Research and Field Contributions: Fidel Vidal, José Carlos Mendoza
In Mexico’s most legendary bass lake, two stories compete to define the biggest fish in its history.
This article is part of an ongoing Nomonday editorial investigation into the largest largemouth bass ever recorded in Mexican reservoirs.
Lake Baccarac, in Sinaloa, is probably the most legendary and internationally recognized bass lake in Mexico. For decades, its name has circulated among Mexican and American anglers as shorthand for truly giant largemouths, historic days on the water, and a reputation that does not belong only to the past: Baccarac remains a benchmark whenever trophy bass in Mexico are discussed.
Its prestige began to take shape in the 1980s and 1990s, when the lake became famous for producing double-digit fish at a time when those catches were still exceptional even in many lakes across the southern United States. Over time, that reputation did not disappear; it simply stopped being a novelty and became a reference point.
That is exactly why talking about the Baccarac record is not as simple as citing a single number.
Two different types of record references coexist here: a historically attributed record, accepted for years by the fishing community, and a publicly documented record, whose weigh-in can be seen on video.
The first belongs to Bruce Knutson with 19.10 lb, a catch that for decades has been repeated as Baccarac’s traditional record and, at the same time, as the historically attributed national largemouth bass record of Mexico.
The second belongs to Ray Hill with 19 lb, a giant bass weighed on camera during a program hosted by the legendary Roland Martin.
That duality does not weaken Baccarac’s story. It makes it one of the most interesting cases in the historical record of Mexican bass.
Lake Baccarac remains a benchmark whenever trophy largemouth bass in Mexico are discussed.
Thinking about fishing Lake Baccarac this season?
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The Historically Attributed Record: Bruce Knutson (1993)
Historically attributed record: Bruce Knutson — 19.10 lb — January 17, 1993
Status: community-recognized record
Importance: historically attributed national largemouth bass record of Mexico
Bruce Knutson’s 19.10 lb bass from 1993 should be understood first and foremost as a community-recognized record. In other words, it is a catch that has been upheld for years by lodges, guides, anglers, and specialized media as the main point of reference for this lake, even though it lacks public federation certification and a complete, publicly verifiable visual sequence of the weigh-in.
What public evidence exists — and what evidence doesn't?
This kind of record is part of bass history in Mexico and is not unique to Baccarac. In several Mexican lakes, catches become the accepted standard through repetition and community recognition even when they were never preserved under formal tournament or federation criteria.
In Baccarac’s case, that recognition carries even more weight: Bruce Knutson’s catch has not only been repeated for decades as the lake record, but also as the historically attributed national largemouth bass record of Mexico. That places Baccarac at the center of the Mexican bass-record imagination and, at the same time, makes it one of the most delicate cases to document with precision.
Because this is a community-recognized record, it is important to be clear about what type of public support has not been located so far. This catch does not have public certification from any federation, does not come from a publicly located formal tournament record, and is not supported by a publicly verifiable sequence of photographs or video of the weigh-in.
The only image located of Bruce Knutson. Although this photograph has been used for years to illustrate Baccarac’s historically attributed record, there is no public confirmation that the fish shown is the exact 19.10-pound bass.
In our research, we found only one photograph attributed to Knutson, published by the American site sdfish.org. There is no public evidence confirming that the fish shown in that image is in fact the 19.10 lb bass.
Even so, the catch has been widely accepted within the community as Baccarac’s traditional record. That is precisely where its historical strength lies: not in visible public certification, but in the weight it has carried for decades in the collective memory of largemouth bass fishing in Mexico.
The Record Documented on Video: Ray Hill and the 19-Pound Bass
Record documented on video: Ray Hill — 19 lb — most likely April 1993
Status: publicly documented record
Support: weigh-in shown on a Roland Martin television program
There is, however, another episode that is rarely presented with the same level of clarity.
During this investigation, we located a television program hosted by the legendary Roland Martin — a member of three fishing halls of fame — in which an extraordinary moment at Lake Baccarac is documented. Based on the title, context, and airdate, the footage very likely corresponds to the episode How to Jig Bass Out of Heavy Cover on Mexico’s Lake Baccarac, listed with an airdate of April 10, 1993.
Clip from Roland Martin’s program in which Ray Hill arrives with a giant bass and a 19-pound weigh-in is recorded on camera at Lake Baccarac.
What the Video Does Allow Us to Confirm
At minute 8 of the program, angler Ray Hill approaches with a giant bass. The handheld scale reads 19 pounds on camera.
The weigh-in is shown on video. The scale is visible. The number is recorded.
In that same program, the Mexican record is mentioned as 19.1 lb, acknowledging the catch attributed to Bruce Knutson. In other words, even at that time, the historical record was already part of Baccarac’s narrative.
Sequence from the key moment: Ray Hill shows the fish at Baccarac, Roland Martin presents it on camera, and the handheld scale registers 19 pounds.
The difference from the historically attributed record is minimal — just 0.10 lb — but enough to raise an important question about how Baccarac’s record history should be read.
Full Roland Martin episode filmed at Lake Baccarac, a key piece for understanding the historical context of the lake and Ray Hill’s catch.
Which One Should Be Considered the Baccarac Record?
If historical tradition is taken as the standard, Baccarac’s record continues to be attributed to Bruce Knutson with 19.10 lb, dated January 17, 1993.
If publicly available audiovisual evidence is taken as the standard, the most documented catch is Ray Hill’s 19 lb bass, shown in a Roland Martin program very likely aired on April 10, 1993.
The difference between the two fish is minimal — just 0.10 lb — but from a research standpoint, it matters whether a fish belongs to the category of community-recognized record or publicly documented record.
Both catches are part of Baccarac’s history.
And that duality may explain better than anything else why this lake occupies such a special place in the historical record of Mexican largemouth bass.
Baccarac in the 1990s: The Context Matters
Beyond the debate over a tenth of a pound, what seems beyond dispute is the broader context.
During the 1990s, Baccarac was the most respected lake in Mexico whenever trophy largemouth bass were discussed. Its average fish were extraordinary for the time, its reputation grew among American anglers, and its name began to circulate as a synonym for truly giant bass.
That prestige did not remain trapped in that decade. Over time, Baccarac stopped being merely a novelty and became a lasting and current reference in Mexican bass fishing.
That is why, even today, when records, trophy bass, and giant catches in Mexico are discussed, Baccarac still sits at the center of the conversation.
What Can Be Clearly Stated Today
At this point in the investigation, four things can be stated clearly.
First, the 19.10 lb catch attributed to Bruce Knutson, dated January 17, 1993, remains Baccarac’s historically attributed record and, at the same time, the historically attributed national largemouth bass record of Mexico.
Second, that mark should be classified as a community-recognized record, since no public federation certification, formal tournament record, or verifiable visual sequence of the weigh-in has been located.
Third, Ray Hill’s 19 lb catch, shown on a Roland Martin program very likely aired on April 10, 1993, constitutes the strongest publicly documented record we located for this lake.
Fourth, beyond that minimal difference in weight, Baccarac remains the lake that best summarizes the historical, symbolic, and sporting dimensions of trophy largemouth bass in Mexico.
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A Lake Where Legend Is Also Part of the Truth
There are lakes where records can be understood only through score sheets, scales, and tournament records.
Baccarac is not one of them.
At Baccarac, the record story also lives in anglers’ memories, in old television programs, in lodge stories, in a reputation that crossed borders, and in the shared certainty that some of Mexico’s biggest bass were caught there.
That does not make evidence less important.
On the contrary: it makes it even more necessary.
But it also explains why Baccarac occupies a different place in the historical record of Mexican largemouth bass. In very few lakes is the conversation between community-recognized record and documented record so close, so interesting, and so representative of what bass fishing in Mexico has been.
That is why, whenever trophy fish, history, and real mythmaking in Mexican bass fishing are discussed, Baccarac remains central.
Frequently Asked Questions About the Lake Baccarac Record
What is the bass record in Lake Baccarac?
Is there video of the Baccarac record?
Why is Lake Baccarac so important in the history of Mexican bass fishing?
- Investigación editorial y revisión documental de Nomonday
- Fishing with Roland Martin television program
- TVMaze episode listing: How to Jig Bass Out of Heavy Cover on Mexico’s Lake Baccarac
- sdfish.org
- Nomonday editorial research and documentary review
