I caught my first largemouth bass around 12:32pm today.  The weather was 54 degrees outside and I thought it was just gonna be another day of disappointment.

I was trying to master how to use the crankbait seeing how it swam and everything.  I was able to cast farther and farther, hitting my intended spot.  I saw 3 giant splashes on the other side of the lake but I decided to stay where I was and see if that would work out.  I was reeling in the bandit tigerstrip crankbait slowly and all of a sudden a largemouth swallows it and I finally got the chance to set the hook.  

I pulled it onto shore and asked a nearby person to come take a picture but I was not prepared to know how to hold it up so I just told the person to just forget about it since I did not want the fish to suffer.  I will learn how to hold them the next time I land one.  It looked about 18 inches and had a really fat stomach.  I really wish I could have taken the picture.  That was a pretty big guy.

That's great. Now you'll never want to stop!  

Way to go . It sounded like a nice fish!!!!!!!!!

great job! way to go!!!! too bad you couldnt get a picure.

holding em is real easy. just grab em by the lip and hold em vertically.

heres a link to a great reply on how to hold a bass: http://www.bassresource.com/bass_fishing_forums/YaBB.pl?num=1207538665/0

take a look at reply #4 (by lowbudgethookers)

congratulations!

sweet! go back and do it again! 8-)

Awesome job man. You're hooked now, you'll have plenty more to learn how to handle them.

Good job, getting a good firm grip on the lower lip is the biggest key.