The possible world-record fish has been frozen since it perished in the Valley Rod and Gun store bass aquarium a week ago Sunday, the day after it was caught. Steve Salcedo, Shishido's partner who netted the fish, will bring it to Fresno today. Fisheries supervisor Randy Kelly from the Fresno office said, in a cursory examination, the fish had many characteristics of a spotted bass but also some of a Florida-strain largemouth. Kelly will be gone today, but Mitchell, the regional fisheries boss, may examine the fish. I am hopeful this one will pass the test, too, but with a world record you have to be very sure.
Spots are Kentucky or Alabama fish exported to California.
Lee said some Eastern biologists believed Sakamoto's fish was a hybrid, but he was able to give them data that proved it was a spot. Stephens said Kelly had technical questions about the pending world record spot and asked for a close examination. The introduction of spots in local waters was not warmly embraced by all bass anglers. That, too, has been true, with good smallmouth fisheries at Pine Flat, Millerton and Shasta diminished or gone after the introduction of spots. Still it is difficult to argue with world records.