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Wisconsin fisheries staff recognized Austin Schiefer’s 9.70-pound smallmouth bass as a state record after weighing and inspecting the fish. It surpassed the previous state mark, a 9-pound, 1-ounce bass caught in 1950. Schiefer said he and his fishing partner used forward-facing sonar while targeting large bass on Green Bay.
Austin Schiefer has a new Wisconsin state-record smallmouth bass after fisheries staff weighed and inspected his 9.70-pound catch, breaking a record that had stood since 1950. Schiefer caught the fish on Green Bay, a part of Lake Michigan, while fishing with Ted Johnson on October 30; the anglers said they were using forward-facing sonar as they targeted large bass.
Schiefer and Johnson launched at about 7:30 a.m. and fished a reef in roughly 18 feet of water, about two miles from shore. Schiefer told Outdoor Life that they had fished the area before and used sonar to locate bass. The morning was windy, but the wind dropped around midday, and Schiefer said the fish became difficult to catch.
After Johnson suggested a different soft-plastic lure and lighter tackle, Schiefer switched to a five-inch Deps Sakamata Shad on a 3/32-ounce jighead. He said he cast it on a light spinning rod and let it swim down as he retrieved it. Around 2 p.m., he felt a bite. The fish pulled and rolled rather than jumping, leading him initially to wonder whether it was a freshwater drum. He recognized it as a large smallmouth when it came into view in the clear water.
The anglers first weighed the bass at a grocery store on certified scales, where it registered 9 pounds, 11 ounces, and measured 23.75 inches. Wisconsin’s Department of Natural Resources required an examination by state fisheries staff for record recognition. Staff weighed the fish the next day and identified it as a male; the source report gives its official weight as 9.70 pounds. Schiefer told Outdoor Life the DNR had recognized it as Wisconsin’s heaviest smallmouth.
A Record That Lasted Since 1950
The catch replaces a state record that had stood for 76 years. The previous Wisconsin smallmouth mark was a 9-pound, 1-ounce fish caught by Leon Stefonek at Indian Lake in Oneida County in 1950. Schiefer’s fish exceeded that mark by nine ounces, according to the reported weights.
The account also highlights how anglers use electronics and tackle choices to locate and catch fish. Schiefer said the pair used forward-facing sonar to see fish near the bottom, while the change to Johnson’s suggested lure and lighter setup preceded the strike. The report does not establish that sonar alone caused the catch; it describes sonar as one part of the anglers’ approach.
Record recognition required more than the anglers’ initial scale reading: state fisheries staff had to weigh and examine the fish. That official step is why the record claim rests on the subsequent inspection rather than solely on the first weighing at the grocery store.
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How the Green Bay Catch Happened
Green Bay is a large arm of Lake Michigan in Wisconsin. Schiefer, who lives in Menasha and works for UPS while producing soft-plastic lures through Schief’s Custom Baits, told Outdoor Life that the reef was a familiar location where the pair had previously caught smallmouth bass. On the day of the catch, changing weather affected the bite: Schiefer described the morning as windy and said conditions became calm around midday.
Schiefer’s first lure choices were not drawing strikes, even though the anglers could see fish on sonar. Johnson was catching bass on a different soft plastic and recommended that Schiefer try it with lighter tackle. Schiefer said the fish took the lure as it sank. The fish’s unusual deep, rolling fight made its identity uncertain until he saw it underwater; Johnson netted it at the boat.
After the catch, the anglers contacted the DNR but could not reach staff on Friday afternoon before Halloween. They stopped fishing and arranged the certified-scale weighing. The state examination took place the following day, when fisheries staff recorded details including the fish’s sex and the absence of food in its stomach.
“We used forward-facing sonar and were targeting big bass.”
— Austin Schiefer, speaking to Outdoor Life
Questions About the Record Process
The source report says Wisconsin officials recognized the fish as the state record, but it does not reproduce a DNR record notice or give the date of any formal public announcement. It also reports two weight figures: 9 pounds, 11 ounces at the grocery store and 9.70 pounds in the account of the state examination. The report does not explain the difference between those readings or specify the precise conversion or rounding used.
The report says the fish had an empty stomach and was male, but it does not provide further biological measurements or explain how those observations affected the record review. The source describes Schiefer as considering replica mounts; no final decision or plan for displaying one is confirmed.
Plans for the Record Fish
Schiefer told Outdoor Life he plans to have a skin mount made and is considering replica mounts, potentially for the National Freshwater Fishing Hall of Fame in Hayward and Bass Pro Shops. Those display ideas remain under consideration, according to the report.
The immediate record milestone has already occurred: state fisheries staff weighed and inspected the fish, and Schiefer said the DNR recognized it as Wisconsin’s heaviest smallmouth. The report does not identify another pending review or provide a schedule for any future display decisions.
Key Questions
How heavy was the record smallmouth?
The report lists the official weight as 9.70 pounds. The anglers’ initial certified-scale reading was 9 pounds, 11 ounces; the source does not explain the difference between the two figures.
Where and when did Schiefer catch the fish?
He caught it on Green Bay, part of Lake Michigan in Wisconsin, on October 30. He and Ted Johnson were fishing a reef about two miles from shore.
What record did the fish break?
It surpassed Wisconsin’s previous smallmouth bass record of 9 pounds, 1 ounce, caught by Leon Stefonek at Indian Lake in Oneida County in 1950.
Did the anglers use forward-facing sonar?
Yes. Schiefer told Outdoor Life that the pair used forward-facing sonar while targeting large bass. He also credited a lure and tackle change suggested by Johnson before the record fish bit.
Was the fish released?
No. Schiefer said he did not release it because the DNR required the fish to be weighed and examined for the record. He told Outdoor Life that he regretted not being able to release it alive.
Source: outdoorlife.com
