The Big Bass Podcast

If you’re looking for a state record bass to challenge and potentially strike from the record book, start here with the 10-pound, 11-ounce fish that has held the top spot for nearly 60 years. It would not meet any of today’s standards for a record bass — no witnesses, no photos, no biologist to certify it, and it wasn’t reported in a timely manner. Here at The Big Bass Podcast, we think it’s time...

Alabama’s record history begins with a 24-pound largemouth that was a world record before there were Alabama state records. Then it’s dismissed and the state record starts at less than half its size. After the introduction of Florida bass, the state grows and is broken every few years ... until it plateaus in the late 1980s. For more of The Big Bass Podcast, look for us here: Website: https://www....

Dual stream with Bass After Dark! Don't miss Ken Duke, Terry Battisti, Bass After Dark's Brian the Carpenter, and three mystery panelists (spoiler alert: it's Steven Bardin, Andrew Taylor, and Zack Bellapigna) as we discuss some HUGE news and the question: Is a new world record bass just around the corner? More Bass After Dark: ⁠https://www.youtube.com/@bassafterdark⁠⁠ ⁠ ⁠https://insta...

No other artificial lure has caught more giant bass than the Arbogast Musky Jitterbug. This legendary bait — first manufactured in 1940 — is responsible for more state records and award winners than any other, and it’s remarkably simple to use. Follow the advice of our expert, Jimmy Zinker, and take your lunker fishing to the next level. Mentioned in the show: https://youtu.be/0DgXaJVOiT4 For more...

When John Gorman caught his 10-pound, 14-ounce smallmouth from Dale Hollow Lake in 1969, he got noticed, but no one thought it was anything more than the second biggest smallmouth ever until 1995, when David Hayes' world record was disqualified. That’s when the record-keeping organizations went scrambling and looking for a fish to replace the Hayes smallmouth. They eventually found Gorman, and...

For years, the recognized world record smallmouth bass was a “smallmouth” caught in Florida. It wasn’t until 1949, when a couple of biologists set the modern parameters for Micropterus dolomieu, that the record books were set right. After that, it was just a matter of time before an angler filled the record void. That angler was Owen F. Smith of Fairfield, Alabama. He held the world record for nea...

We all dream of catching giant bass, and sometimes we dream of catching a state or even a world record bass. Few of us, however, have the audacity to dream of catching two record bass in the same state. For nearly 20 years, a Connecticut barber held both the largemouth and smallmouth records in his state, and he did it from the same body of water and with a remarkably simple fishing system. There’...

For decades, the Idaho state record largemouth bass was shrouded in mystery. Who was Mrs. M.W. Taylor? When did she catch the fish? What lure did she use? Should the record be disqualified for lack of substantiating evidence? The Big Bass Podcast dove in and came up with answers. Now the Idaho record books are more complete than ever before. For more of The Big Bass Podcast, look for us here: Webs...

Join us for another LIVE edition of The Big Bass Podcast with special guest Byron Velvick! The iconic big bait pro answers all your questions. For more of The Big Bass Podcast, look for us here: Website:  ⁠https://www.thebigbasspodcast.com⁠ YouTube:  ⁠https://www.youtube.com/@thebigbasspodcast⁠ Facebook:  ⁠https://www.facebook.com/thebigbasspodcast⁠ Instagram:  ⁠https://www.instagram.com/thebigbas...

Over the course of bass fishing history, several baits have been a force behind catching trophy bass. Over the past 20 years, the swimbait has become the go-to bait for anglers fishing for their personal best. But swimbaits are a genre of lures with several manufacturers making baits that cover a wide variety of lengths, rates of fall, and even actions. In this episode of The Big Bass Podcast, we...

Who would eat their PB?! Personal bests are what big bass fishing is all about. It sets the bar, gives us a goal to eclipse, and establishes bragging rights. What’s your PBB (personal best bass)? Is there a great story behind it? Here are the stories of Terry’s and Ken’s PBBs. Are they as big as yours? Do their stories do justice to the fish weights? And which one of them ate the biggest bass he e...

If you look up the Idaho record largemouth bass on that state’s Department of Fish & Game website, you will see that it weighed 10.94 pounds, was caught by Mrs. M.W. Taylor, and came from Anderson Lake — nothing more. No date, not even the name of the angler, just the name of her husband. “The Big Bass Podcast” does some digging, fills some holes, and asks if the record should be vacated. For...

Another LIVE edition of The Big Bass Podcast where we answer all your questions! For more of The Big Bass Podcast, look for us here: Website:  https://www.thebigbasspodcast.com YouTube:  https://www.youtube.com/@thebigbasspodcast Facebook:  https://www.facebook.com/thebigbasspodcast Instagram:  https://www.instagram.com/thebigbasspodcast Twitter:  https://www.twitter.com/bigbasspodcast

In this episode of The Big Bass Podcast, we have a special guest, Keith Thomas of Black Talon Custom Lures. Keith is a bait maker from Pennsylvania, but that isn't what makes him special. He's actually a swimbait maker who got into the swimbait scene before there was such a thing. Thomas started venturing into big baits in the mid-1980s when he was 15 years old. Keith and his buddy were st...

The largemouth bass is the most widespread freshwater fish in the world, but not because of its natural range. The largemouth has been introduced to multiple continents and innumerable countries as an invasive species ... sometimes with dire consequences. This episode covers the impact the largemouth bass had on the giant pied-billed grebe in Lago de Atitlán in Guatemala, ultimately leading to the...

Not every state record was taken on a rod and reel. In fact, there are plenty of state records that are not very sporting at all. Gigging, spearfishing, and more are recognized and approved methods of taking our beloved bass in some states. Check out this episode of The Big Bass Podcast where we take a closer look at some of these bizarre regulations and records! Mentioned in the show: https://you...

With the success of the Florida Bass experiment conducted in San Diego beginning in the late 1950s and through the early 1970s, California biologists turned to another bass sub-species for one of their new lakes. This new lake, Lake Perris, would be devoid of cover and have drastic water-level changes over the course of a season, not conducive conditions for rearing largemouth. Because of this, th...

In this episode of The Big Bass Podcast, Terry and Ken, along with special guest Mike Davis, discuss the Mississippi state record largemouth bass, a record that stands as the fourth largest in the books. The fish, caught by Anthony Denny on Dec. 31, 1992, is another big fish caught from a small lake: the lake at Natchez State Park at just over 200 acres in size. Denny caught the fish on a Smithwic...

In this episode of The Big Bass Podcast, we look at the North Dakota state record largemouth bass: the smallest state record largemouth in all 49 states that have bass. This story starts in 1953 with the first recognized North Dakota record, a 7-pound, 12-ounce, bass taken from Welk Dam. Nearly 30 years later, an angler by the name of Leon Rixen breaks the record with an 8-pound, 1.5-ounce bass, o...

Bait designer Jerry Rago joins Ken and Terry once again on this episode of The Big Bass Podcast to dive into the technique of big bass rat fishing from the guy who makes the best rats on the market. Rago has been designing and making his unique baits for more than 30 years. Mentioned in the show: https://youtu.be/edcX_TKlKTo https://ragobaits.com/ For more of The Big Bass Podcast, look for us here...

In this episode of The Big Bass Podcast, we are honored to have the angler who, without a doubt, introduced the swimbait to the competitive side of bass fishing on a national level. Byron Velvick grew up in Southern California and lived through the early days of the swimbait era, throwing the baits on the famed trophy bass waters. It didn’t take him long to realize their potential as a fish locato...

All anglers are looking for their personal best bass. And for decades, big bass have been used to sell tackle and get people to go to lakes and rivers throughout the world. But there have been many instances where these advertisements were sketchy at best. In this episode, Ken and Terry look at some ads placed in some of the top magazines of the sport and question their authenticity. For more of T...

Join us for another LIVE edition of The Big Bass Podcast. We are joined by the one and only Jim Brown, who was on with us to answer all your questions. Check out the video version: https://youtube.com/live/PwOl_1wfeXs For more of The Big Bass Podcast, look for us here: Website:  https://www.thebigbasspodcast.com YouTube:  https://www.youtube.com/@thebigbasspodcast Facebook:  https://www.facebook.c...

Outside of George Perry's 1932 world and Georgia state record largemouth bass, Michigan has the second-longest streak without its largemouth bass record being broken. Set on June 25, 1934, by Bill Maloney, the 11-pound, 15-ounce, record has stood for 89 years, only to be tied in 1959 by Jack Rorex. Maloney's fish won the 1934 Field & Stream Northern division for largemouth bass and was...

Designed for targeting tournament and trophy bass, Rago Baits are some of the best baits a big bass angler can buy. Jerry Rago has been designing and making his unique baits for more than 30 years, and now he joins Ken and Terry in this episode of The Big Bass Podcast to talk about his story, his baits, and more. Mentioned in the show: https://youtu.be/Z8kWsAUldw8 https://ragobaits.com/ For more o...