Novato, Calif. - While fishing a
California Tournament Trail Pro-Am event on February 22 - 23 on New Melones Lake in Northern California, Keith Bryan, president
of Powell Rods experienced one of those moments that most anglers only dream
of.
On the first day of the two-day event, Bryan hooked and landed a 10.48-pound
spotted bass that helped him take the lead in the tournament with a day one
weight of 21.39 pounds. Not only did it help in the tournament, but it set
forth a chain of events that may end with the 49-year-old angler and
businessman holding the new IGFA All Tackle World Record for spotted bass.
When weighed at the tournament scales, the fish weighed 10.48 pounds, then
several hours later, it weighed less on a grocery store scale. While Bryan
thought this fact would nullify his claim to a potential record, he would later
find out the scales can be certified by IGFA after the fact. The tournament
scales were sent to the organization, and have been certified as accurate by
officials there.
This means that Bryan's fish has been recorded by IGFA as the original 10.48
pounds, and is in the process of being considered for World Record status. The
process is to take a mandated 60 days from the date of the catch, so sometime
in April, Bryan's fish could become the new All Tackle World Record Spotted
Bass.
"This is just an unbelievable experience," said Bryan. "I could
never have, in my wildest dreams, imagined catching a world record of any sort.
But, to have it happen in a tournament is amazing. I can only wait now and hope
that IGFA has enough documentation to certify it as a record. But, even if it
doesn't happen, this has truly been a once in a lifetime experience." As
icing on the cake, Bryan would also go on to win the tournament with a total,
two-day weight of 38.49 pounds.
Bryan caught the bass on Saturday February 22 using a wacky rigged green
pumpkin purple and copper flake (color 330) five-inch Gary Yamamoto Custom
Baits Senko in approximately 10 feet of water. Bryan inserted a 3/32 Lunker City Nail Weight in the nose and rigged it on a size
2 Wide Gap Weedless Finesse Hook. He threw the rig on
a 6103mef Powell Inferno spinning rod and size 3000 Shimano Sahara reel filled
with eight-pound-test Power Pro braided line, tipped with a leader of
eight-pound-test Seaguar Invizx fluorocarbon.
Powell Rods will provide future updates on the status of the certification of
the fish as details become available.
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Powell Rods is a 103 year-old company with its roots in fly fishing. In 2005,
Powell introduced their Max Series of fishing rods featuring proprietary high
modulus graphite Maxumfiber blank material coupled
with the world's highest quality rod building components. In 2011, Powell
followed with the Endurance Series; built on an enhanced version of their
proprietary Maxumfiber blank material and teamed with
premium components. They then included the Diesel lineup in 2012, which added a
value priced line of rods to the brand. In 2013 the company introduced two new
lines, the high end TiMax along with the Inferno lineup
a mid range performance based line.
Each Powell rod is the product of many years of rod building experience and the
expertise of our design team that couples engineering and angler input; the
result is a rod that of exceptional quality and high performance demanded by
anglers. The Powell focus is to provide products with the highest quality
standards, backed with superior customer service. Try one and see why a Powell
bass rod is the best performance and value on the planet
To find a Powell retailer near you, please visit www.powellco.com, or call them at (888)
635-9763.
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