[QUOTE=LeCounts1099;664762]I don't trust the measurements of a live struggling cow in a Jon Boat in the dark to be accurate-- just estimates... :gf:

QUOTE]

Have you ever had a big bass struggle mightily when you landed her? I haven't. They're not like bluefish or schoolies, they may flop a few times, but they are easy to measure. Granted I have never taken an 80 pounder :laughs:

The big thing here to me is that this guy is not claiming his fish to be a WR, and he released her. No matter how bad you are at measuring that fish is going to be over 80, I mean to mess it up that bad you'd have to wrap the tape around your wrist and the fish :laughs:

And how can we even speculate if the fish lived or not? If that fish died, the damage was probably already done, fighting a dinosaur like that is probably similar to running your 90 year old grandmother on a treadmill for 5 hours.

Hell of a fish either way. :btu:

-dave

Have you ever had a big bass struggle mightily when you landed her? I haven't. They're not like bluefish or schoolies, they may flop a few times, but they are easy to measure. Granted I have never taken an 80 pounder :laughs:

The big thing here to me is that this guy is not claiming his fish to be a WR, and he released her. No matter how bad you are at measuring that fish is going to be over 80, I mean to mess it up that bad you'd have to wrap the tape around your wrist and the fish :laughs:

And how can we even speculate if the fish lived or not? If that fish died, the damage was probably already done, fighting a dinosaur like that is probably similar to running your 90 year old grandmother on a treadmill for 5 hours.

Hell of a fish either way. :btu:

-dave

I don't know if you can compare an 80lb bass to an elderly human. It's been reported that stripers well over 100lbs have been netted, so is an 80 lber really equivalent to a 90 yo woman? I'm no scientist, but I would imagine that a fish that large would be pretty healthy and strong to survive in the ocean with all the predators out there. If you believe McReynolds story about the fight his fish gave, then you'd have to conclude that big fish are much stronger in comparison to a human at the same relative point in their lifespan. But what do I know?

Kudos to the guys for releasing such a nice fish.

Two big mistakes handliing that fish 1) sticking his hand up under the gills and 2) lifting it straight up like that, undoubedtly damaging its internal organs. Odds of that fish surviving the encounter are somewhere between slim and none.

the dorsal fin on this bass is about the size of my average striper catch.

Thanks for taking me completely litterally :tm:

People have lived to be 121... and I still wouldn't run my 70 year old grandmother on the treadmill for 5 hours :laughs:

I have talked to a few people who have caught 60's and many have said that the fight was short and easy. One strong run, turn and come in, Iron Mike said his came in belly up. Not trying to say that I know any of that for a fact, but you can't argue that catching and fighting that old fish didn't do her some damage.

Still, I commend the angler for making the release attempt. :grins:

Dave, I wasn't busting on you. Just pointing out that fish don't neccessarily grow old the same way as people. I've never seen a striper with gray hair or false teeth.:tooth:

I guess in my mind I'd like to think that she swam away and was fine and I was trying to rationalize that thought. I hate to think that such a fish would swim away few feet and sink to the bottom. Not knowing how the fight went, I have no idea how much damage was done. I do know that the hand up the gill certainly didn't help matters.

I hope you get the opportunity to see for yourself (and let us know)how a 60 or better comes in when hooked by you on one of your plugs this coming season.:)

No offense taken my friend :)

I was just playing. Just a little healthy back and forth to keep everyone thinking.

I always wonder about how well the fish I release fair... I try to be gentle and caring, that is after I tear my hooks out her, fishing is weird that way. You get commended for catch and release and you get trounced for keeping a trophy. Yet we all want to catch a bigger fish. I release (almost) all the bigger fish I catch.

But one time while fishing with a couple other guys on this board we were into some good fish, 25-40 pounds and after the tide bottomed out, I found a 40 and 30-something dead in the eel grass... so they came home with me, naturally. It makes you wonder though.

And before someone tells me we weren't being careful enough, the number of big fish that we didn't find dead was far better than two so I can only assume (hope) that they all survived. :huh: who knows?

I also think the formula is pretty close. Usually within 3 lbs if accurate measurements are taken, that is the key though. Either way it is a fantastic specimen and a great catch, and release.

Are these pre-spawn fish in the Chesapeake? or post spawn...?

That's a bass! :btu:

Pre spawn, they are moving up to spawn.

Dave,
I use the grandma analogy all the time.

Im gonna say pre-spawn.. they do their thing when it gets warmer.. or at least thats what i have read.

Machismo BS?

Take a good long look at the fly category records.
Some of those fish are pure SKILL.

Thats what I thought.
I'll withhold my comments about the light tackle and pre-spawn fishery this time of year....
I love the thread on the other place; all these experts talking about body shape on 60+lb fish... how many of them have caught a 20, let alone can outright say that fish is not over 60, and other claims.
Slob of a bass.

Oh my , that's a big one!