The North Carolina state record for spotted bass has apparently been broken, and not surprisingly it is again a Lake Norman fish and angler that will hold the title.
Anglingchannel.com is reporting that a new NC state record spotted bass has been caught at Lake Norman. Fisherman Terry Trivette weighted in a monster 6.97 lb spotted bass on state certified scales Saturday, breaking the previous record set by pro bass angler and guide Eric Weir also caught at Lake Norman in 2003.
It is no surprise that the current record was shattered by a Lake Norman fish. Norman is perhaps the best spotted bass lake in the Carolinas, and the feisty fish has become a local favorite. Smaller than its more popular cousin the largemouth bass, spotted bass make up for the size difference by being aggressive and fighting hard.
Trivette used a Rapala DT6 lure in the Hot Mustard color to catch the fish around 11 in the morning. His 6.97 lb bass topped Weir’s 6.5 pounder, which was caught by Weir in Ramsey Creek on Lake Norman in late December of 2003 using a chartreuse pumpkin Zoom Finesse worm.
Spotted bass over six pounds were previously unheard of in NC until 2003. Before the two Lake Norman fish, the spotted bass record was a 5.15 lb fish caught by Kent Moffitt at Lake Chatuge more than twenty years ago.
The IGFA recognizes a 10 plus pound California fish caught in 2001 as the world record spotted bass, but angling experts have long suspected that fish was actually an Alabama bass.
Trivette was reported as trying to make arrangements for the new state record spotted bass to be kept alive near Lake Norman in the viewing tank at the Bass Pro Shop in Concord.
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