World Record Smallmouth Bass

The largemouth bass world record is a pretty well known piece of bass fishing lore.

But what about that scrappy relative, the smallmouth bass? Who owns that record and how long has it stood?

Just what is the story behind the world record smallmouth bass? You are about to find out!

A Sunny Day In July

On July 9th, 1955, David Lee Hayes took his wife and 6 year old son out for a leisurely fishing excursion on the Kentucky Dale Hollow lake.

Hayes was somewhat of a local legend. He was so proficient at pulling smallmouth and walleye from the waters of the Dale Hollow that local guides tried to spy on him on occasion and steal his secrets. This would have been the day to do just that.

After a slow start to the day, Hayes made some adjustments to his set up. He was trolling a 600 series Pearl Bomber a little North of Trooper Island when things got very interesting.

He was hit so hard that he thought he was snagged.

The World Record

When the fish was finally brought into the boat, it was a monster for sure, but Hayes had no idea it was a record. He brought it in, and on the suggestion of the Cedar Hill Resort owner, decided to weigh it in and do some measurements.

The fish weighed in at a monster 11 pounds, 15 ounces—one ounce shy of 12 pounds.

While it was definitely a huge fish, there would be some controversy over the record.

An Affadivit

A local dock hand filed an official affidavit with the Army Corps of Engineers claiming that Hayes had tampered with the fish by putting metal in the mouth to make it weigh in heavier.

He claimed the fish only weighed 8-15.

The International Game Fish Association, as well as some other organizations, stripped Hayes of the World Record Smallmouth Bass title in 1996.

It would not be until an October 2005 issue of Bassmaster Magazine that the issue would be revisited—and ultimately corrected.

The dock hand was outed as a “career liar” by family members, and was discredited as a disgruntled individual who may not even have been working that day.

While any fishing records prior to 1970 can be highly suspect, as weighing standards and accuracy were not what they are today, Hayes’ fish can be weighed another way. Using the length and girth of the fish, and some mathematical formulas, it can be determined fairly accurately that Hayes’ fish did weigh close to the recorded weight.

When it’s all said and done, the record of 11-15 stands, and David Lee Hayes owns it!

See ya on the water…