Cars Are Not My Only Hobby!

She was 24 1/2 inch long (note the yardstick my wife brought out with the camera she used to take the pictures!)  It was the end of June early on a Sunday morning.  It was not the hard hit I expected from such a large fish but I set the hook with a jerk.  She quickly surfaced and tried to spit out the lure!  The vision of that first "tail walking leap" with the hugh  wide open mouth is still burned into my brain!  I had no idea she was that big when I set the hook!  After a few jumps I was able to keep the tension on and walk off the dock to the shore. She tried to go under the dock where I had branches placed to attract bait fish.  The pole was bent quite a bit to keep her from going under it.  That helped keep the tension uniform and prevented the line from breaking.   When I finally pulled her gently to the shore I shouted loudly with excitement for my wife to get the camera.  Several neighbors came out to see what all the noise was about! 

Note the fins are in excellent shape.  The lure is still back in her throat thanks to the very sharp twisted trebles.  Took pliers to remove.

She went back in the lake for me to catch again!

The Taxidermist who made a fiberglass mount from these photos said the mouth was the size of a 15 pounder.  She probably would weight close to that if she still had eggs.