fishing records since its founding in 1939. In 1978 it added the field of freshwater record-keeping when Field & Stream magazine transferred its 68 years of records to the IGFA Fishing Hall of Fame & Museum, the association's world headquarters in Dania Beach, Fla.
The IGFA is a not-for-profit organization committed to the conservation of game fish and promotion of responsible, ethical angling practices through science, education, rule making and record keeping. IGFA members are located in over 125 countries and territories. The IGFA welcomes visitors to its interactive Fishing Hall of Fame & Museum in Dania Beach, Florida.

31 Jul 2009, 7:04 am

The latest news is that this bass was caught in an off limits area of Lake Biwa and is going to be disqualified!

31 Jul 2009, 7:03 am

UPDATE FROM JAPAN!! 7/30/09

I wrote to the Japanese agency responsible for certifying the catch and here is their response.



The angler submitted a world record application to Japan Game Fish

Association. We are in the process of checking it; as soon as it is

confirmed of its validity, the application will be forwarded to the IGFA for a

world record. Because it was a very important catch, we need to take

enough time to make sure everything is correct and IGFA-legal.



Best regards,



Tsutomu Wakabayashi

Secretary-General, Japan Game Fish Association (JGFA)

Asahi Bldg. 2F, 1-11-2 Ebisu, Shibuya-ku, Tokyo

150-0013 JAPAN



Phone:81-3-5423-6022

Fax. :81-3-5423-6023

E-mail: japan@jgfa.or.jp



http://www.jgfa.or.jp/