Big Fish Board

Ed Walbel’s record largemouth bass

Sun, February 15, 1976

Cold weather paid off with a big fish for Ed Walbel.

Fishing on Feb. 15, 1976 with ice still covering all but a small bay of the lake he was fishing, Walbel hooked into the largest largemouth ever caught in Illinois.

Walbel caught his fish in a Lake County gravel pit. Walbel said he had virtually sole fishing rights to the 100-acre quarry that yielded his record bass, which measured 28 inches and had a girth of 23 inches.

Walbel’s big bass hit a yellow Mr. Twister No. 2 Meany Spin at about 2:30 p.m.

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