[Marc D...]

just came across this 18lb 7oz bass caught off the coast of Essex.,..

http://www.boat-fishing-monthly.co.uk/gallery/picture.asp?id=3317

 

[Ben Pratt]

Fxxx! That is one big bass. Though the captor does not look like the biggest bloke but still. Do you know the exact length?

 

[Mark Sleep]

Stunning fish, would be nice to hear some details of the capture. It would have bottomed out my Bogas!

A moan. Why couldnt they take some normal photos? Why hold it at arms length like that? Its annoying as you dont get an idea of the scale of the fish like that.

 

[Ben Field]

One of the pics says its 3 feet long. Sounds about right.

Monster!

 

[Dave Fitzpatrick]

Super fish but terrible photos, maybe its just me but with a fish that size why would you use a wide angle lens to make it appear even larger. :???: It just makes it very difficult to gauge the size of the fish but its a superb catch all the same.

 

[Chad]

agree, great fish. Very dodgy photo's

I could hold a 12oz perch up to the camera like that and make it look like a 5lb'r :|

Looks pretty sleek though, no fat lardy belly on that fish

 

[Tim Griffin]

Great fish and I Saw this photo elsewhere. Why kill it though?

 

[Mark C]

from my point of view It would have been better to take some pic`s and see it swim away ,nice fish though

 

[Ben Field]

Great fish and I Saw this photo elsewhere. Why kill it though?

Agreed. Not going in to conservation or moral right or wrongs, but like all meat, the old cows are generally a) the tougher specimens, and b) it's flippin huuuuuuge - you'd never even be able to eat the whole thing unless you were at it all week?! Its just sensible more than anything to put it back. Catch a smaller one and eat that instead. :-?

 

[Peter Smith]

Looking at the other side of the coin (so to speak) that big ass bass must have eating hell of alot of fish to get that big, a couple of small shoals a day?
pretty sure it wouldn't practice catch and release.
removing it from the food chain would be doing everybody a favour.

just a thought ....

 

[Alex Jordan]

Shame it was killed - good breeding stock and I agree odd pictures!!!

Does anybody know what the unofficial lure caught record is?

 

[Mark Sleep]

I suppose there are a few beasts taken from boats on Redgills and the like during wrecking trips, so that would be lure caught. Some of the french and local commercial guys use artificials to take 15lb+ fish every year as well from these waters.

All I know is if I had a fish that bottomed out my 15lb Bogas with a bump, I would be a jibbering mess. BUT I would really want an accurate weight for the fish. I have planned this out already. I would use the weigh sling I have to sack the fish and after a call to someone for help and scales, I would get into the water with the fish and cradle it in the sling for as long as I could. This has worked for me 100% with Barbel and Pike etc in the past, so I would be comfortable for Bass. If for a moment I thought it was not as strong as it should be, I would release it.

It'll probably never happen but I like to have a plan, just in case