Ohio is home to largemouth bass due to its many lakes and proximity to the Great Lakes system. Nearly all of Ohio’s lakes, reservoirs, and ponds contain them. However, smallmouth bass and spotted bass generally dominate largemouth bass in moving rivers and streams, especially in southern Ohio. More than 100 public lakes may be found in Ohio, providing excellent opportunities for bass fishing. So it is not surprising that the state is known as one of the top fishing destinations in the nation. When it comes to “top fishing,” Ohio’s largemouth bass fish are worth the record! But what is the largest largemouth bass ever caught in Ohio? Find out below.
What Is the Largest Largemouth Bass Ever Caught in Ohio?
On May 26, 1976, Roy Landsberger captured the largest largemouth bass ever caught in Ohio in a little farm pond in the northeastern portion of the state. The enormous 13.13-pound largemouth bass was the largest one ever caught in Ohio and set the state record at a magnificent length of 25 1/16 inches! The record hasn’t been broken in more than 40 years. Most dedicated Ohio bass fishermen are aware of the record, but until now, no lucky fisherman has yet to beat it.
The Story Behind Ohio’s Largest Largemouth Bass
Landsberger went back to his Ohio hometown of Kensington in 1973 after serving in the Vietnam War, three years before breaking the record. At the neighboring Robert F. Donahey Tree Farm, Landsberger applied for a job as a laborer. The opportunity to fish the seven spring-fed ponds gathered together on the property was one of the benefits of Landsberger’s profession. Several tiny runoff rivers connected the ponds, and the largest pond, around one and a half acres in size, had an earthen dam and concrete spillway. As he did nearly every night that spring, Landsberger went fishing alone on the day he broke the record. He utilized a vintage Lionel Train Bache Brown Spinster reel and a red fishing rod his mother had purchased for him with S&H Green Stamps. Landsberger tossed an Arbogast Jitterbug along the edge of the lake as he silently made his way down the bank. He promised himself he would get the topwater plug and make one last cast as night fell, and there wasn’t much action. The Jitterbug was abruptly swallowed by a sizable fish directly at Landsberger’s feet as it bounced back to shore while splashing and plunking. Landsberger steered the fish back to the shallows as it rushed toward deeper water. The fish decided it wasn’t quite done and made a second surge toward deep water just when he believed he had the upper hand. Landsberger spotted his chance to land the enormous fish as it swam toward the shore and decided against taking a chance of losing it. He approached the giant with his knees in the water and grabbed it by the lower jaw.
How Was the Largemouth Bass Declared a State Record?
Landsberger was aware that he was holding a unique fish. Thinking fast, he attached the fish to the metal grate that covered the overflow spillway, strung the fish up through its gills, and sprinted a short distance to Mr. Donahey’s house. Mr. Donahey called in the area game warden to let him weigh the catch. They placed the fish, still breathing, on the scales. The needle came down slightly above 14 pounds, shocking the men in Donahey’s house. The ODNR sent three representatives to Kensington the following day, May 27, where they met Landsberger and the others at a meat locker with verified scales. The fish weighed an amazing 13.13 pounds and measured 25 and 1/16 inches from nose to tail. Nevertheless, none of the officials had ever seen or heard of a huge, pure Northern-strain largemouth surviving in Ohio. As a result, they were dubious and brought the fish to Columbus for examination at The Ohio State University Fish Division. The largemouth bass was too big to be classified as “normal” in Ohio. Because the fish’s DNA differed from the regular strain of largemouth bass from Ohio, several people thought it came from Florida. The fish was taken to The Ohio State University’s Fish Division for genetic analysis to resolve the issue. Nearly a year after the fish was caught, the findings revealed that Landsberger’s largemouth bass was an Ohio native. In actuality, it was a 13-year-old female largemouth of the pure Northern strain. The enormous largemouth fish still holds the record today, and the rest is history.
What Happened to the Pond Where the Largest Ohio Largemouth Was Caught?
It was unaltered and in its record-breaking shape until the Boy Scouts of America acquired the property from Donahey in 1987 and established the Seven Ranges Boy Scout Reservation. The seven ponds on the site were dammed up and flooded shortly after the purchase, resulting in the 30-acre impoundment that is currently Lake Don Brown. Although the lake is private, Landsberger has held a small bass competition there yearly for a select group of his closest friends. Landsberger has been in the tree farming industry for almost 40 years. He is a grandfather to three granddaughters, a father to three, and a frequent fisherman on Lake Erie and the several inland lakes in Northeast Ohio.
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