Kayak Angler Damian Thao would have had an official record for the largest bass caught on a lake in California, with a massive catch that weighed 18.75 pounds on an official scale, if not for unknowingly breaking a California law.
17+ Pound bass caught in California waters
“I want to be transparent with the monster fish and I want to own up to my mistake,” wrote Thao in a Facebook post.
Thao shared that he arrived at the lake and immediately caught a 7.5-pound bass followed by a 10.05-pound bass. Thao switched to the Megabass Magdraft 10″ and as he cast near a tree landed his monster bass.
“Fought her for 30 seconds and boated her,” wrote Thao. “At first I thought she was just another ten, maybe pushing 12 until I held her up.”
Thao then put the bass on the scale but was unable to get a consistent reading due to wind and wakes. The bass came in at somewhere between 17 and 17.70 pounds, but a range doesn’t work for a record, and a certified scale is needed to confirm a record. Thao headed back to shore to get a more reliable reading on land and proceeded to weigh the bass on a Rapala scale, where the bass came in at 17.46 pounds.
“A good friend of mine was there as well and he informed me that this is the lake record,” shared Thao.
Thao then shared that he put the bass in his live well and went back to the ramp for cell service, where he then called the California Fish and Game. The angler made multiple attempts to reach someone in hopes of getting a certified scale brought out to weigh the bass to no avail.
“Frustrated, we reweighted her on a different scale and she went 17 pounds 14 punches on a Bubba Smart Fish Scale,” shared Thao
A technicality in California Law may prevent Damian Thao’s monster catch from qualifying as an official record
With a potential record in sight, Thao then decided to transport the live fish to get weighed on a certified scale where the fish came in at 18.75 pounds. Then, Thao drove back to the lake and released the fish.
Later, a friend of Thao’s called to congratulate him and Thao walked his friend through the events of the day.
“He double checked and informed me that even though it seemed like the right thing to do, it was against the law [to] transfer/move life fish,” shared Thao. “Not making any excuses, just want to be transparent and own up to my actions.”
In the state of California, the movement and transport of live fish, including bass, is prohibited under Cal. Code Regs. Tit. 14, § 1.63 – Movement of Live Fish. The law is aimed to curtail the release of invasive species, particularly the release of aquatic pets, but the language is broad and includes the prohibition of live transport of all fin fish.
Thao added that he learned a good lesson from the experience and never thought he would be in a position to hold an unofficial lake record.
In the comments, Facebook users congratulated Thao on his catch and expressed support for the catch and release method rather than catch and kill in order to certify the record.
“I’m glad she’s back in the lake as a spawning female,” wrote one Facebook user.
“You still hold the lake record to us all,” wrote another Facebook user. “At least the transparency will help people in the future.”
