Potential DD Bass Caught on TR - Not April Fools

[Bill Babler]

I agree with Bo, beautiful fish, but not a Tenner.

[moguy1973]

That chart is weird.  My wife's biggest bass, and the biggest bass I've ever seen in person, was 24.5" long and was 6lb 10oz.  Much thinner than that one though and was caught in September.

[snagged in outlet 3]

22 minutes ago, roy_eros said:

Just wanted to share the story, no doubt hard to judge any fish from a photo! 

Thanks for sharing.  Fish photos always generate doubt and speculation.  That's why I just give length.  I'd love to catch it..

[dtrs5kprs]

25 minutes ago, snagged in outlet 3 said:

Thanks for sharing.  Fish photos always generate doubt and speculation.  That's why I just give length.  I'd love to catch it..

That's what I do any more. A golden rule board is pretty much the same everywhere.

[Sprint21fter]

I have a 10 3/4 lb Bass from Fork it measured 22 1/2 but the girth was massive.  Florida strain fish are built different than northern strain.  Awesome fish though. I would think in the upper white during the pre spawn there would be double digits snacking on the trout!

[Seth]

My buddy caught this one yesterday. She was 22" on my golden rule, had a 17" girth and weighed 7.20 pounds on a digital scale. He weighed her right after she was caught and a few hours later after being in his livewell and came up with 7.20 each time. I witnessed him weighing her the second time. It's the second heaviest bass I've seen with my own eyes. That fish in the picture is pushing 24" and as round as a basketball so surely it's pushing 9# or better.

[snagged in outlet 3]

6 minutes ago, Seth said:

I witnessed him weighing her the second time.

Is that a river bass, @Seth

[Seth]

8 hours ago, snagged in outlet 3 said:

Is that a river bass, @Seth

Nope. She came from a 180 acre lake near where we live. It's over run with little dink bass and fish like these are rare birds. I grew up out there and have fished it my entire life and my best is only 6.5# and I caught it probably 20 years ago.

[abkeenan]

17 hours ago, Seth said:

My buddy caught this one yesterday. She was 22" on my golden rule, had a 17" girth and weighed 7.20 pounds on a digital scale. He weighed her right after she was caught and a few hours later after being in his livewell and came up with 7.20 each time. I witnessed him weighing her the second time. It's the second heaviest bass I've seen with my own eyes. That fish in the picture is pushing 24" and as round as a basketball so surely it's pushing 9# or better.

If you check the chart by TPW I posted in both cases those fish are within "range" on their scale. Of course there are going to be outliers but as an aggregate it will give you a relatively accurate weight if you only have length without the girth. Also, as mentioned time of year caught will have influence as well. Fish are obviously going to be heaviest from Feb thru around May (depending on region). So I'd error on the high side of the weight during those times. There are also going to be anomaly fish that are going to be heavier or lighter than the norm for their length. But with large sample sizes that will even out to give what you see in that chart. Not perfect but a reasonable gauge. 

I once caught a 23 inch bass in an "unnamed" branch of TR that had the tail almost completely beaten off, missing one eye and some type of old wound to the gut. It probably would have been around 25" with a full tail. It probably weighed 3lb's it was so skinny and pathetic. Caught in late March in the late 90's on a plum twin tail hula grub on a Akie stand-up weedless jighead. Was like reeling in a dish rag. Zero fight. Grandfather dubbed thee "One Eyed Jack" and said I must have made the cast to his good eye side.

[Flysmallie]

10 hours ago, Seth said:

Nope. She came from a 180 acre lake near where we live. It's over run with little dink bass and fish like these are rare birds. I grew up out there and have fished it my entire life and my best is only 6.5# and I caught it probably 20 years ago.

Get rid of some of those dinks and fish like that will be more common.