Dixon's legendary big bass bites bullet

[Spiel]

Dixon's legendary big bass bites bullet

 

May 9, 2008

Angela Lau / UNION-TRIBUNE

 

 

JOHN GASTALDO / Union-Tribune / A ranger checks the frozen remains.

 

The fish with a worldwide reputation as one of the heaviest ever hooked was found floating Friday morning on the Lake by an angler who turned it over to a city ranger.

 

Jed Dickerson of Oceanside and Mac Weakley of Carlsbad, who caught the bass two years ago, were called to the ranger's office to identify the renowned fish.

 

The Florida strain largemouth bass found floating across from the boat dock had the same distinctive black birthmark below its jawline as the one the men released in 2006.

 

“That's it, that's THE fish,” Weakley said Friday afternoon. “The fish has lived out its life cycle.”

 

The bass is now in a freezer at the Dixon Lake ranger's office, waiting for California Fish and Game officials to come by Monday and take tissue samples to determine its age. The fish, christened Dottie by the City of Escondido, is estimated to be 15- to 17-years-old.

 

The bass had apparently been dead for at least one day when it was found.

 

Dottie measured 29½ inches long and weighed about 19 pounds, said Dickerson. That was a far cry from the hefty 25 pounds 1 ounce it weighed in 2006 when Weakley caught it – well above the 1932 world record of 22 pounds, 4 ounces. But then it was fat with eggs; this time it apparently died shortly after spawning.

 

Instead of submitting it for the record in 2006, Weakley released the bass because he had foul-hooked it on its side. Hooking a fish somewhere other than in the mouth is not allowed if done intentionally.

 

The fish – and an accompanying photo – was an Internet sensation, attracting attention from around the world and luring many anglers to Dixon Lake in futile efforts to catch it again.

 

A contract crew hired by National Geographic was on the lake this week filming a story about the fish and the people trying to capture it. In the world of bass fishing, holding the size title could bring lucrative endorsements.

 

Since letting Dottie go, Weakley and Dickerson had spent lots of time trying to find the fish and hook it by the rules.

 

As of Friday, Dickerson said he had been fishing on Dixon Lake for 70 straight days.