I am sure that, as a good angler, you have asked yourself what is the record for the largest largemouth bass caught in Mexico?  And I also bet that every time you go fishing to a lake you ask yourself the same question for the record of the largest largemouth bass caught in that lake and in that state. Well, to answer you, we took on the task of researching about those records, their stories and, why not to say it, their legends.

To begin with, we did a quick scan of the internet, blogs, portals and social networks to see what we could find about the records of the largest largemouth bass caught in Mexico and in each state.

It was a very fun exercise that left the whole team of nomonday with a lot of interest, so we decided that, starting with this article, we are going to be pro of the subject of the records of bass in Mexico and soon we will have an exclusive section about it in our portal.

Well, so as not to make the subject longer, let’s get into the matter.

First place in bass record: trophy bass in lake Baccarac, Sinaloa, Mexico.

The largest bass caught in Mexico weighed 19.10 pound (8.66 kg), caught on January 17, 1993 by American angler Bruce Knutsen.

It was nothing more and nothing less than in the lake Baccarac, in Sinaloa. We did not find much data or evidence about this record. However, we must consider that, at that time, Baccarac was undoubtedly the lake with the largest largemouth bass in Mexico. They averaged 6.6- 8.8 pounds (3-4 kg) and there were plenty of them.

Here is a video of what the Lake Baccarac was like in those days and the size of the bass that were caught. The fisherman in the video is none other than Roland Martin (blue shirt) who at the time was the first professional bass angler to be inducted into three halls of fame.

The amazing thing about this video is that you can see (minute 8) how another angler named Ray Hill is approaching them with a monster bass of 19 pound (8.61kg).  And they talk about the Mexican record of 19.1 pounds (8.66 kg). That is, they also recognize this record (Bruce Knutsen´s record).

An Unofficial record

Bruce Knutsen’s 1993 record is not official, formally speaking, because it was not achieved in an official tournament, nor did it follow the record-keeping canons of any national or international sportfishing federation or any other entity.

Moreover, although there are witnesses, there is some controversy because some say that in Lake Baccarac  they have caught bigger bass than this one. However, this catch has been during all these years widely considered as accurate. It has been described by dozens of Mexican and American portals as the Mexican record.

In our search we only found a photo of Bruce Knuston published by sdfish.com. We could not confirm if the bass he is showing is the 19.10 pounds (8.66kg) bass.  According to the website, it set a record not only in Mexico but also in Central America and is considered one of the 25 (23rd place) largest bass caught in the history of sport fishing.

However, it is a case where more evidence will have to be collected, such as photos, interviews with the fisherman and witnesses. It is definitely a good topic for a future research article. What we do know for sure, is that the record was achieved in Lake Baccarac, Sinaloa, Mexico, either with Bruce Knuston’s famous largemouth bass catch (19.10 pounds) or with Ray Hill’s (19.10 pounds) our friend in the video.  

Second place for the largest bass caught in Mexico: records and legends.

The second-place falls in Tamaulipas, Mexico at lake Falcon, with a 18.04 pounds (7.08 kg) bass. Caught by American fisherman Tommy Law in 2011.

This record complied with the procedures of the Angler Recognition Program of the Texas Parks & Wildlife which is the Texas government agency that manages parks in that state and protects wildlife. 

According to an interview conducted by the website wired2fish.com, Tommy Law was working as a fishing guide at Falcon Lake when he caught the bass and told the interviewer; “I put her on the scale and it said 15-pounds, 9-ounces. I thought my eyes were playing tricks on me so I asked Jeff to read it. He said the same thing so we called James at Falcon Lake Tackle and he and TPWD officer met me at the ramp to weigh and certify the fish at 15.63 pounds”.

Tommy Law’s record is disputed by a widely spread story, or rather “legend”, about an apparent record obtained at the famous and immense Lake Las Adjuntas  (Vicente Guerrero Dam) also in Tamaulipas.

According to some websites, in 1989 the American angler Dennis Vinson caught a bass weighing 15.63 pounds (8.18 kilos). However, we did not find any record, testimonial or photo of Dennis Vinson or his bass, therefore, it remains as a legend.

Third place for the largest bass: the story of Barba & Morales.

The third place has a follow-up of records inside one of the most emblematic lakes in Mexico, Cuchillo Lake, in China, Nuevo Leon.

To begin with, the first record was set in 2001 by a legendary angler, Jesús Morales, from Monterrey, with a 14.37 pounds (6.52 kg) bass catch. This record is registered with the National Federation of Sport Fishing (Mexico), so it was considered official.

The record of Jesús Chuy Morales lasted fourteen long years. Until, in 2016, Javier Barba, from Guadalajara, Mexico, arrives to Cuchillo Lake and achieves in that year’s Nuevo Leon Cup, a catch of a 6.62 kg (14.59 lb) bass, no more and no less.  The Nuevo Leon Cup is organized by the National Federation of Sport Fishing (Mexico), so this record followed the procedures for its registration

In an interview given to the portal dondepescar.com Javier Javi Barba commented super proud; “Those who like bass fishing will know how difficult it is to get a trophy like this, personally it is my record and I think it is almost impossible to reach again”.

And about his experience he comments; “but the moment, the emotion and the adrenaline of having this beautiful animal on my rod I will take it with me for the rest of my life, today that beautiful bass is swimming again and waiting for another enthusiastic fisherman who has the great luck that I had today”.

Fun fact

The most surprising part of this story is that the fishing guide who accompanied Javi Barba that day was none other than Chuy Morales. To whom Javi thanks at the interview; “thanks to my friend, fishing partner and teacher Chuy Morales who for me is the greatest name in Mexico in bass fishing who until today had for 14 years, 3 months and two days the record of this lake, Thank you very much Chuy, this record is still yours and I say it with much respect Thank you!”

Behind a good catch there will always be a good story. Finally, we would like to invite you to participate in our search and compilation of Mexican bass fishing records. We are building a database by state and by lake. If you have beaten a record or know of someone who has done so, let us know and send us an e-mail to camilo.vidal@nomonday.com or contact us at 669 232 9911. We want to hear about and publish those great feats.