Cody Meyer caught a 10.80-pound spotted bass that is the potential world record. The behemoth spot was caught on Dec. 16, 2016, from Bullards Bar reservoir, a famed spotted bass fishery in northern California.
“JR Wright and I had caught three really big spots that day (6.66, 8.35 and 7.74 pounds). Then I marked one single big fish on my electronics. It was suspended about 20 feet down over 100 feet of water. I cast my Ocho to it, let it sink and then my line jumped” he said recollecting the bite. “It was immediately obvious that it was another big one, but it wasn’t until I saw her that I actually realized how big she was,” said Meyer, a Strike King and FLW pro. He has also fished in seven Bassmaster Opens.
“We caught four of the five on a wacky-rigged Strike King 5-inch Ocho in the KVD Magic color. The fifth fish came on a 3.75-inch Strike King Rage Swimmer rigged on a 1/2-ounce Squadron Head Jig. For the Ocho, I was using Daiwa spinning gear, with a main line of 15 pound Seaguar Smackdown braid and a 6 pound Seaguar Tatsu leader. I rigged the Ocho on a size 1 Owner Mosquito Hook. That setup is my go-to when fishing for those big spots,” says Meyer, who lives in Auburn, Calif.
The California Fish and Game Dept. officially recorded the weight and details of Cody’s catch on-site. Once all the appropriate paperwork is filed, The Department will make the determination if this bass will unseat the current record of 10.48 that was caught in 2014.