the fishing contest conducted annually by Field and Stream an entry was made in 1918 that was claimed to have tipped the scales at the colossal weight of sixteen pounds but the entry was disqualified for lack of suitable evidence. The first prize went to a specimen weighing 93/4 pounds which is a large small mouthed bass. The average weight of the prize winners in this contest for the past eight years was approximately 71/4 pounds.
One of the reasons why the small mouthed bass does not attain greater size is due to its habit of spending the winters in a state of semi-hibernation, when it does little or no feeding.
