Nebraska fisherman catches trophy smallmouth, breaks Minnesota record

It was the third and final day of their father-son fishing trip when Xavier Bradely-Rael and his father, Larry, met their guide at the ramp on Basswood Lake. The pair had traveled there from Nebraska and had already enjoyed two great days of fishing on the Minnesota lake, which lies just south of the Ontario border.

“We were looking for walleye and bass, and toward the end of the day I pulled my 14-foot aluminum boat into a deep hole that has produced fish for me for years,” said Troy Vega, their guide. Outdoor living. “We came across a large school of smallmouths and started catching fish that were up to 22 inches long.”

Using live sucker snappers and leeches as bait, the fishermen caught about a dozen large sea bass at Vega’s spot.

“Around 3 p.m., Xavier hooked a really big bass,” said Vega, an Ely native and eight-year veteran of the Ely Fishing Guide Company. “The fish was strong and fought deep, and we knew it was big. When Xavier pulled it up next to the boat, I scooped it up. It was 6 or 6.5 pounds, and I told them we better measure it because it might be a state record.”

Vega had a measuring board on his boat and they used it to determine the exact length of the fish, which was 22.75 inches. They photographed the smallmouth and recorded a video of it on the measuring board. After releasing the bass back into the lake, they continued fishing and caught more bass and walleye before heading back to Ely in the afternoon.

Read more: The biggest bass ever caught

Once they got home, Xavier submitted the paperwork and photos of his 22.75-inch smallmouth to the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources for consideration in the DNR’s fisheries book. The agency has a separate category for catch and release recordsand the DNR confirmed Xavier’s criminal record in early July.

Vega says he’s glad he brought his measuring board that day so they could make the record official. It’s a fish he’ll be thinking about for a long time.

“I’ve fished that area a few times before, but I’ve never caught a bass like that,” Vega said. “It’s the biggest smallmouth I’ve ever seen, and I’m going to have a replica made to put in my house.”

Troy said they were really lucky that day that he brought his measuring board, and they took the time to check the length of the fish and take pictures of it.”

Read more: Minnesota is considering revamping its record fishing program, opening the door to a new state record for walleye

“I had no idea at the time that bass could be a record, but we knew the state had just opened a catch-and-release category for smallmouths, so we measured it and [took] “Pictures,” said Xavier, 27, who works for Target in Omaha.

“I’ve fished that area a few times before, but I’ve never caught a bass like that. It’s the biggest smallmouth I’ve ever seen, and I’m going to have a replica made to put in my house.”