New personal best!!

7.8 pounds according to the fish weight calculator but on a certified scale the fish weighed 8.25 pounds. He said the disparity in the weight could be due to the irregular shape of the tail? It was caught from Douglas lake in East Tn. I also had a 5.5 LM and a 4 ilb SM. Great night of fishing Had 33 in all.

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I am a catch and release fisherman but I caught this fish in 30 ft. of water and could not get her to recover so I tired to insert the needle and must have missed the spot b/c she turned on her side immediately. http://www.bassboatcentral.com/smileys/mad.gif http://www.bassboatcentral.com/smileys/mad.gif Instead of a replica I guess I will get a real mount.


Modified by bronze_back_hunter at 11:29 AM 6/19/2007


Modified by bronze_back_hunter at 6:51 AM 6/20/2007

No worries, sometimes they just come up too fast. Nothing wrong with one for the wall, GREAT CATCH http://www.bassboatcentral.com/smileys/bows.gif

That will be a beautiful mount! Congrats! http://www.bassboatcentral.com/boardstuff2/beers.gif

Great fish. http://www.bassboatcentral.com/smileys/bows.gif Some times they just don't make it. http://www.bassboatcentral.com/smileys/ohwell.gif

First of all, congrats on the fish of a lifetime for most of us. not many people get bit by a fish like that, muchless have the discipline to fight well enough to land the fish. great job!!! there's nothing wrong with putting that toad on the wall.

i hate to even mention this since i don't have the full details. maybe someone else who saw or knows something about this can chime in and help me out a little.

i remember seeing a fishing show recently that was filmed out in california. the guys were pulling big LM out of deep water. instead of puncturing with a needle, and this is where my memory gets a little hazy, i remember the guy dropping a heavy lead weight tied to a short peice of string down into the fish's gullet. the theory was the weight would force the trapped air out the anus. this without puncturing any part of the fish's anatomy.

again, i hope someone can correct me on this or confirm it somehow.

Sounds interesting Clint I would love to no more. Most of the time the needle does the trick for me but I have never done it to a fish this big.

It was alot of fun catching it on 8 lb test. When I realized it was BIG I loosened the drag just like I do when I am FNF fishing and took my time.

Very nice fish!

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Nice fish! http://xs-s.com/zf/images/smile/emthup.gif Shame that it died, but at least you made an effort.

AWESOME fish!! http://www.bassboatcentral.com/smileys/bows.gif http://www.bassboatcentral.com/smileys/bows.gif Sorry she died but you obviously did what you could. Congrats on your new personal best! She will make a beautiful mount! http://www.bassboatcentral.com/boardstuff2/beers.gif

Nice fish http://xs-s.com/zf/images/smile/emthup.gif

Beautiful fish. The guys fishing the catfish T's 75' deep put a piece of pvc down the throat and burp them, don't know how that would affect the swim bladder but they say it works.

I do not believe shoving any thing down a fishes gullet will relieve air out of the bladders...they do not breath through their mouth. The weight trick is used to take the fish down deep enough for the fish to regain it's equilibrium..for lack of a better term...that much air requires the fish to be under more pressure..once the fish is 15-20 ft they jerk the weight out and the fish is able to regroup and swim. Alot of our SM are taken from deep water and some T circuits are trying new tech to get the fish down slowly and safely. One of the newest and safest is a ''cage'' lowered slowly to 15-20 ft and then the fish are released. Fizzing is dangerous and has several school of thought...alot of guys do not know how to do it right and alot of fish are unnecessarily killed....for the record..I would have mounted that one any way!!! http://www.bassboatcentral.com/smileys/wink.gif

"I do not believe shoving any thing down a fishes gullet will relieve air out of the bladders"

Did not make sense to me either, friends of mine were catching 50#blue cats 75' deep at Wilson last fall in the KingKat T and he claimed this is what they all did. Maybe if they vent the stomach it gives the air bladder more room to expand???? How deep do fish need to be before this becomes a problem????

gotcha, like i said, i wasn't sure of the details. i was asking more than i was stating a point. i wish i could remember which fishing show i saw that on so i could research the details.

FRED --- you 'da man...nice catch..........now why can't you do that on DH with them brown fish........ don't feel bad about that one not makin' it...$hit happens but you tried anyway..... tight lines...
PS -- we go back to work on 24 July; customers show up 31 July ---- too soon for me :-(

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Man tell me about it. We open up the 31 with kids on Aug 1. Too bad I won't be their we will still be at football camp. http://www.bassboatcentral.com/smileys/smile.gif http://www.bassboatcentral.com/smileys/smile.gif

Here's the trick:

Take a 2 to 2.5 ounce weight and attach a small alligator clip to it. I have actually used a clip-on cull tag in a pinch. You attach the weight to the anal fin...or on the bottom somewhere and let her sit in the livewell. The weight will hold the fish up right and allow air to escape naturally from the swim bladder. You keep her upright to keep them from dying.

It works, not always, but is easier and safer than fizzing.