paul.

"i need a therapist. i just got abused." with some other words before and after that. usually uttered at high volume.

those are some studs right there. and that is an awesome looking bed in that little canal. would love to see the fish that made that.

good news for our northern brothers! and real nice fish by the way. here's hoping for a massive warming trend.

5.034623 lbs. give or take .0132 nice fish bud.

wreckin' 'em. just flat out wreckin' 'em. wow!

good lookin' fish right there bud. very, very nice.

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.

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.

rage bug

dude that's what it's all about. you and you're hippie brother look like y'all were really smokin' out there. the fish i mean. great job bro.

great fish. all of 'em good 'uns. and you can tell by your gear you ain't playin' when it comes to chunkin' those swimbaits.

Kevin that is a spectacular catch my man! that fish has got future donkey written all over it if it survives. great proportions on that biggun right there. real nice photos too. congrats!

got a feelin' that a lotta pb's gonna fall on this board this year. dude that is an awesome fish!!! cherish the moment and enjoy the high. it'll get you through those tough days. that smile on your face says it all. that right there is why we chase these awesome fish.

yeah buddy! catchin' bigguns and cashin' checks! does it get any better?

more details later. maybe.

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.

slither rig.

WOW!!! interesting that a couple of those fish show signs of spawning but the biggest one doesn't seem to. perhaps that lends credence to what i've heard all my life that the biggest fish tend to spawn later than the rest. either way all of those fish are amazing and the teen fish is absolutely ridiculous. bet all of y'all went home happy.

toads! that "smaller one" has some serious mega-trophy potential. small head, fins, tail, and giant body. that's a young, fast growing fish right there! i'd love to see you catch that one again with those proportions at about 25" long. better yet, i'd love to see me catch it. lol j/k. you are whackin' and stackin' my man.

yes! you're building momentum now. i have a feeling your fish are in trouble. great catch man.

the fact that you're getting bites says you're on the right track. are you setting the hook on the strike or are you waiting to feel the fish on the line? lots of folks get overanxious and set the hook too fast on a frog bite out of sheer excitement. i've been guilty of this plenty of times myself. also a follow up bait for missed strikes like a fluke or senko would probably be helpful. hope you get that big one man. good luck!

super nice fish. wow!

great trip!

very nice!

ok day. one nice 5+ fish on a jig. several smaller ones, one of which now needs some major dental work. oops.