Lunchroom Largemouth could have been world record

I recently returned from a short visit to northern Mexico and a great stay at Rancho Caracol, a world class quail and dove hunting destination.

On the way south to the lodge I made a pit stop and lunch break at a little cafe in a city in the Mexican state of Tamaulipas. In a corner of the small lunchroom in a clear plexiglass cube more than 3 feet by 3 feet was a mounted largemouth black bass. The plastic box and the fish mount obviously were brand new.

Investments in such a box and professional fish mount in this part of the world are no trivial matters. Someone had invested a lot of money in this project, and just maybe he knew what he had.

The fish, mounted in an open-mouth "strike" pose, was of incredible proportions.

Mounted at an upward angle and twisting slightly to the left toward the diners, the fish's open mouth was wide enough to take in an American football. Its belly was as big as a soccer ball, and it was about 33 inches long.

Asking around, it turns out a fellow at the restaurant said he caught the fish late last year at Lake Guerrero, which is near Rancho Caracol. It weighed 22 pounds, maybe a little more, he said proudly.

If it's true, the fellow wasn't proud enough, despite the box display.

If it were an even 22 pounds of largemouth black bass, it would be the second heaviest bass ever recorded in the world. If the fish weighed more than 22-pounds, 4 ounces it would be a new world record.
We'll never know for sure because there it sits, dried out and clear coated and resting in a plastic box near the kitchen door in a small restaurant along a busy, dusty highway in northern Mexico.

To get a feel for the size of the fish, Google Mac Weakley's big bass and look at the dimensions of that fish. Mexico's Lunchroom Largemouth is its twin sister.

Incredible!