17.22 Lake Murray
Cody Pierce, age 14, caught his record bass on the morning of March 22, 2000, while fishing before school on the shores of Lake Murray, a small reservoir in San Diego, California. He was using a Shimano? Catana Graphite 6-foot rod, a Shimano? Bantam? Crestfire CR200B reel, Berkley? Trilene? 10-pound test line, a Texas rigged Western Plastics 4-inch straight tail blue stripe worm, and an Owner? Rig-N-Hook #2.
It was a beautiful day for fishing, and in the first few hours Cody caught and released a few bass in the 1- to 2-pound range. With 10 minutes before he had to leave, he cast near the bank where other fishermen had said they had seen big fish, and he let the worm sink. He thought he saw a fish in the clear water and cast to the same spot a second time.
The line tugged, and Cody tried to set the hook, but it came back empty; however, half of the worm was missing, so he quickly cast what remained of the worm back to the same place. That time the fish struck, making the tip of the rod bow toward the water as the large fish pulled against the reel's drag. After several minutes of fierce fighting, the fish tired, and Cody was able to bring it to shore.
His Florida Largemouth Bass weighed in at 17.05 pounds at a nearby ranger station. Cody kissed and then successfully released the bass unharmed. According to his father, Danny, Cody said the fish was too beautiful to take its life. That catch makes Cody a Junior World Record Holder in the Male Junior Division of the International Game Fish Association (IGFA) and a member of the IGFA's prestigious 10 Pound Bass Club.
Since the age of 11, Cody has wanted to be a pro fisherman when he grows up, and he seems to be well on his way. The bass he caught that March morning was the twenty-first fish over ten pounds that Cody had caught. The record bass he caught is the 15th largest largemouth bass officially registered at IGFA and exceeded the previous IGFA Largemouth Bass Male's Junior World Record by 7 pounds, 11 ounces. Cody's largemouth bass officially surpasses the adult state records of 45 states!
Cody has proven himself to be a skilled fisherman and has won numerous awards. Babe Winkelman, a well-known fishing pro, has invited Cody and his father, Danny, to be on his television show, "Babe Winkelmen's Good Fishing." The show is to be filmed in Alaska and broadcast on satellite television at a future date.
"She was documented, photographed, kissed and released. My catch almost doubled the IGFA LMB M-Junior Division World Record. She officially weighed in at 17.05 lbs. IGFA said it is the 15th largest LMB registered for world record consideration, ever! The catch even tops the ADULT state records of 45 states.
I was 30 minutes late for school that day but my dad said it was okay because you don't get to break a world record everyday"!
Largemouth Kid Cody's Junior World Record Bass
Good for him. That is great stuff. There are so many things that kids can be into at that age (and younger) For him to love the sport so much that he has the dedication to go before school in the morning. There is nothing better than watching a kid pull in a fish of any size. That smile on thier face is second to none.....
