I have been fishing this little pond near me often for over a year and only ever caught dinks. I've caught literally hundreds of small fish there. Well, I finally set the hook on something BIG (for me at least), reel it in pick it up and it's by far the biggest fish I've caught. I could have put my fist in it's mouth. I put it on the scale and it flops right off back into the lake!! LOL!

No weight measurement, no length measurement, no photos. But I'm focused on the positive, it was a blast to catch it and now I know there is at least 1 beast in there! And now I have to catch it again.

Moral of the story: buy a scale with a clip, not a hook!!

Congrats.

I had that happen last year. Not a PB but worth weighing. I had hopped out of my boat to have lunch on shore and spotted this big bass.

I pitched a worm to her and she took -but I did the stupid thing (too often on sighted bass on plastics >) and set as soon as I saw her white mouth flash -yanking it from her mouth! Switched to a jig, let it free-fall, felt the tap, and lipped her shortly -a heavy thick fish -well muscled.

While carrying her to the boat to get my scale she twisted free of my grip -my word she was strong! And she was gone. Kudos to her -she beat me hand to hand ;D

To tell you the truth, I don't care a lick. Just happy to have caught her.

sad story man but at least you actually caught it, and it didn't flop off before you have a chance to "officially land it".

as for your moral, a clip would be best, but you can sharpen the hook with a grinder or dremel and then just poke it through the bottom jaw (in the skin beneath the jaw bone). this is more secure than trying to hang the fish from the hook.

Congrats on the fish.  It also sounds like you've got an out of balance fishery there.  I'd suggest taking some of those dinks out of the pond to eat and thin the heard.