Just a hair more than an ounce…that’s what Ryan Leveque of Ceres, CA missed the California smallmouth bass record by when he bested this Lake Pardee hawg last month.
The beast (which he released) tipped the scales to 8.94 pounds, just off the state standard of 9 pounds, 1-ounce, which was taken back in 1976 from Trinity Lake.
What makes this story really interesting is the gear Leveque used…
Dude must have some mad skills because he caught the second largest smallie in the state’s history on a Shakespeare Micro rod, a Tiny-Lite reel from Bass Pro and 4-pound test. The big hen gobbled up a 4-inch Magic Worm.
Lake Pardee, an hour outside Sacramento, has been historically known as a prolific truck trout fishey but it’s also starting to gain a reputation as a producer of wall-hanger sized smallies.
Back in February, Nick Welton of Lodi, CA pulled an 8.70 pounder from the lake on a Lucky Craft crankbait. Welton also released his big bass, so a new state record may be set in the not-so-distant future.
Gabe says
That looks like a spotted bass