Kerr breaks Colorado River System smallmouth record

LAKE HAVASU CITY, Ariz. – FLW Tour pro Justin Kerr broke the Colorado River System smallmouth bass record with a 5.63-pound fish from Lake Havasu on Nov. 9. Kerr used an Evergreen Combat Crank 480 in Bluegill color to entice the record-breaking fish. At 5.63 pounds, Kerr’s fish eclipsed the old mark of 5.39 pounds by almost 4 ounces.

Kerr explained: “I was out fun-fishing with my good friend John Perkins for a few hours before dark when I caught it. We were sure it was over 6 pounds, and on our hand-held scale it was. So we decided to take it in and weigh it. We took it to a certified scale at Bass Tackle Masters, John Galbraith’s tackle shop, and it weighed 5.63, which was enough to be the new record.”

Once the fish was weighed, Kerr and Galbraith filled out the appropriate application for the Arizona Game & Fish department and sent it in. Kerr received confirmation on Nov. 15, 2011, that his application was approved and his fish is now considered the Colorado River System record smallmouth.

The Colorado River System includes Lake Havasu, Lake Mead, Lake Mojave, Lake Martinez and Lake Powell.

“The smallmouth have really gotten big on all of the Colorado River lakes,” Kerr said. “I’ve seen some bigger than this on Havasu. John Perkins actually caught one at least a pound bigger than this one last Thanksgiving (2010). Unfortunately, being that it was a holiday, nobody was around to certify it. At (Lake) Mead I have seen lots in the 4- and 5-pound range. We definitely have some of the best smallmouth fishing anywhere right here on the Colorado River lakes.”

About Justin Kerr

Justin Kerr is the 2008 U.S. Open Champion and the 2010 FLW Rookie of the Year (click here for Kerr’s FLW stats). Justin grew up in Southern California and now lives in Lake Havasu City, Ariz. Kerr’s sponsors include Evergreen, Ranger, Mercury, Navionics, Humminbird, Kanji, Minn Kota and Roboworm.