Best Big Fish Catches of 2016

There’s something simply magical about huge fish. Each year, we make sure to publish those special catches in order to share the experience with our readers. Not to mention, the photos and videos are just insane! 

Click on each title to read the full article. 

Video: 18-pound Bass Caught and Released

5689779.png

Yes, you read that correctly. Can you imagine not only catching an 18-pounder, but also having the opportunity to film its catch and healthy release? We ran across this video on Facebook and everyone is saying it was caught on a Big Hammer Swimbait Tail. 

New York State Record Smallmouth Bass Caught

5689780.jpg

Patrick Hildebrand caught an 8-pound, 4-ounce smallmouth while fishing a tournament at Cape Vincent, New York. After weighing, measuring and photographing the fish, it was successfully released back into the river.

Video: Potential World Record Spotted Bass Caught

5689781.jpg

This is just ridiculous. Feel free to watch the whole video if you’d like, but skip right to the 15:10 mark to see the beginning of the battle. Just crazy!

19-pound Bass Caught in California

5689782.jpg

Ryan Reynolds decided it was a beautiful day and he wanted to go bass fishing. So he rented a skiff on Lake Chabot Reservoir, pulled out a football jig and the rest is history. This fish is such a giant!

9.5-pound Smallmouth Bass Caught in Idaho

5689783.jpg

When you hear of a bass flirting with the 10-pound mark, you usually assume it’s a largemouth. That’s not the case with this catch. Quinten Kelly caught a giant that just missed the state record.

Video: Giant Bass Eats Shiner from Angler’s Hand

5689784.jpg

Elite Series pro Andy Montgomery was able to feed a huge bass by hand off of a dock at the Bull Shoals Boat Dock. If only it was that easy all time time!

Michigan Record Smallmouth Bass Caught

5689785.jpg

Florida resident Bruce Kraemer caught the monster smallmouth from the backyard of his seasonal Indian River cottage. 9.98 pounds and 23.1 inches long!

Is Clear Lake the Best Big Bass Lake in the World?

5689786.jpg

People like to cry “Photoshop” on big bass photos, but there are plenty of videos to further prove the monstrous catches coming from Clear Lake. 30-pound limits are super common and you’ll see plenty of 40-pound limits throughout the year. Really good piece. 

Video: Amazing Frog Blowups by BamaBass

5689787.jpg

If you haven’t checked out YouTube user BamaBass yet, we highly suggest doing so. His videos aren’t cheesy, overproduced and full of techno music; just legit footage of giant bass. I check his channel a lot. This is one of my all-time favorite compilations of his. 

Video: Woman Catches 11-pound Bass

5689788.jpg

Finding a significant other who likes to fish is hard. Finding one who can fight and land an 11-pound, 3-ounce bass like an expert is darn near impossible. Patrick Clark put his girlfriend on a monster bass and got the whole thing on film. 

13-pound Bass Caught on Toledo Bend

5689789.jpg

Great catch by Louis Slaughter Sr. on a famed big bass fishery. The fish was 26 1/4 inches long with a 21 1/2-inch girth. It was released ailive. 

Angler Catches Texas Record Spotted Bass

5689790.jpg

Josh Helmstetler caught this 5.98-pound spotted bass near Lubbock, Texas and it was officially certified by Texas Parks and Wildlife as the new state record. He caught it on a LIVETARGET BaitBall Glass Minnow Jerkbait. 

Giant Delaware Bass Breaks State Record

5689791.jpg

It’s hard to describe how rare a 10-pound, northern strain largemouth bass is; especially from Delaware. This monster was 27 inches long and had a girth of 20 1/2 inches. This is a beautiful largemouth with its awesome coloring and impressive girth. 

Video: Huge Bass Chokes on Big Crappie

5689792.jpg

California angler Kayla Nevius noticed a huge bass on the surface, idled up to it and saw a big crappie sticking out of its throat. It was a legitimate 10-pounder and would have probably been a “teener” in the spawning season. 

Video: Angler Breaks South Dakota Smallmouth Record

5689793.jpg

Lyal Held and Casey Elhert of Minnesota set out to break the South Dakota smallmouth record and get this: They accomplished their goal on the first day of their quest. They caught the beast on Horseshoe Lake and got the entire thing on video. 

Man Charged After Claiming Catfish Record

5689794.jpg

Anthony Stacy claimed to have caught the 83-pound flathead catfish with limblines, but after a lengthy investigation by the Missouri Department of Conservation he pleaded guilty to several wildlife violations. 

Teen Catches North Carolina Record Catfish

5689795.jpg

15-year-old Landon Evans landed a 117-pound, 8-ounce blue catfish from Lake Gaston while fishing with cut shad. The fish was weighed on certified scaled by the North Carolina Wildlife Resources Commission.