David Hayes, on a sunny afternoon in July of 1955, caught the biggest
 smallmouth bass to ever be brought in for weighing in the history of
fishing records. While trolling a Model 300 Bomber along a stretch of
 Dale Hollow Lake he caught a smallmouth bass for the history books.
 His catch obliterated a record that was in the high 8 pound range and
 even today outweighs its nearest competitor by over a pound. All this while trolling for Walleye.

The International Game Fish Association has an 11 pound 15 ounce
problem it wishes would go away. Approximately 6 years ago the
Association, which keeps all of the records on fishing, discovered that
there existed an affidavit indicating that the World Record Smallmouth
bass had been salted (weight added). The affidavit drawn up by one
John Barlow indicated that Mr. Barlow had inserted weights in the fish
 without the knowledge of David Hayes. The IGFA removed the
record from the books. The Kentucky Department of Fish and Wildlife
 and the Fishing Hall of Fame followed suit in short order removing the
 fish from their records also.

Thanks to hard work and the determination to get the truth about the
biggest smallmouth ever caught, Larry Self, a journalist from Tennessee,
 and Ron Fox of the Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency, were on the
verge of getting the record restored. So far the Freshwater Hall of Fame
 has reinstated the record and Kentucky is considering. The State of
Tennessee never wavered on the record. Upon finally getting a look at
the affidavit that Mr. Barlow had taken out, they discovered it was not
signed by Mr. Barlow, and it was not signed or notarized by the clerk of
 the court. Further investigation also brought up problems with the
affidavit. Ira Barlow, the brother of John Barlow (who since died), took
 a lie detector test and passed, stating that his brother, John, was nowhere  near the Cedar Hill Dock when the fish was weighed and certified by   Tennessee authorities. He went on to say that the reason for the deposition was that Mr. Barlow had argued with the Cedar Hill Dock
 management and was no longer welcome there.

Other problems with the salting have come up. Granville "Lightnin"
Madison was at Wisdom Dock on that fateful day. Turns out David Hayes  took the fish to Wisdom first as it was closest to the spot where he caught  the fish. The fish was weighed in front of Lightnin and Oral Burtram, a Kentucky Water Police Officer. In a statement made in front of witnesses,  Mr. Madison not only recalled the weight of the fish, but the correct approximate time of the weigh in at Wisdom Dock. I have a copy of the signed statement which I gave to the State of Kentucky.   Officer Burtram has died, but notes he left, according to sources, indicate that he witnessed the weigh in of an 11 pound 15 ounce smallmouth bass.

Thus the fish was weighed on an uncertified scale at Wisdom Dock before  the official weigh in at Cedar Hill (which had a certified scale). It weighed  the same as the official weight from the scale at Cedar Hill Dock. Sort of hard to happen if 3 pounds of weight was added. Not to mention that the weights were identical WITH added weight?

So far the Freshwater Fishing Hall of Fame has reinstated the David Hayes  smallmouth to its rightful place. The state of Tennessee never waivered in  its support of the record. It has remained the State Record.
 The IGFA has failed so far to do so, but they are still being informed of all of the evidence.

The IGFA notified Ron Fox in November that it is reopening the
investigation into the Smallmouth Bass Record. Watch these pages for a
further update of the David Hayes smallmouth controversy.

(IN 2003 the IGFA refused to accept the evidence presented to them and refused to recognize the Hayes fish as the record)

A funny thing happened on the way to the trash bin with this record.
 Forty years ago Field and Stream, which originally kept the All Tackle
 World Records information, heard about the Barlow affidavit in the
50’s and sent a reporter to investigate. He determined from interviews
that the information included in the affidavit was false and that no weight
 had been added to the fish. In the transfer of records and information to
 the IGFA, the report was apparently lost....OOPS!

(Update: 2004 The IGFA says it will not reopen the case under any
 circumstances. It does not recognize any fish that there is any controversy  over)
To me this means that if we dont like a record all we have to do is say it
was salted... What is to stop someone from doing this to any record?
Jim Dicken
Author / Owner Fishing Guides Home Page

(Update: 2005 After an Article in Bassmaster Magazine took the IGFA to task. The Article was by Ken Duke of Bassmasters Magazine.
On December 12, 2005 The IGFA Reinstated the David Hayes Smallmouth as the All Tackle World Record.

Some of the original confusion was created by this Article by Don Jordan
  Click Here to Read the article which incorrectly states that the Barlow Affidavit was signed by a judge. I have seen original copies of the affidavit. It was not signed by either a judge or the clerk of the court or by John Barlow. It was a typed 
affidavit with NO SIGNATURES.

Other evidence of Fraud in the Barlow Affidavit...
Employees of Center Hill Dock recall that the fish was brought immediately to the scales. Once weighed it was placed in a freezer on the dock. An employee, interviewed by Ron Fox of TWRA stated that he slept on the freezer and never left it  until the fish was weighed. There was at no time an opportunity to salt the fish..

Even worse is the ridicule I have encountered towards David Hayes and his record.
Many people are under the impression that Mr. Hayes had something to do with the addition of the weight. In the affidavit of Mr. Barlow, it clearly states that the weight was added as a "JOKE" and without the knowledge of Mr. Hayes.
Worse yet.. no weight was found in the fish by the taxidermist who did the Taxidermy on the Hayes Smallmouth. Mr. Barlow at no time explains how he removed the weight without the knowledge of the parties concerned in the unsigned Affidavit. Experts on Photo Analysis of fish and records have clearly stated that the fish weighed AT LEAST 10 pounds and most likely weighed more... If weight had been added the fish would have weighed over 13 pounds!!!!! 

If you believe like I do that David Hayes Record was unjustly removed, please 
contact the IGFA and the Kentucky Department of Fish and Wildlife Resources.
Ask them to recognize the TRUE World Record Smallmouth.

The Best Winter Smallmouth
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Fishing Guides Home Page

Contact Information for
the International Game
Fish Association: 
300 Gulf Stream Way 
Dania Beach , 
Florida 33004 U.S.A.
(Map - Click Here)
Phone (954) 927-2628
Fax (954) 924-4299 
E-Mail: hq@igfa.org

Contact for the Kentucky
Department of Fish and
 Wildlife Resources:
Kentucky Department 
of Fish and Wildlife Resources 
#1 Game Farm Road
Frankfort, KY 40601
800-858-1549 
E-Mail our Information Center

Pictures of David Hayes
Late 2004 Click on Pic 
For larger full size image.
 

Photos By Ed Harp of 
The Ohio River.com