Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) Law Enforcement Officer Wil Raker has certified a new state record for spotted bass. Angler Joe Durden from Blountstown caught the fish, which weighed 3.93 pounds and measured 18.25 inches in length.
Durden caught the fish on the Apalachicola River during the Fifth Annual Liberty County Bulldog Booster Bass Tournament at Bristol Landing. Officer Raker confirmed the weight of the fish at Jerkins Angus Farm in Bristol using 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, who is an avid bass tournament fisherman, used a crankbait and LiveScope technology to catch his spotted bass. An FWC freshwater fisheries biologist met with him to verify that it was indeed a spotted bass.
“Catching a state record fish is a tremendous accomplishment for any angler,” said Andy Strickland, fisheries biologist with FWC’s Fish and Wildlife Research Institute. “Particularly a record that’s held the test of time for 40 years.”
The previous state record for spotted bass was 3.75 pounds, set by Dow Gilmore on June 24, 1985, also on the Apalachicola River.
The Apalachicola River is one of Florida’s largest rivers and supports thriving populations of black bass species, including Florida bass and shoal bass, as well as bream and catfish.
Anglers can check state records by visiting MyFWC.com/Freshwater and clicking on “State Record Fish.” They should notify their nearest FWC regional office if they believe they have caught a record fish. Contact information is available at MyFWC.com/Contact under “Contact Regional Offices.”
