What is the world record largemouth bass?

22 pounds 4 ounces. Two anglers have caught one at that weight: George W. Perry at Montgomery Lake, Georgia on 2 June 1932, and Manabu Kurita at Lake Biwa, Japan on 2 July 2009. IGFA's record database, checked 31 August 2026, now lists them as two separate All-Tackle records in two separate species categories — Perry under largemouth bass, Kurita under Florida bass.

Why didn't Manabu Kurita break the record?

Because of a written IGFA rule about margins. To replace a record for a fish under 25 pounds, the new catch must weigh at least 2 ounces more than the existing one. Kurita's fish was heavier than Perry's — 10.12 kg against 10.09 kg — but by far less than 2 ounces. IGFA's rules say a catch that exceeds a record by less than the required amount is a tie, not a replacement.

Do Perry and Kurita still share the world record?

Not in the way most pages describe. On 13 June 2024 IGFA made Florida bass a separate record category from largemouth bass, following genetic research published in the journal Fisheries. IGFA's database now shows Perry holding the All-Tackle record for largemouth bass and Kurita holding it for Florida bass — each outright, in his own category.

How old is the largemouth bass record?

Perry's fish was caught on 2 June 1932, so the mark has stood for more than 90 years. No one has beaten 22 pounds 4 ounces by the two ounces IGFA requires in all that time — Kurita came within a fraction of an ounce in 2009 and still only tied it.

Do you need a DNA test to claim a bass record now?

For a new All-Tackle record, yes. IGFA announced in June 2024 that new All-Tackle submissions for these bass species require genetic verification, because largemouth and Florida bass are frequently impossible to tell apart without it. Existing records, including Perry's, were left unchanged.

The World Record Largemouth Bass

George Perry caught a 22 lb 4 oz largemouth in Georgia in 1932. Manabu Kurita caught one the same weight in Japan in 2009 — heavier, in fact, but not by enough. Here is the rule that made it a tie, and the 2024 change that means IGFA's database now lists two separate records instead of one shared one.

Published August 31, 2026

22 pounds 4 ounces. Two anglers have caught a largemouth at that weight, 77 years and 7,000 miles apart: George W. Perry at Montgomery Lake, Georgia, on 2 June 1932, and Manabu Kurita at Lake Biwa, Japan, on 2 July 2009.

Almost every page you will read says they share the record. As of 2024, IGFA's own database no longer lists them that way.

What the record book actually says

Read directly from the IGFA World Record database, checked 31 August 2026:

IGFA category	All-Tackle weight	Angler	Where	When
Bass, largemouth (Micropterus nigricans)	10.09 kg — 22 lb 4 oz	George W. Perry	Montgomery Lake, Georgia, USA	2 June 1932
Bass, Florida (Micropterus salmoides)	10.12 kg — 22 lb 4 oz	Manabu Kurita	Lake Biwa, Shiga, Japan	2 July 2009

Both are listed as Approved. Two records, two categories, one apiece.

To be precise about what that means: IGFA has not published a statement saying the two men no longer tie. What it has done is create separate categories, and its database now shows each man holding an All-Tackle record in one of them. That is an observation about the record book, not a quote from IGFA.

Why Kurita only tied in the first place

This is the part almost everyone leaves out, and it is the actual answer.

Kurita's fish was heavier. 10.12 kg against Perry's 10.09 kg. He still did not take the record, and the reason is a written rule about margins, not a judgement call:

To replace a record for a fish weighing less than 11.33 kilograms (25 pounds), the replacement must weigh at least 56.69 grams (2 ounces) more than the existing record.

A catch that matches the weight of an existing record or exceeds the weight by less than the amount required to defeat the record will be considered a tie.

— IGFA International Angling Rules

The gap between the two fish is roughly one ounce. The rule demands two. So Kurita beat the record and did not beat the record at the same time, and the record book called it a tie.

The rule exists for a sensible reason: scales vary, fish lose weight out of water, and a record decided by a fraction of an ounce is a record decided by equipment error. Two ounces is the margin IGFA treats as real.

What changed in 2024

On 13 June 2024, IGFA made seven black bass species eligible for their own record categories: Florida bass, Alabama bass, Neosho bass, and four redeye bass species (M. cahabae, M. chattahoochae, M. tallapoosae, M. warriorensis).

The change followed a February 2024 paper co-authored by IGFA staff and Dr. Andrew Taylor of the University of North Georgia, published in the American Fisheries Society journal Fisheries: "Updating Angling Records to Advance Sport Fish Conservation: A Case Study of IGFA's Black Bass World Records."

Two consequences worth knowing:

Perry's record was left alone. IGFA stated the standing All-Tackle record for largemouth bass (M. nigricans) remains unchanged.
New All-Tackle submissions now require genetic verification. Largemouth and Florida bass are often indistinguishable by eye — that is precisely why the categories were separated, and why a photograph is no longer enough.

So if you catch a 23-pounder tomorrow, the record book will want its DNA before it wants your story.

Lake Biwa is a real destination, not a footnote

Kurita's fish did not come from a private trophy lake. It came from Lake Biwa, Japan's largest freshwater lake, north-east of Kyoto — a working, public fishery where bass were introduced and now grow to sizes that embarrass most of their native range.

Our Lake Biwa spot page covers what is actually there. It is one of the few places on earth where a world-record-class largemouth is a plausible outcome rather than a fantasy.

Why the 1932 record is so hard to beat

Ninety-plus years is an extraordinarily long time for a fishing record to stand, and the reason is arithmetic rather than mystery. A largemouth over 22 pounds is at the extreme edge of what the species reaches. The number of waters that grow them is small, the number of such fish is smaller, and the two-ounce margin removes every near-miss.

Kurita's 2009 fish is the proof: the closest anyone has come in nine decades was close enough to tie and not close enough to win.

If you ever do catch one

Records are claimed on paperwork, not on Instagram. IGFA requires the catch be weighed on certified scales with witnesses, the tackle be submitted, and — for these bass species now — genetic verification. Photographs, measurements and the line used all matter.

The practical version: if you land something that might be a record, do not fillet it, do not guess the weight, and find certified scales before the fish dries out. Then read IGFA's requirements properly rather than a summary of them.

Lake Biwa — where the 2009 fish came from
Largemouth bass — identification, range, diet and spawning
When do largemouth bass spawn in Ohio? — the spawning window and the temperature that drives it

Sources

IGFA World Record database — Bass, largemouth — George W. Perry, 10.09 kg, Montgomery Lake, Georgia, 2 June 1932, Approved. Read 31 August 2026.
IGFA World Record database — Bass, Florida — Manabu Kurita, 10.12 kg, Lake Biwa, Shiga, Japan, 2 July 2009, Approved. Read 31 August 2026.
IGFA International Angling Rules — the two-ounce replacement threshold and the definition of a tie.
IGFA — Changes to Bass Records Following Newly Published Findings, 13 June 2024 — genetic verification for new All-Tackle submissions; standing largemouth record unchanged; the Taylor et al. paper in Fisheries.

Frequently asked questions

What is the world record largemouth bass?: 22 pounds 4 ounces. Two anglers have caught one at that weight: George W. Perry at Montgomery Lake, Georgia on 2 June 1932, and Manabu Kurita at Lake Biwa, Japan on 2 July 2009. IGFA's record database, checked 31 August 2026, now lists them as two separate All-Tackle records in two separate species categories — Perry under largemouth bass, Kurita under Florida bass.
Why didn't Manabu Kurita break the record?: Because of a written IGFA rule about margins. To replace a record for a fish under 25 pounds, the new catch must weigh at least 2 ounces more than the existing one. Kurita's fish was heavier than Perry's — 10.12 kg against 10.09 kg — but by far less than 2 ounces. IGFA's rules say a catch that exceeds a record by less than the required amount is a tie, not a replacement.
Do Perry and Kurita still share the world record?: Not in the way most pages describe. On 13 June 2024 IGFA made Florida bass a separate record category from largemouth bass, following genetic research published in the journal Fisheries. IGFA's database now shows Perry holding the All-Tackle record for largemouth bass and Kurita holding it for Florida bass — each outright, in his own category.
How old is the largemouth bass record?: Perry's fish was caught on 2 June 1932, so the mark has stood for more than 90 years. No one has beaten 22 pounds 4 ounces by the two ounces IGFA requires in all that time — Kurita came within a fraction of an ounce in 2009 and still only tied it.
Do you need a DNA test to claim a bass record now?: For a new All-Tackle record, yes. IGFA announced in June 2024 that new All-Tackle submissions for these bass species require genetic verification, because largemouth and Florida bass are frequently impossible to tell apart without it. Existing records, including Perry's, were left unchanged.