Potential record breaking bass found dead

The last time angler Mac Weakley saw Dottie, the 25-pound big bass that gained worldwide attention for its size, she was on the end of his hook.

he legendary big bass, which was released after its 2006 capture, was found belly-up this week in Escondido's Dixon Lake. The Florida-strain largemouth bass had been dead about a day.

Nicknamed Dottie for a distinctive birthmark spot below her jawline, the dead fish measured 29 1/2 inch long and weighed about 19-pounds. When Weakley caught Dottie two years earlier, she was bulging with eggs that significantly added to her weight.

Wow! I live on a terrific bass lake and the 1st year I was here I caught a 22.5 inch 12.5# largemouth and thought that was huge. I can't even fathom one twice that big.