Big Fred Contaoi catches record largemouth bass
May 25, 2008
FLW Touring professional, Big Fred Contaoi got his name into the record books with this huge largemouth bass from Percy Priest Lake in Nashville, TN…sorta.
Big Fred, who fishes out of the Orange County Choppers boat while on tour, caught this 11-pound, 8-ounce bass on May 21 while scouting the lake in preparation for the Porter Wagoner Memorial Artists & Anglers Fishing Tournament on Percy Priest Lake which will be held June 3.
The fish was more than a pound heavier than the previous record for Percy Priest, caught by RF Frankenbach on June 5, 1978.
“I caught the fish around 6:30 p.m.,” said Contaoi. “At the time, I was throwing a Lucky Craft Rick Clunn RCBDS 1.5 in the Copper Shad pattern on 8-pound Berkley Fluorocarbon with a 4-pound leader.”
The big sow was weighed on Contaoi’s tournament scale and then released, so it won’t be officially recognized as lake record. 
“I had no idea at the time that that fish was of record caliber,” he said. “It was my first day on the water there and I figured that the lake probably had kicked out plenty of big bass like that over the years. In hindsight, I probably should have had the bass weighed on a certified scale at Bass Pro Shops in Nashville. Still, I feel fortunate to have had an encounter with such a great fish – and I feel even better about the fact that she’s still out there, growing bigger.”
Contaoi and his partner for the charity tournament, singer/guitarist Wade Hayes, will be gunning for a fish just like her during the event next week. To see how they do against the field of other top bass pros and country stars, be sure to stop by the weigh-in at Bass Pro Shops at Opry Mills at 5 p.m. June 3. Once the winner is crowned, there will be a very special acoustic concert/jam session and fish fry.
NICE WORK FREDO,RECORDS ARE FOR LISTING TO ANYWAY.BOOGIE