Sowbelly: The Obsessive Quest for the World Record Largemouth Bass

by Monte Burke

In the tradition of The Orchid Thief, a fascinating look at obsessed fishermen and their quest for fame, fortune, and the seventy-two-year-old record for the heaviest largemouth bass

On a rainy morning in the spring of 1932, a farmer named George Washington Perry decided it was too wet to plow and went fishing instead. That day, a star was born in McRae, Georgia, when George landed the largest largemouth ever recorded—twenty-two pounds four ounces, to be exact. The fish has inspired and frustrated hundreds of also-ran anglers for decades. They’ve dedicated their lives to the pursuit of “Sowbelly”—a nearly mythical fish, whose swinelike girth holds the key to their dreams. Now avid fisherman Monte Burke captures their stories.

Sowbelly features a motorcycle cop from Los Angeles who came within ounces of besting the record, the tiny lake in suburban San Diego where competition has turned especially fierce, a biologist from Texas trying to produce the next world-record bass through scientific research, an Alabaman who has lost his marriage and his daughter to this futile pursuit, and even an excursion to Cuba. Tracking each story with an entertaining, stranger-than-fiction eye, Burke brings readers unprecedented access to the key players in this legendary race.

Published just in time for fishing expos and Father’s Day, Sowbelly reels in the ultimate catch for the eleven million fishermen pursuing largemouth bass.

Genres: Nonfiction, Sports, Animals

272 pages, Hardcover

First published March 17, 2005

Reviews

[Thomas Moore · Rating 5 out of 5]

Absolutely loved this one by Monte Burke. His writing style makes it hard to put down and you feel like you know each of the characters he interviews. If you are an angler, doesn’t matter which kind of angler, give this a read.

[Hunsoo Kim · Rating 3 out of 5]

“You reach a point at which you view your life through the things you’ve spent so much time doing. The alternative is a perilous feeling of waste.”
Thomas McGuane, novelist

While this book is about the chase to catch the world record largemouth bass, it is really about the universal theme of human obsession. The record is 22 pounds 4 ounces (32.5 inches long, 28.5 inches around) caught by George Perry at Montgomery Lake, Georgia in 1932, though there remains some controversy as their no remaining photos or credible eyewitnesses, but instead of just documentation of the weigh-in and a fiberglass replica of the beast. Indeed, this was during the Great Depression, and the bass was actually eaten. The author, a Forbes staff writer and avid fisherman, describes the biology, especially re “sowbelly” (the large, egg-laden females), the rise of the Californian lakes (Florida strain bass was imported then fed w/ lake trout!), the advances in technology, & some of the key big bass specific lure makers. But the bulk of the book is dedicated to the small group of individuals who have distilled what they want out of life to the single act of catching the world record, such as Bob Crupri, Mike Long, Jed Dickerson & others. He chronicles their personalities, competition, jealousies, triumphs, heartbreaks, as well as the cost of their obsession, including near depression and broken families. Some even try to grow the record in their private ponds, some just outright cheat. This is different from the pro bass fishing circuit where the 1st prize money for the Bassmaster Classic now reaches US$300K. “It’s not the money or the notoriety for me. It’s about being the biggest dog” says one.

I’ve become an avid bass fisherman in recent years, though far from being obsessive (my wife might have a different opinion). But after reading this book, I yearn to try my luck at the famous lakes, including Lake Biwa in Japan, where Manabu Kurita tied the world record in 2009, four years after this book was published. As one angler said, “That thirty seconds is like a crack pipe-hit, it’s just a rush.”

[David Ward · Rating 4 out of 5]

Sowbelly: The Obsessive Quest for the World-Record Largemouth Bass by Monte Burke (Dutton 2002) (799.17) (3437). This book features another subculture that I had never explored prior to picking up Monte Burke's superb little volume on the sport of lunker bass fishing and the pursuit of the world's record largemouth bass.

The world's record largemouth bass was set in 1932 when a poor Georgia farmer named George Perry brought home a 22 pound 4 ounce largemouth from a day of fishing. He mailed in the fish's measurements in response to a contest sponsored by Field and Stream magazine, and his family promptly ate the fish! Field & Stream shortly thereafter credited Perry's fish as the world record.

Despite the hundreds of thousands of hours which lunker bass fishermen have spent fishing (millions, maybe?) while trying to best George Perry's record fish, no one has ever topped Perry's record.

It is expected that whoever catches the new record will be reeling in a fish worth millions of dollars to the lucky fisherman from endorsements and sponsorships from fishing tackle and boat manufacturers.

Monte Burke's book explores the personalities (which feature several prominent bass fishermen) and the locations which are believed to be the waters from which the next world-record sized fish could be caught (Florida, Southern California, Texas, or Cuba).

This book is a superb introduction into this odd little subculture.

My rating: 7.25/10, finished 4/13/20 (3437). I purchased a used HB copy in like-new condition from McKay's books on 3/1/20 for $1.50.

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[Mike · Rating 4 out of 5]

When I was a young kid I loved to fish for largemouth bass at my grandparents lake. I read Outdoor Life magazine and knew the history of the world record bass caught around the time of the Great Depression, which the author discusses in detail. If you’ve ever fished with artificial lures or bait you know how much fun it can be.

Having said all that this book is great but only if you are or ever were a bass fisherman (or lady). I never realized the pursuit to break the record was so frenzied among so many.

Author does a super job of covering every aspect of the pursuit to catch, breed or grow a new record. He even covers Japan, where I think the world record was subsequently tied after this books publication. Well done.

[David Drew · Rating 5 out of 5]

I think that this was a great book. Reading this gives me greater confidence that I can catch big fish myself if I put enough time and effort into the sport. Also I learned that Texas might not be where the big bass are growing. Surprisingly it was California. The only thing that I would say about this book is that on Goodreads, it says that the book is 270 pages of so. But my book only has 237. I don't know If I have a different version than the website has or if it's just an error. Overall, great book and I would definitely recommend it to anyone that likes fishing or is getting into fishing.

[DaShannon · Rating 3 out of 5]

I took this to Hawaii for John to read but ended up reading it myself over the next few months. We spend a lot of time at fishing tournaments so this was good backstory. It reads like a novel, great journalist voice. There are so many 'characters' in this ongoing story it gets a bit confusing but I enjoyed it.

[Toniann Keiling · Rating 5 out of 5]

I work with fish and have published some research on largemouth bass angling, so I was worried this book would be too similar to my work but I was wrong. This book was so entertaining and I learned a bunch about how bass fishing differs across the country. Love the passion of the anglers !

[andrea · Rating 3 out of 5]

Makes me want to go bass fishing again.

[Eric · Rating 5 out of 5]

Not a fisherman and I loved it!

[Ted Alling · Rating 5 out of 5]

Super fun book if you are into bass fishing

[Don · Rating 3 out of 5]

I'm not a fisherman and I still enjoyed this book. Well done!

[Jared · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is a must read. Nobody in the world would ever think that the quest for the heaviest largemouth bass would be an interesting story, but this exceeds all expectations. This book is more about the people who quest for the record then a book about fishing. Along the way, you meet such a wide variety of people, from hucksters to genuine heroes. Pick this one up!

[Kurt Mazurek · Rating 4 out of 5]

Well written and entertaining! I enjoyed the behind the scenes look at the obsessive personalities, each with their individual rationalization of their quest. Admittedly, this topic is right up my alley but I think the book should appeal to anyone who has ever chased a dream (or dreamed of chasing a dream).

[Alex · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a great review of the quest for the world record bass. It dives into the stories of those leading the race to catch the fish and how it has taken over their lives and turned from a hobby into a obsession. It is a fun read if you want to learn more about bass fishing.

[Zach Zeidler · Rating 4 out of 5]

a book about fishing and the south -- perfect combination!!

[Robert · Rating 5 out of 5]

Interesting on many levels. A quick and entertaining read. Well written.

[Greg Fanoe · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was suspenseful and definitely worth reading but I have to admit the subject matter was not the most interesting to me.

[Scott Gill]

The Friday Night Lights of bass fishing. An incredible exploration into some very unique people who give their lives in quest of the world record bass.