70+ lb Striper Caught in O'Neil Forebay

[Burke]

For those of us that need a goal in life.....a MONSTER striper.

From the Sacramento Bee:

FRESNO – Frank Ualat knew there had to be a giant fish on the end of his line.

But a potential state record? It's the stuff of dreams.

Down to his last worm after an all-day session Aug. 5 at O'Neill Forebay outside Los Banos, Ualat caught a 70-pound, 6-ounce striped bass that is generating tremendous buzz in fishing circles.

"I was about to pack up and go home," the Gilroy resident said Tuesday. "Good thing I didn't."

After a tense 20-minute battle, Ualat landed the striper with the help of two friends who pushed the giant fish toward shore once it reached knee-deep water.

"A big crowd gathered around, but I didn't even notice because I was in complete shock," Ualat said. "It took two people to lift it out of the water."

Ualat and his friends drove to a nearby Wal-Mart, where they purchased ice and a 120-quart cooler, the largest the store had in stock. But the fish – 52 1/2 inches long with a 36-inch girth – still didn't fit. Its tail stuck out.

When he got home, Ualat stored the fish overnight in his bathtub packed in ice.

"It was like a human laying down there," he said.

Next morning, Ualat drove to Coyote Bait & Tackle in the small town of Coyote, where employees weighed the fish on the store's Shimano spring scale. The scale was not certified, meaning it had not previously been tested to ensure accuracy.

"I've never seen a fish that big," said Teri Bradford, the store's co-owner. "Even the pictures don't do it justice."

After taking more pictures and video of the fish, Ualat said he went looking for a certified scale, but couldn't find one. Tired and unsure what to do next with his prized catch, he took it home and did what he typically does to his fish: Ualat cut it up, ate some of it and handed out fillets to his friends and neighbors.

"I kind of regret it now," said Ualat, who has been a regular at O'Neill Forebay since 1987. "I ended up talking to Fish and Game, and they gave me a form to fill out."

The decision to cut up the fish may cost Ualat a chance at an official state record.

Hank Ferguson of Merced owns the longstanding striped bass state record. His 67-pound, 8-ounce fish, also taken from O'Neill Forebay, was caught May 7, 1992.

Bradford said she planned to ship her store's scale to Florida so it could be certified by the International Game Fish Association, the nonprofit organization that maintains a database of fishing records in all species.

But even if the scale used to weigh Ualat's striper receives IGFA certification, the fish still might not be declared a state record by the California Department of Fish and Game.

According to the Department of Fish and Game's Web site, all potential state records must be examined by a department employee. Ualat's fish was not.

The IGFA, on the other hand, does not require a physical examination as part of its criteria to determine freshwater all-tackle world records, Chief Operating Officer Mike Myatt said.

"This is a significant catch, no doubt about it," Myatt said. "I wish (Ualat) luck, and I'm anxious to see his application."

Ualat caught his fish with 50-pound test PowerPro braided line. He used an 11-foot G. Loomis Surf Series spinning rod equipped with a Team Daiwa Advantage 4000 reel.

"I don't know if the record is going to go through or not," Ualat said, "but it sure is a great story."

[hogbeastbassin]

I definately need to go fishing there more often. I work two miles from the lake and 12 miles away!!! Last summer a 65 pounder was landed but in the San luis dam on a fluke if Im not mistaken. There are some HUGE stripers in both lakes and there is no doubt in my mind why people are willing to drive many miles to fish its waters. Just a warning, not sure if it is posted anywhere else on the forums (first message Ive read) but one of my friends went there a couple weeks ago and said there were signs posted about a parasite in the water and that humans should not physically come in contact the water. Parasite would cause a bad skin rash and would need medical treatement, anyone know any info on this?

[AC Cole]

It is ashame he didn't get it weighed on a certified scale. That scale he weighed it on are not that accurate. I've seen those type scales read all kinds of different weights. It looks like the old record of 67-8 is safe because he weighed his on a certified scale and his might have been larger all the long anyway. We will never know. Kind of like Paul Duclos's big bass weighed on a bathroom scale. I always will wonder just why people do this. Maybe the so-called 70 pounder was not taken to a certified scale is because of other reasons. Too late now, its over...