Could you imagine if you were this dude who just caught a 22-5? I can understand the IGFA rules about having to beat the record by some reasonable amount but dang!!

If this fish is all legit (which feels like to me) I'd sure be inclined to say this guy should have his name listed first for the record.

Regarding the fish getting caught in Japan - it doesn't bother me at all. Seems no different than it being caught in California. In both cases the bass were transplanted. Maybe some day the record will come out of China, who knows. I saw some nice looking bass water there last summer.

In any case I can't wait to hear more about the story of the catch.