Credit: FWC
In July, the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) certified a new Florida state record spotted bass caught by angler Joe Durden. The fish weighed 3.93 pounds and measured 18.25 inches in length.
Durden caught his spotted bass on the Apalachicola River during the Fifth Annual Liberty County Bulldog Booster Bass Tournament out of Bristol Landing.
FWC Law Enforcement Officer Wil Raker met with Durden shortly after the tournament at Jerkins Angus Farm in Bristol to confirm the weight of the fish on a certified scale.
“I knew right away this was potentially a state record,” said Durden. “This was the biggest spotted bass I had ever seen on the river.”
Durden, an avid bass tournament fisherman, caught his spotted bass on a crankbait while using LiveScope technology.
After landing the fish, an FWC freshwater fisheries biologist met with Durden to discuss his catch and verify it was a spotted bass.
The previous spotted bass state record was 3.75 pounds, caught by angler Dow Gilmore on June 24, 1985, on the Apalachicola River.
The Apalachicola River is one of Florida’s largest rivers and is home to two other black bass species: the Florida bass and the shoal bass. The Apalachicola River is an exceptionally productive waterway that supports a thriving bass fishery along with outstanding populations of bream and catfish.
source: Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission
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