Nice Fish Dude

Ya. No one with blond highlights should get credit for world record bass. Alas:

The International Game Fish Association today rocked the bass fishing world by announcing a new world record — or co-world record — caught by Manabu Kurita of Japan. The fish ties the all-tackle record for largemouth bass held for 77 years by George Perry of Georgia.

Not surprisingly this morbidly obese fish, caught on 25-pound test, only fought briefly:

Kurita, 32, of Aichi, Japan, was fishing Biwa that July day using a Deps Sidewinder rod and a Shimano Antares DC7LV reel loaded with 25 lb Toray line when he pitched his bait, a live bluegill, next to a bridge piling. It was Kurita’s first cast to the piling where he had seen a big bass swimming. He only twitched the bait a couple of times before he got bit. After a short, three minute fight he had the fish in the boat.

(Sigh)