Record Bass Will Never Be Caught Again

Escondido, CA (AHN) -- Dixon Lake is one of the most well known spots for anglers, and it was all thanks to a single bass. Dottie was her name, and - at one point - she weighed 25 pounds, 1 ounces. But she will never be caught again after she was found dead on the shore last Friday.

Dottie was a massive fish, measuring 29 1/2 inches. While only 19 pounds at death, experts say she probably spawned her eggs and died soon after. She was most noted for a birthmark beneath her gill, a black dot; hence the name.

Mac Weakley was the one who had bagged Dottie before in 2006, when she would have shattered the old bass record of 22 pounds, 4 ounces, set in 1932. Dottie was not recorded as an official catch, however, as she was "foul-hooked," meaning the hook accidentally caught her below the dorsal. In order for a fish to count for records, it can only be hooked through the mouth, or "fair caught."

Weakley didn't wish to stir up controversy, and threw her back.

Dottie's death is lamented greatly by Escondido, and its population. The tourism they attracted was substantial, as Anglers from around the world tried their luck in catching the biggest bass in history.

"We won't be the center of the fishing world anymore," Escondido Mayor Lori Holt Pfeiler told the San Diego Union Tribune. "I'm disappointed. But I'm also sorry it is dead."

Anglers from as far as Japan came to try and wrangle The Big Fish. The National Geographic Channel also did a feature on Dottie, as well as Weakley and his friends, following them around in a episode of "Hooked."

Dottie was found quickly after her death, no more than 24 hours. The fish will likely be preserved and displayed somewhere on the lake, forever claiming its place in immortality.