A fishing world record is a record, right? Usually, but it’s not always as simple as weighing a fish, as some of the freshwater-fishing world-record holders have discovered. Largemouth bass, small-mouth bass, walleye and musky represent what are arguably the most famous freshwater records in fishing history, but even they weren’t clear-cut for one reason or another. The controversies and disputes that surrounded them are interesting history, whether you’re a diehard record-chaser or just an angler with big dreams.
PICTURES CAN LIE
You might say that for a long time, the world-record walleye literally didn’t measure up to its place in fishing lore. As the tale is told, the 25-pound fish was landed Aug. 2, 1960, by a Tennessee angler who was night-fishing the upper reaches of Old Hickory Lake near Hartsville, Tenn. Mabry Harper’s record was one of those happy accidents, because he was fishing for catfish from the bank on that hot night in early August and using catalpa worms for bait. After he landed the big walleye, Harper put it on a stringer and went back to fishing.
The next day, the walleye was weighed and measured at a nearby bait-and-tackle store. Local wildlife officer James Spurling was contacted, witnessed the process and signed off on the fish’s size: 25 pounds, 4 ounces in weight, 41 inches long and 29 inches in girth. He also noted that Harper, a local plumber, caught the fish near an Old Hickory landmark called Cedar Bluff. Based on Spurling’s measurements and the weight of the fish, it qualified as a new world record. The Harpers celebrated the catch by chowing down on the walleye at supper that evening and the next.
The story might have ended there, but before long doubts began to surface.
Naysayers began to dispute Harper’s catch, mainly on the premise that
