Had a GREAT day on Friday out with a buddy on my "home" lake (Carvins Cove).  Caught a total of 5 bass, including my PB for this lake! (right at 6 lbs / 21.5 inches). 4 came on a Chatterbait, and the pig fell to a Mattlures Baby Bass in the striper pattern (see the enclosed photo).

Water temps were down a little from 2 weeks ago, but the water levels are up considerably.  Can't wait to go back and try to catch her again!

She inhaled that thing. Great job!

well done. i picked up one of mattlures too. cant wait to try it out.

Thats a nice looking hawg you got there.

Dude......the Cove? Nice fish man! I may have to slide over there this week. Whats the water temps? That fish in the bottom pics looks like a spot.

Nice catch!  I don't think I've ever heard of a bass that size coming out of there.

Great Fish! I was out yesterday throwing the hard gill even though I knew I should be throwing the baby bass but, I just couldn't help it. ;D

Congrats bud!

Nice fish!!! Great pics! That fish inhaled it.

Great Catch! Keep em coming!

Nice one!!

Nice fish, great pics!

8-)

Thanks guys for all of your nice comments!  I am proud to finally have a pig to post on here after looking at all of yours for so long It was a double treat to be able to catch 2 of them on the same trip.

One thing has been bothering me though, and maybe somebody can give me some assistance...

My little digital scales (Rapala grippers...i.e. Boga style with a digital scale built in) recorded the "smaller" bass in the bottom pic (the one that Scott suggested might be a spot...which I wouldn't honestly be able to tell the difference!!) right at 4 lbs.  Obviously, she was not as fat as the momma in the top pic, but she was still a healthy pre-spawn fish that was about 20 inches long (on the Golden Rule).  She seemed heavier, but I figured that maybe I was just excited and over-estimated her weight in my head.

Then, when I caught the pig and put her on the scale, she only registered right at 6.0 (fluctuated for a couple of secs between 5/15 and 6/1-2).  She measured on the Golden Rule right under 22 inches ( I was squeezing her tail to get her to 22, but it just wasn't there!! ). She OBVIOUSLY is a fattie and was full of eggs.

Are my scales accurate?  Is it likely that a bass of that size could only weigh 6 lbs?  I should have gotten a girth measurement, but I already had her out of the water for a little while, getting pics and measurements.  Every bass fisherman that I show these pics to says that she has to weigh more than 6, and that the smaller fish (the Spot) was maybe even closer to 6.

I don't know what to think!! I do not want to overstate my fish, as I would rather underestimate.  But, I would like to know if the scale could potentially be off.

Any advice or suggestions or formulas would be GREATLY appreciated!

Try taking something that you know the weight of.  Like a weight off a weight bench or dumb bell and tie a rope or shoe lace around the weight and then hook it to the scales.  I know that my rapala scales are 2 ounces off.

I'd say those weights are pretty close.  20 inches and around 4lbs sounds accurate.  But yeah I'm with froggin, find a weight for a bench and see what your scale reads.  We've got a weight bench in my basement so I periodically check my Berkely digital scales.  They are at most an ounce off which is pretty good considering they were only $20 or so

That is a great idea to use a weight!  I dunno why I didn't think of that already!!   :-[