paul. Posted April 5, 2015 Posted April 5, 2015 nope. 1 oz. over 10. at barely over 22" long! Are you kiddin' me!?!?!? this one's relative weight is completely off the charts. by comparison, most "average" 22" fish are 5.5 - 7 pounds. a "fat" 22" fish might be 8 or if you're lucky, pushing 9. So this is a very special fish indeed. keep growing baby. i got a real good feelin' about you....... happy Easter guys! hope y'all are having a great day. 12 Quote
Super User A-Jay Posted April 5, 2015 Super User Posted April 5, 2015 Great Bass Paul. That's a Double Chunk. Congrats A-Jay Quote
Super User Dwight Hottle Posted April 5, 2015 Super User Posted April 5, 2015 Sweet fish Paul. I'm guessing 21" girth. Maybe 22". You have had a very productive spring. 1 Quote
Super User 00 mod Posted April 5, 2015 Super User Posted April 5, 2015 Paul that is a beauty! Jeff 1 Quote
Super User RoLo Posted April 5, 2015 Super User Posted April 5, 2015 You've been whack'n em Paul, that's for sure! Roger Quote
Super User whitwolf Posted April 5, 2015 Super User Posted April 5, 2015 Speechless here Paul, beautiful work! Quote
Super User Senko lover Posted April 5, 2015 Super User Posted April 5, 2015 Now that is a fat sow! Well done! Quote
Turtle135 Posted April 6, 2015 Posted April 6, 2015 that is an amazing fish, that belly is unreal, congrats! Quote
Super User Darren. Posted April 6, 2015 Super User Posted April 6, 2015 Wow, Paul. That's a beast. Fat, well-fed. Nice catch! Quote
paul. Posted April 6, 2015 Author Posted April 6, 2015 there is a pretty cool story behind this fish. some of y'all know that i tinker around a little with pond mgmt. growing big fish has always fascinated me almost as much as catching them. if there are 3 "keys" to growing trophy bass in a pond, they are identifying and isolating young, fast-growing female fish, throwing the kitchen sink at them in terms of forage, and eliminating competition from fish that will never "make the cut.". when i caught this little doll at KY lake several yrs. ago, she was barely over five pounds, but she had the "right look" to her and appeared to be destined for greatness. so i transplanted her into one of the ponds i work with. this fish has always demonstrated a decent growth rate, but over the past year she really picked up steam, going from 8-3 pre-spawn last year to 10-1 pre-spawn this year. this is the point where it gets real interesting with a big fish. kind of like compounding interest at the bank. the bigger they are, the more they can eat. and the more they can eat, the bigger they get. a fish this size can easily hold over a pound of forage. so you can do the math. growing 1.5 - 2 lbs per year plus holding a pound of forage or more, you're talking about a fish getting real big real fast. the last time i had a chance to work with a fish with proportions similar to these (over 10 lbs. at 22") was way back in 2005 - 10 years ago. that should tell you how badly the odds are stacked against this happening. everything has to be right. first, you have to hit the genetics lottery. second, you have to make sure that the fish has enough forage available that it can eat almost at will. third, you have to win the battle against father time and mother nature - somehow beating disease, floods, drought, and old age. and fourth, you have to be very careful to not to injure or kill the fish when you're lucky enough to catch it. i always lamented the fact that i was very ignorant with that very special fish 10 years ago. i made so many mistakes. and that one was still over 12 pounds when she died. i always wished that i could somehow go back "knowing then what i know now". this fish may give me that opportunity. sometimes lightning can strike twice i guess. but i have learned not to count trophy bass before you're holding them. the odds are stacked against any fish reaching teens here in TN. I'll keep my fingers crossed. 3 Quote
BooyahMan Posted April 6, 2015 Posted April 6, 2015 That is insane!! Congrats on a great Easter fish! Quote
paul. Posted April 6, 2015 Author Posted April 6, 2015 thanks everybody. here is her "baby picture" from KY lake a while back. if nothing else, this is a powerful testament to the value of catch and release. 2 Quote
Heron Posted April 6, 2015 Posted April 6, 2015 10lb @ 22"??? Yeoww. I bet that thing swims just like them fat goldfish you see at the pet store with the bulging eyes. Quote
Super User Bankbeater Posted April 6, 2015 Super User Posted April 6, 2015 Nice big bass. That fish must have quite the appetite. Quote
Super User SPEEDBEAD. Posted April 6, 2015 Super User Posted April 6, 2015 Atta boy Paul. Very nice fish. Quote
Matthew2000 Posted April 6, 2015 Posted April 6, 2015 I have to find out where your little honey hole is. Quote
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