Anyone read that on the KDWP website yet?  Been sitting waiting to be broken for some time.  I at times feel that I had a bass that would have broken it as well.  It was a farm pond and I was just more fishing to relax and not hunting a big fish.  I had a lead head jig with a twin tail grub and sure enough big momma hits.  She does not even jump because she's so big, she just thrashes the water up like an alligator rolling in the water.  I had her only about five ten feet from the shore and then she's free.  My hook was bent by her force of thrashing.  I knew it had to be at least eight pounds.  It fought like a bass and the only other thin it maybe could have been was a catfish, but just did not fight like one.

Back to the story.  I think it's great that a youngster broke the record.  I think it will be great for other kids in that age group to really get excited to see that you don't have to be some pro fisherman with all the decked out gear and boat. I hope he gets to keep the title for awhile.  Definately helps to get the ladies.... guess i need to get a state record fish... ha. 

I have always debated on what I would do since I'm big on catch and release even more on bigger bass.  What would you do if you are in some remote lake and you catch a bass that is 15 pounds.  Would your keep it and drive thirty minutes to an hour to get somewhere with certified scales to weigh it and be almost certain death on the fish by time you can release him or would you do your measurents with lenght and girth and maybe use a hand held scale and then just release the fish knowing that you have the state record, but releasing the bass back to it's home so it can grow even larger and produce more trophy bass?  I would have to say I probably would just do the measurments then and there and release the bass and not take chances.  Then post on braggin boards saying I have the state record, but I chose conservation and didn't want to risk loosing such a beauty.  My self satisfaction is enough versus having my name on the list for many years until the next record is broken. 

 I heard about it last month, it was a 13 or 14 yr old boy fishing in a fishing derby over in the mine lakes over on the southeast corner of the state. The picture I saw was of the boy and his dad in front of thier house, the close up of the fish showed that is was dead when the picture was taken so no chance of that fish being released.

 I don't know what I would do if I caught one that big. I am a big fan of eating fish and during the summer, my family will eat fish 3 or 4 times a night. Once you figure in the cost of my boat, fuel, and fishing equipment, eating fish that often comes to about a $1 a pound which is much cheaper than beef, pork, or chicken. We eat mostly crappie, sunfish, small bass (11" to 13"), and during the summer we will eat a lot of flatheads. I won't eat a channel cat, those things taste like what they eat, garbage. Six or seven 20lb to 40lb flatheads will fill a freezer with meat fairly quickly. I won't eat any flatheads over 45lbs, they don't taste as good as those in the 20lb to 40lb range. I'll land and weigh those big one but then release them. I caught 9 over 60lbs last year and one of those went 89lbs. I had some bigger ones hooked but did not get them landed. I upgraded some gear this year and will land one over 100lbs this year. When I catch the next world record flathead, I will get it weighed even if it kills it because I know where there are more that big, it is just a matter of getting a hook in them and then getting them in the boat. A big bass would be different though, a 15lb plus bass is not a common as a 100lb+ flathead. I don't know that I could kill a big bass just to get my name in the record books. I have a 24 gallon portable live well in my boat and it is a good for keeping fish alive so I might try to get a big bass weighed. I have kept sunfish that I use for catfish bait alive for 3 days in it so a bass should be fine in most cases.

 Before I have to worry about weighing a record bass, I have to catch one first! LOL

Trace