Feature Story
The Bushong Record Bass
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ach spring, many Missouri bass fishers embark on a quest to catch their version of the Holy Grail – a state-record largemouth bass. But even the most optimistic of those fishermen know it’s a long-shot, at best. Missouri’s state record of 13 pounds, 14 ounces, has withstood the test of time. Marvin Bushong caught that beast on April 21, 1961, on Bull Shoals Lake, and few fishermen have come close to threatening that mark since then. Bushong’s amazing catch is the longest-standing poleand-line record in the Missouri books. It’s one of the oldest bass state records in the country. Only Georgia (1932), Michigan (1934), Wisconsin (1940), and South Carolina (1949) have longer-standing marks.
So, you say you know where the next state record lives and that it’s only a matter of time before you’ll catch it? Well, good luck with that. Bushong’s record bass has humbled many a fisher over the years. “I don’t think any of us figured dad’s record would last this long,” said Mike Bushong, Marvin’s son. “When he caught it, there were a lot of big bass in Bull Shoals. The next day, my dad’s friend went back to the same spot where dad caught his fish and got one that weighed 10 pounds. “But no one could break dad’s record then—and no one’s been able to do it since. Our family hopes it will last forever.” (Left) Marvin Bushong's tombstone in Gainesville, Mo., includes a photo of him holding the state-record bass he caught at Bull Shoals Lake. (Photo: Courtesy of Lana Bushong) (Right) Marvin Bushong posed with his 4-year-old daughter Lana and the Missouri state-record bass he caught in 1961. (Photo: Courtesy of Lana Bushong)
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