Obsession can take root at any age. Take, for example, Kyler Leslie, a 13-year-old from Massachusetts who pulled a state-record largemouth through the ice on Feb. 23. The 7.71-pound bass is a monster ...

They now share the record for the biggest Bowfin fish. Will Pellerin also caught a 25-inch Largemouth Bass in Forge Pond in Granby. The Largemouth Bass record is shared between four different fishers.

In fact, largemouth can be found in lakes and farm ponds in all 50 U.S. states. And every state, minus Alaska, maintains records of the biggest bass ever landed by an angler. One of the oldest ...