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Well it seems as though this has turned some people sour and nay sayers to gloat a bit. If it does get going i agree with the bunch of you that see it as a good thing and not something that one person should reuin. Hope it gets on track and lets let all the negative talk go like it was said earlier life is just to short.

LOL i agree... I dont mind the size but like you said Man when one like that hits your heart stops and starts jumping and you cant stop smiling! It was amazing Hope another day like this happens again for all of us soon

Yes i know pics can be a little misleading. I need to get a scale and i thought about it today but thought i should save my money since it wasnt likely i would catch one soon big enough to weigh. I know it was about 20.25 - 20.5 inches but i need to get a flexible tape measure and scale so this doesnt happen again but WOW. i am still amazed that that fish came out of the pond i was at!

Would love to get in on this on the next time around

Have no idea why that second pic wont go into the frame. I lowered the res and cropped it three times and that one just wont stay in the frame.

OK let me try this again I got this all typed out and their was an error and I didn't copy it! So I went to Gander Mt. today to replace my Rat L Trap that I had lost last time out. I went in and found one that looked just like a baby bass and thought what the heck. I also found a Bomber Crank on clearance, and a Rapala J7. Since it was 75 out after being 50 all week and raining I decided to take advantage of the last couple hours of light. I put the trap on my line and walk to my spot on the shore line. As i walk up to my spot i put my tackle box down and throw the lure out walking up to my spot. I get about 15 or 20 cranks into my retrieve and WAM! It was an instant strike i was not expecting but set the hook to make sure. The fish was swimming towards me so i thought it was fairly small. Then all of a sudden it didn't like where it was going and she turned to run. I am on a Light action rod with a light action spinning real and when she turned they started screaming! I almost had the rod ripped outta my hand not expecting that turn. I tightened down the drag a little as i was making no gain on her. I kept my tip down not wanting her to jump to much in case she wasn't hooked well. About 15 feet from shore i see a boil that i have only seen on TV! (normally only get 1-1.5 lbs) Then all of a sudden a huge splash. I pull her to the shore and grab her pulling her out just amazed at her size! She did not look like she was caught much or at all with a perfect mouth with no holes. I snapped a few pics and let her go hoping for a day down the road to do it again. I pulled a Mike Ike I was yelling and screaming at this pond all alone just shaking with excitement! From the Fish Calculator that is on this site it said she was about 4.75 lbs. I guessed between 4-5lbs at the pond. I laid her next to my rod so i could measure it when i got home. She was 20.25 inches! Let me know what you think she weighed i know its hard in pics but just for fun!

great job to both of you! Really informative and great to see a pro who is really passionate about his job. Kind of refreshing from all the other pro sports and primadonna out their...

I have been reading that a lot of guys replace the treble with a single hook. They do this for one reason or another but mostly because the treble makes it a little more difficult to get the fish off. I have not had a problem before but was curious if others have practiced this and if so does it affect the action of the bait?

Awesome man congrats. Unfortunatly i dont get VS stupid cable company but i will see if i can watch it online after it airs. Again congrats and good luck!

Just found out that my wife is pregnant with our first child. I cant wait till i am able to post pictures just like this! Awesome Pics and i hope she enjoys going with you as much as you enjoy fishing and having her their with you!

seems good to me. Nice looking and i have no issues with the type looks great good job

Well i had about 8 fish on my only trap. I found that the trap i had pulled in mostly Crappie. Nice sized crappie about 12-18 inches. I had probably three bass on it and 5 crappie. But i had 2 or 3 other bass stalk it all the way to shore. I have two questions. Is their a color that works better on bass rather than crappie? and What do you find is the best retrieve for the trap. I was just using a steady retrieve and of course the last cast before i lost my trap i tried a stop and go and got a hit but couldnt hook it. Would this be the better retrieve do you think? any help is greatly appreciated. Good luck to everyone out their and go hook some pigs.

Are their any clubs over on the Eastern Shore of Maryland? I am in Ocean City and do not have a boat but am hoping to in the next year. Anyone know of a club?

I just got one from Gander but have not tried it out yet...will keep you posted

Awesome pic... great story keep them coming hope your trip goes well

this sounds like my pond to a T. I cant wait to find the next one!

i just broke a long streak today using a rattle trap on a fairly steady-fast retrieve.

That was perfect TIN certainly could be someone laid it down and messed up its slime coat... ;D

That is awesome. It was a bit slow but still puts my average normal to shame on perfect days. Cant wait to get back out and try some more.

Nice fish man!!!

I went out for about two hours today. It was blowing like crazy about 20mph or so. I did not think i was gonna have much success since it was so windy and wasnt sure how well i was gonna be able to control the trap or anything else for that matter. Being on the shore i was afraid to throw near trees since i seem to have lost more lures high in trees than not lately. Low and behold i am out for about 15 min and i a nice hit but she came off. in the next 45 min i caught 4 crappie and another bass that came off. For me the bass fell off right as i was bring her on shore. Was my PB but still was only about 1.75-2lbs. Fought like crazy and was jumping all over the place. I was so happy even though i only had two bass on and both got off its the first time i have been able to go out and catch more then one in a day. Kinda hurts that i can only go for an hour - two at most but still to catch or battle 6 fish was a hell of a day for me. The Crappie i caught were fairly large too. Two of them had to be 1.5 which to me was huge for that pond. Anyway i just thought i would share.

I have no idea. If i was to guess it could be as serious as a tumor/cancer, or as simple as just a growth/mole.

I would say if you caught a 7lb bass i would keep doing what your doing...

awesome thanks guys i will get some of this stuff and see what happens thanks again

Not to mention i agree with a few posters here. I hate snakes as well would not attempt it if it wasnt deadly. Id paddle the other way and hope it didnt follow