Oct 22 Douglas Lake

SilverFox · Oct 22, 2011

The wife and I made it out to the lake this afternoon about 1:30. We fished about 2 1/2 hours. I have no clue of the water temp... I didn't look at it. Fished from the Dam Launch in pretty stained water. Only ended up with 2 fish, both smallmouth. Got my personal best smallmouth but killed her while doing it. If not for that, I would have never got her. I didn't take the net again (go ahead and talk crap, I need to hear it) and I sure could have used it today. She broke me off right time I got my hand on her. I thought I had foul-hooked something when I was fighting her to the boat she was pulling so hard. I orignally thought the fish would go near 7 pounds but seems my eyes were about a pound bigger than the fish. I told the wife to keep her eyes open as I figured she would jump and try to throw the bait that was in her mouth. About 2 minutes after she had broke off and I had posted to Facebook about the 7 pounder I just lost at the boat, here she came out the water about 10 foot out from the boat. As soon as she jumped, she turned on her side. I couldn't figure out what was going on. Turned out that I had hung her deep and the hooks had pulled out to the mouth and hung her again. I moved the boat over and the next time she came up, I grabbed her and almost fell out the boats. Seems I'm not as good at that as I thought I was but I had the fish and was able to stay dry. Dead weight on a post office scale was 5 lb 8 oz. I don't have a clue as to how much she lost from the bleeding and being dead part. I would imagine she would be nearly 6 live weight. The water in my livewell was red from the blood she lost as well as the deck on my boat where I put her on the board. Pinch the tail and she was a little over 22 inches. My scale in the boat wasn't working right so I have no clue of fresh weight. I really like the new rod I posted about earlier. I caught both fish today on it. When I had the rod in one had trying to get a hand on the bigger fish, it worked out really nice. I had a lot more leverage.

SilverFox · Oct 22, 2011

Forgot to ask about getting it mounted. I put her in the freezer and need some recommendations on someone to do it. Any ideas?

ewc · Oct 22, 2011

Beautiful fish. Don't be sorry one bit.

I'd have kept it.

crappiedog32 · Oct 22, 2011

good looking fish,

SilverFox · Oct 22, 2011

I checked my post office scales... we just bought it for the business we are starting... and they are not calibrated. SUCKS. Now the fish is at the taxidermist. He had a 5 1/2 pound largemouth that my smallmouth made look small. He said there was no way my fish was only 5 1/2 pounds. I took the length/girth measurements on the fish. 22 1/4 long with 15 1/4 girth. The calculator comes up with 6.468 pounds. I don't know if that is right or even close. I've caught a ton of 6 and 7 pound largemouth and this smallmouth was just as big. Wish I had a better scale to work with or a calibrated one.

I used this webiste... http://www.fishdream...ll_species.html

I guess it doesn't matter in the end. Still a nice fish.

Thanks guys.