Kurita gets raw deal in world record bid
They say the early bird is the one that gets the worm, but the guy who catches the world's heaviest bass isn't always the one who gets the title.
Just ask Manabu Kurita. I have never met or spoken to Kurita. If I ever get the opportunity, I will be quick to offer my condolences to the young angler from Aichi, Japan. The International Game Fish Association recently handed Kurita a wine glass only half-filled with bubbly.
In July, Kurita set the bass fishing world abuzz when he caught a 22-pound, 4.97-ounce largemouth bass at Lake Biwa, one of the world's oldest lakes located near Kyoto, Japan. The fish ate a live perch Kurita had pitched against a bridge piling.
Kurita weighed the fish on certified scales and submitted all the necessary paper to the IGFA, so it could be considered as a new all-tackle world record for that species. The IGFA is the official records keeper of fresh and saltwater records worldwide.
The previous IGFA world record of 22-4 was set in June 1932 by the late George Perry. Perry, who was only 19-years-old when he reeled in the famous bass on an oxbow lake in Georgia's Telfair County. His record has long been considered freshwater fishing's most hallowed mark.
After a lengthy investigation into Kurita's application, the IGFA announced last week that his fish has been officially declared a "tie" with Perry's as the biggest legally caught largemouth of all-time.
The decision to place the two bass on common ground -- even though Kurita's weighed nearly a full ounce heavier -- didn't come as much of a surprise to those who have been following the story from the start. Since word of Kurita's big bass got out this summer, the IGFA has been citing its "2-ounce" rule as a stumbling block that might prevent the fish from grabbing the record outright. Embedded in the organization's extensive constitution is this rule that applies to all fish weighing 25 pounds or less. It clearly states that in order for a fish to be recognized as a new world record, it must top the existing record by at least 2 ounces.
According to IGFA's conservation director, Jason Schratwieser, the IGFA's 2-ounce rule has been in place since the organization was founded in 1939. He said the rule was established because IGFA's founding fathers wanted to establish a significant minimum necessary in order to beat an existing record.
"That decision probably took into account minor variations in scales that are certified," he said.
Please excuse me, but I need to vent. The IGFA's 2-ounce rule stinks.
Kurita's bass, weighed on IGFA certified scales, clearly topped Perry's, which was weighed on a set of postal scales. This rule holding back Kurita's bass simply makes no sense.
In my book, an apple is an apple and an orange is an orange. When you buy peanuts by the pound, you will pay more for a sack that weighs 1.6 pounds than for one that weighs 1.5. Last time I attended a bass tournament weigh-in, the guy who weighed in 15.59 pounds grabbed the first-place check, while the angler with 15.58 earned second. The last time I attended a rodeo, the bull rider who scored 88 points beat the guy who tallied 87.
Not surprisingly, reactions varied after Schratwieser announced the IGFA's decision during a Jan. 8 press conference at the organization's headquarters in Dania Beach, Fla.
Questions arose about allegations that Kurita had caught the fish from an area of the lake deemed off-limits by government officials, thus making it illegal. IGFA investigations determined that those allegations were false and that the fish was caught legally, Schratwieser said.
Schratweiser also pointed out that many anglers across America are incredulous that Perry's all tackle world record could be tied with a fish from Japan. Much of the dismay stems from the fact that bass are not near as sacred in the Land of the Rising Sun as they are in the United States.
In Japan, largemouth and smallmouth bass are labeled as invasive species that pose a threat to native fish such as ayu, a popular food fish that is heavily targeted by commercial netters. Catch a bass in Japan and it is illegal to release it. Doing so could result in a fine as high as $5,000.
Citing those exact reasons, one of my colleagues wrote a piece defending the belief that Kurita's bass has no place either above or alongside Perry's fish in the IFGA records.
My suggestion to anyone with such a narrow mind is this: Lobby the IGFA to create a U.S. All-Tackle record category and exclude "world" from the equation. The word "world" means the entire planet, not just America.
Kurita caught and documented what is the biggest bass in the world. Afterwards, the IGFA made him jump through numerous hoops, including taking a polygraph test, to prove the catch was legit. That's a good thing.
The bad thing is he did not receive the full credit he deserves. Kurita's bass was bigger than Perry's. He should have been awarded the IGFA all-tackle world record outright.
Matt Williams' e-mail address is mattwilliams@netdot.com.
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