Big one that didn't get away

[Bigmo]

Went bass fishing and caught this guy on a jigging spoon in 20 fow. Stick measures 22 inches and it went another 8 to 10  inches past that.  I'm guessing somewhere around 20lbs. because when I lifted it to release it to live another day it was heavy. Water temps around 79. I caught 8 bass on a spinner and the spoon with 3 keepers. The second pic i took was just in case I didn't get it to the boat. 

[Sprint21fter]

Bet that made the ticker jump a few beats! 

[Bigmo]

I had a spoon on a rod with 10lb line on it, my net was in my rod box, the handle to my net had a slight crack and a bend in it. The handle broke in half lifting it resulting in me putting my hand in its mouth to get it in the boat. Battery was dead in my scale to weigh it. That's why it deserved to be let go. After losing at least 5 other big ones over the years that i never saw I was pretty happy to boat this one. 

[fishinwrench]

1 hour ago, Bigmo said:

The second pic i took was just in case I didn't get it to the boat. 

Jacking around with a camera while trying to land it definitely upped the odds of that!  😃

Glad you got him regardless.  Nice one!

[Bigmo]

After I saw it I had to get proof otherwise it would have been another fish story. If it would have been a bass I would have never taken a picture of it in the water

[fishinwrench]

Happens at least once a year.  Flatheads will sometimes eat anything that moves.

They are pretty tasty!

[rogerdodger]

20 yrs ago I landed this 52 lb monster on a 1 oz dbl willow spinner in the early spring. Until I see different I have to assume it’s the record for lure caught on table rock. They are the apex predator 

[MoCarp]

they are truly the top of the foodchain

 

Quote

The world angling record flathead catfish was caught May 14, 1998, from Elk City Reservoir, Kansas, and weighed 123 lb 9 oz (56.0 kg),

 

[snagged in outlet 3]

A buddy caught a 59 pounder out of the Missouri last weekend.

I go down to the community hole on the weekend if I don't have anything to do just to check out what's up occasionally.