Polson angler breaks state record
Mollie Lemm
Jacob Fowler holds the largest smallmouth bass caught in Montana at a record 7.4 pounds and 21 inches long. Fowler caught it the lunker in Flathead Lake May 2.
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The smallmouth bass, distinguishable by it’s connected dorsal fins and an upper jawbone that extends to about the middle of the eye, can weigh in at almost 12 pounds but for anglers looking to land one of these large fish, catching a smallmouth bass even half of that weight is an impressive feat.
On May 2, Polson’s Jacob Fowler set the record for biggest smallmouth bass caught in Montana at 7.4 pounds and 21 inches long. The previous record, held by Melvin McDanold since August 2013, was 6.7 pounds and 22.5 inches long, according to Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks.
“I knew it was going to be big,” said Fowler, “but when I pulled it out of the water it was magnificent.”
Fowler brought the fish in to Taylor Shauss at Pablo Family Foods to confirm that he caught the record smallmouth bass.
Fowler enjoys fishing on Flathead River down below the Seli’š Ksanka Qlispe’ dam (formerly known as Kerr Dam) and on the lake, where he reeled in his record breaking catch.
According to Fowler, the fish he caught on May 2 was by far his biggest, but he has reeled up a couple smallmouth bass in the 6-pound range.
The current world record for biggest smallmouth bass still stands after 61 years at 11 pounds 15 ounces, caught by David Hayes, July 9, 1955, in a lake on the Tennessee-Kentucky border.
