[cabo35]

F16, please don't die on my account. Been fishin' for 60 years. Won a little money in some tournaments. Sold a few angling articles to sport fishing magazines. Still run a sportfisherman between the Jersey coast and the Outer Banks from June to November and have for the past 20 years. Mostly Manasquan Inlet to Cape May. Actually ran out of the Canyon Club in Cape May for a few years. My screen name should give you a clue to the make of my boat. From tournament fishing I have a fair eye at weight estimating although I was pretty far away. He released it. The fish was an 8 lb bass and your length estimates are approximately correct.

I was fishing Lake Miona with my grandkids and met an old time native fisherman. Bearded fellow. He told me he caught a 12 pounder out of that lake. I nodded but had doubts. He than opened his fish box and took out a picture that looked like it was taken on the beach at Lake Miona and he was posing with a good 12# + bass. From the picture I could tell he did not release it.

While walking the boardwalk at Lake Sumter with a good friend who is a 45 year professional Captain and has competed in and won some big tournaments, he spotted a few trophy 10 lb. plus bass.

Considering several Florida large mouth records are from central Florida, big fish in The Villages are very possible. The recent world record arguably comes out of Georgia at 22.25 lb. Some guy in California has submitted a 25.1 large mouth. Nearby Pasco County yielded a pond fish of 20.2 lb.

Be happy to trade fish stories and lies with you anytime.