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The final stop on the Manabu Kurita/Yamaha world record bass tour came Feb. 24 in south Georgia when the Japanese angler who tied the longstanding world record visited the waters where George Perry made history in 1932.

I've always been fascinated by the world record largemouth bass. I remember very distinctly the first article I ever read about the record. I was 14 years old and was looking at my first copy of Bassmaster Magazine.

In the 77 years since George Perry set the bar at 22 pounds, 4 ounces, dozens of anglers have laid claim to a largemouth bass that weighed more. None have been able to substantiate their claims; some haven't even tried.

In the world of bass fishing, there's no bigger tournament than the Bassmaster Classic, no more important species than the largemouth and no greater catch than the all-tackle world record.

It seems that George Washington Perry has always been on top of the hill when it comes to big bass. But if you look back — way back — you'll find that there were giant largemouths even before the first "official" world record holder.

Seventy-seven years and counting. That's how long George Perry has sat atop the record books in the largemouth bass category, but he may be sharing his perch if a recently caught Japanese bass is as big as has been reported.

In football, "the catch" was Dwight Clark's snag of Joe Montana's pass to win the 1982 NFC Championship Game.

Seventy-six years and counting. That's how long it's been since George Washington Perry caught a 22-pound, 4-ounce largemouth bass from Georgia's Montgomery Lake on June 2, 1932.

More than 70 years ago, a small oxbow of the Ocmulgee River in Georgia yielded a 22-pound, 4-ounce largemouth bass ...

For more than 70 years George Washington Perry's 22-pound, 4-ounce largemouth bass caught from Montgomery Lake, Ga., in 1932 has been the recognized world record for the species.

George W. Perry's 1932 record still stands

On June 2, 1932, George W. Perry caught a 22-pound, 4-ounce largemouth bass in Georgia, and, for four decades, the record seemed completely unassailable. All that changed forever on June 23, 1973, when Dave Zimmerlee pulled in a 20-pound, 15-ounce l...

George W. Perry's 1932 record still stands