The International Underwater Spearfishing Association

International Underwater Spearfishing Association

World Record

2.4 kg. , 5.3 lbs.

Bass, Smallmouth Micropterus dolomieu

Record Category: Men Speargun

Diver:		Dylan Bear
Date:		9/5/2024
Location:		UNITED STATES

After a week of elk hunting, I aimed south to the Flaming Gorge for some good old spearfishing recovery. After not getting to spearfish at some of my favorite spots on the Gorge for the last couple years due to declining populations of smallmouth bass, I decided to get in at one of my favorite honey holes to investigate. Realizing that there was a variety of young, medium and mature bass, the plan was set to take my limit and harvest a tasty dinner. After taking two bass, I decided to save my last of my limit for exploring and looking for a larger, mature bass. After over two hours of diving and being very selective, I saw a small school and a few medium size smallmouth, so I dropped down to 20 feet, scratched a rock to mimic the sounds of crawdads, relaxed my body and waited until I saw three medium fish coming in, behind them was a dark shadow. Avoiding eye contact, with my spear gun in front of me, I waited for the fish to swim in front of my spear and then landed a shot through both gill plates. Securing the fish, I soon realize that the girth, the color, and the length of this fish was that of an old and healthy smallmouth. Putting it on ice and rushing it to the DNR office, the officers continued measuring the width and girth to calculate estimated weight, which verified the weight from the post offices’ scale, 5lbs 4.5 oz. The fish biologist informed me that this fish was 15 to 20 years old and also took a scale sample to verify that, which means this was probably a minnow when I started Spearfishing. Grateful for healthy fish, ecosystems, and getting to be a part of it all.
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