New York State Record Officially Given to ‘Ultimate Sportsman’

When the dust finally settled, there was officially a new New York State record holder in the books... but the massive achievement didn't come without some serious hurdles.

The story began weeks ago when local angler Dante Piraino caught a small mouth bass that would have obliterated the previous state record. The only problem was that he didn't want the fish to die in order for the record to be certified.

New York Angler Hits Snag with New State Record

When Piraino originally caught the massive bass in an upstate New York tournament, the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (NYS DEC) advised him that there was no one available to certify its size that day. Would he be willing to put the fish on ice and wait?

The Largest Small Mouth Bass Caught in New York State

Piraino said he knew there was no way he would let the (huge) small mouth bass die simply so he could get his name in the record books. Many fellow anglers praised him as an "ultimate sportsman" for his stance (below). Now, the NYS DEC has responded.

New Record for Small Mouth Bass in New York

In a recent post (below), the NYS DEC congratulated Dante Piraino on his official New York State record. Most likely because the fish was weighed during a sanctioned competition, the weight was "official" enough to be accepted by the NYS DEC.

The NYS DEC also shared that this was the third state record to be set so far this year, including a massive blue crab that took the state crown in June 2024. Check out some other New York records below.