I have only been fishing once this year, and none last yesr due to health issues with my father (hes recovered foe the most part, thankfully). The one time I did go I was put to the test immediately to see if I still "have it", was bluegill fishing with a bluegill rig, and low and behold, the first fish I caught was a bass. It put up quite a fight and upon landing it, I celebrated like a little kid. Obviously it is no 7 lb linker, but I am sure it was at least 12 inches. I put him back in the water after I took a couple photos, and in my glee, I forgot to measure it to see if it was indeed a keeper. Ill post a pic or two, and let you guys see id you think it would have mwt the 15 inch requirement or, if I fell short. Or well I would have, but unfortunately the file aize was too big.

I will say I definitely couldn't wrap my hand (and I have fairly large hands) around the girth of the fish in front of the dorsal fin. And judging by the size of its mouth, swallowing prey such as 5 or 6 inch bluegill should be no issue for that fish.I know its hard to say without a picture, but sadly, file size was too big to upload, even after cropping the pic.

Uhh!!! where the picture? 

10lbs exactly. Lol just kidding! Your first bass is a great accomplishment, it gave you a great fight, and you let it go. Awesome! Try reducing the file size and then posting it. And it's great that your dad recovered.

Upload the file to a site like imgur.com or tinypic.com and then post the link here

You could also use Phatch which is software that will do a ton of things to a photo.I use it all the time to make photos more web friendly. 

Photobucket has been my old stand-by for years.

There we go. Like I said, no giant and probably not even a keeper. But being as it was my first fish on my first fishing trip in two years, I was happy to take it. Especially on a bluegill rig.

I am only guessing at 13.5 in. maybe push 14"

Nice fish !

I would definitely give him 15 inches

Definitely 12-15 inches....

Ting Ting ... You think it's 15" ?

I hope it is. I tend to be bad at overestimating though.

14.75-15.25

Hey man, when your telling the story its as big as you want it to be lol....

He definitely gave me a good first test upon my return to the fishing hole. 6lb line and a steel brim hook, that was fun.

Hey man, when your telling the story its as big as you want it to be lol....

Lol true, but I do wanna be honest ans be careful not to overestimate. I had someone tell me I was lucky to push 12" on that one.

Lol true, but I do wanna be honest ans be careful not to overestimate. I had someone tell me I was lucky to push 12" on that one.

he's over 13 but not over 16

To quote my old uncle "Dudley", My favorite fishing partner and philosopher, " Every deer you harvest, every fish you catch and every kid you teach how to hunt and fish is a trophy"   Man, I miss his wisdom. A campfire, a splash of sippin whiskey and a new day tomorrow.

he's over 13 but not over 16

as long aa he makes 15, that makes me very happy, even if it is by a mere eyelash.

That fish ain't close to 16" but next time use fishing line and measure, then when you get home get out the tape and measure the line.

To quote my old uncle "Dudley", My favorite fishing partner and philosopher, " Every deer you harvest, every fish you catch and every kid you teach how to hunt and fish is a trophy" Man, I miss his wisdom. A campfire, a splash of sippin whiskey and a new day tomorrow.

Alright now, talking Phil, Hunt, Fish, campfire,

And my personal Fave, Old Forrester! Sippin!

Hey u wanna going fishing? Lol!!!!

I've caught a lot of largemouth in that general range this year, and I would say its in the 13-14" range.  The first picture makes it look bigger than the others.

And by my state's regulations, they want us to measure them with their mouths closed and tails slightly pinched (for reasons I dont know, but ill follow their guidelines).