Lake Erie record smallmouth bass rare because of size, but also age
Biologists have determined that a 10.15-pound smallmouth bass reeled from in Lake Erie last November was a 16-year-old female.
The Ohio Department of Natural Resources also stated in a news release Wednesday that the fish caught by Gregg Gallagher of Fremont, Ohio, is the only known 10-pound smallmouth ever caught in a Great Lakes state or province.
Gallagher landed the bass while fishing last Nov. 3 on Lake Erie in Ontario, Canada, waters.
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The previous Ontario record smallmouth was 9.84 pounds, set in 1984. So Gallagher’s catch is a Lake Erie record, a Great Lakes record, and an Ontario record. (The current Ohio record for smallmouth bass is 9.5 pounds.)
Gallagher’s catch measured 23-3/4 inches with a girth of 19-3/8 inches.
According to the Ohio DNR, the fish was hatched in 2006. Smallmouth bass, the agency added, rarely live beyond 14 years.
A typical Lake Erie smallmouth measures less than 20 inches and few catches exceed 7 pounds.
For comparison, the world record for smallmouth bass is 11 pounds, 15 ounces, set at Tennessee’s Dale Hollow Lake in 1955.
–Image showing Gregg Gallagher with his record smallmouth bass is courtesy of the Ohio Department of Natural Resources