You don’t have to live in the Bluegrass State to enjoy smallmouth bass fishing, but you do need to be a Kentucky resident to display the world record smallmouth bass on your vehicle’s license plate.
Caught on July 9, 1955 by Kentuckian David L. Hayes, the record smallmouth bass has quite a story behind it. The fish weighed 11 pounds, 15 ounces and stood as the all-tackle world record for 40 years until claims by a marina dockhand caused it to be disqualified by the International Game Fish Association and State of Kentucky. After an article in Bassmaster Magazine in the summer of 2005 discredited the dockhand and made the case for Hayes’ catch, the record was reinstated by both the state and IGFA and has stood ever since.
The new license plate costs $25 and will be available in March 2013. Visit kentuckywildlife.com for more information.