9 Pounder

[EGbassing]

9 hours ago, OCdockskipper said:

EG, congratulations on the new PB.  As for the naysayers, pay them no heed.  I received the same treatment here a few years back when I caught a bass I estimated to weigh about 30 lbs. 

 

It was mid January and I made about a 100 yard cast with a Whopper Plopper.  The fish came up from about 40 feet of water, jumped over the lure & then landed on it, so I inadvertently foul hooked her.  When I got her to the boat, she was too big to lift and since the foul hooking would invalidate any claims for records, I just unhooked her & let her go.  I took a picture of her with my phone before she swam off, but then the next day I was at the airport & the TSA confiscated it.  Oddly enough, the TSA agent who took my phone looked exactly like J Francho.

Thanks. And 30 pounds... You're serious, right? No offense, it's just hard to tell if you're joking or not.  I guess it's believable since you live in CA...

[Darren.]

46 minutes ago, EGbassing said:

Thank you.  The only scale I had with me was the kind that goes through their gills, which is great for fish that you're keeping, but I've heard that it can really damage their gills. (didn't want to take a chance on seeing that beast floating 2 days later...) I'm really considering getting the kind of scale that clips to their lip now. More than likely I'll come across a few more over 5 pounds in the pond I fish. I've caught two 6 pounders in the past month plus the one yesterday, and I know a guy that caught an 8 pounder recently. All of those were caught in that little pond...

No problemo!

 

I use a Boga Grip (15 pound version) that is super accurate,

but it is expensive. I saved up over the years to afford one.

 

Also use a digital scale (which is currently misplaced), but

isn't waterproof.

 

I would suggest the EconoScale if you can't afford a better

one:

https://www.basspro.com/shop/en/econoscale-fish-scales?searchTerm=EconoScale+Fish+Scales

 

I have one of these and it is very accurate. I periodically 

weigh dumbbells with it and it has always been spot on.

 

Reason I suggest this style is that you can use it as a grip

much more easily than the plastic plier type. So when you

have that bass you're gonna lip grip with thumbs, you 

would use this instead and have it secured.

[EGbassing]

17 hours ago, BassObsessed said:

?

Allow me to clarify. I lifted most of it's body out of the water, unhooked it, held it up higher to see how big it was, and dropped it back in. A lot of people are saying that it sounds like I hooked a good fish and it came off at the bank or something along those lines. It was a clean catch, and my estimation would be 9 pounds. I really wasn't thinking about getting a picture. I was just stunned.

[OCdockskipper]

4 hours ago, EGbassing said:

Thanks. And 30 pounds... You're serious, right? No offense, it's just hard to tell if you're joking or not.  I guess it's believable since you live in CA...

Yeah, we grow them big here in California.  There aren't any trout in this lake, but the county stocks the area with swimming squirrels, which the bass love to eat.  I put a long feather on the back of a whopper plopper and it sure looks one of those varmints trying to cross the lake.  I have caught a few bass in the 20 lb range with bushy tails in their gullet.

[Smokinal]

Last week I caught one that was 14 lbs, 3 oz.  Had her right next to the boat and the line broke before I could lip her for a pic.

[EGbassing]

12 hours ago, Smokinal said:

Last week I caught one that was 14 lbs, 3 oz.  Had her right next to the boat and the line broke before I could lip her for a pic.

I've never broken off before, but I can feel your pain... Did you get an official weight, or is 14lbs 3oz just an estimation?

On 5/4/2018 at 2:26 PM, OCdockskipper said:

Yeah, we grow them big here in California.  There aren't any trout in this lake, but the county stocks the area with swimming squirrels, which the bass love to eat.  I put a long feather on the back of a whopper plopper and it sure looks one of those varmints trying to cross the lake.  I have caught a few bass in the 20 lb range with bushy tails in their gullet.

I noticed you said in your about me section that your PB is 8 - 9 pounds. Was that a mistake, or could you not count the ones in the 20 pound range for some reason?

[Glenn]

Apparently the sarcasm was missed....

 

2 hours ago, EGbassing said:

but the county stocks the area with swimming squirrels

 

[Smokinal]

4 hours ago, EGbassing said:

 Did you get an official weight, or is 14lbs 3oz just an estimation?

 

Well she had scales on her back, sooooooooo.......

[EGbassing]

21 minutes ago, Smokinal said:

Well she had scales on her back, sooooooooo.......

?

2 hours ago, Glenn said:

Apparently the sarcasm was missed....

 

 

I don't get it...  

[OCdockskipper]

5 hours ago, EGbassing said:

...I noticed you said in your about me section that your PB is 8 - 9 pounds. Was that a mistake, or could you not count the ones in the 20 pound range for some reason?

For PB, I only count the bass that I catch when noodling, barehanded in the water, wrestling them out from under trees and docks.  I believe that is the only fair & sporting way to catch bass.

 

When the water is too cold or I realize that I can't swim, I will use a rod & reel.  Too easy, not sporting, the DD fish nearly jump into the boat.

[Graham]

[NittyGrittyBoy]

Next time, take a picture at least to prevent doubt, congrats on pb

[Log Catcher]

On 5/4/2018 at 12:48 AM, OCdockskipper said:

EG, congratulations on the new PB.  As for the naysayers, pay them no heed.  I received the same treatment here a few years back when I caught a bass I estimated to weigh about 30 lbs. 

 

It was mid January and I made about a 100 yard cast with a Whopper Plopper.  The fish came up from about 40 feet of water, jumped over the lure & then landed on it, so I inadvertently foul hooked her.  When I got her to the boat, she was too big to lift and since the foul hooking would invalidate any claims for records, I just unhooked her & let her go.  I took a picture of her with my phone before she swam off, but then the next day I was at the airport & the TSA confiscated it.  Oddly enough, the TSA agent who took my phone looked exactly like J Francho.

I caught a 30 pound bass years ago. I did not have a camera with me. I was using a 5 pound cricket for bait.

[Gundog]

On ‎5‎/‎4‎/‎2018 at 12:48 AM, OCdockskipper said:

 

 

It was mid January and I made about a 100 yard cast with a Whopper Plopper.  

I call BS. Everybody knows that lure don't work. Its the Banjo Minnow of this decade. ?

[EGbassing]

2 hours ago, Gundog said:

I call BS. Everybody knows that lure don't work. Its the Banjo Minnow of this decade. ?

While I do find a thirty pound bass hard to believe, (even in California) I don't think the whopper plopper makes it less likely...

[Gundog]

9 minutes ago, EGbassing said:

While I do find a thirty pound bass hard to believe, (even in California) I don't think the whopper plopper makes it less likely...

I wholeheartedly disagree. The idea that a Whopper Plopper was responsible for such a incredible catch totally dismisses the claim and makes the discussion null and void because, as I stated, the lure simply does not work. Its based on voodoo and charlatanism (look it up, its a real word) therefor any discussion must carry a great degree of skepticism and humbuggery.  

[NittyGrittyBoy]

Whopper plopper is the biggest scam of 2018

[EGbassing]

9 hours ago, NittyGrittyBoy said:

Whopper plopper is the biggest scam of 2018

I've never used it, so I don't know for sure how well it works, but anything with hooks can catch bass. It looks a lot like any other prop-bait/popper/etc. I don't see any reason why it just wouldn't catch anything.

[Smokinal]

3 hours ago, EGbassing said:

I've never used it, so I don't know for sure how well it works, but anything with hooks can catch bass. It looks a lot like any other prop-bait/popper/etc. I don't see any reason why it just wouldn't catch anything.

 

13 hours ago, NittyGrittyBoy said:

Whopper plopper is the biggest scam of 2018

 

[soflabasser]

On 5/5/2018 at 3:53 PM, Graham said:

Looks like a good lure to use at night

[Graham]

23 minutes ago, soflabasser said:

Looks like a good lure to use at night

That Cali squirrel pattern looks deadly...

[frosty]

I don’t know why I haven’t been following this thread but I’d love to hear more about these 30 pounders!

[Bassin' Brad]

What we have going on here is a common case of bass shrinkage. It's something every bass angler faces. It happens like this. The moment you set the hook on bass, is the moment it weighs the maximum amount. The moment you grasp the bass by the mouth and hoist it out if the water the dreaded shrinkage occurs! The bass loses as much as 30% of it's weight the moment it leaves the water. Next, you make the the mistake of taking a picture with the bass, another 15% is gone instantly. Then you commit the wost of the worst, you actually weigh it! This act of pure ignorance often reduces the fish another 20% and you are left with what was once a record breaking trophy and is now a mere "decent fish". This happens constantly with anglers and there should be more study on the phenomenon. 

 

Three weeks ago I was with a friend and he hooked fish that he instantly claimed was a solid 5+ lber on a light crappie setup, the fish was a beast! Only problem was the moment he pulled the fish out it became a high 3 low 4, by the time we finally put it on my scale it was only 3.27 or so. Classic example.  

 

You was certainly wise not to pull the fish out of the water, snap a picture and weigh her, by the time would have done that the fish would have only weighed 3.5-4 lbs. 

 

The reason @OCdockskipper has caught 30 lbers is because he's smart enough not to weigh them or take pictures. 

[Choporoz]

I haven't been this confused since I learned that the word 'gullible' was taken out of the dictionary. 

[Bassin' Brad]

12 minutes ago, Choporoz said:

I haven't been this confused since I learned that the word 'gullible' was taken out of the dictionary. 

WHAAAT?!?!? Why did they take gullible out of the dictionary?!? That just doesn't make sense!!! 

???