Do you love big bluegill?

22'' Largemouth Bass (6-13-13)

I caught my second biggest bass tonight, she was fat and gave me the best fight from a bass that I've experienced.

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Comment by Adam Rink on July 16, 2013 at 2:36pm: I guess I'll never know why she died. I did see her chasing some small bass and bluegill about a week after I caught her. As mentioned though, I feel blessed to have caught her that one time.

Comment by Tony Livingston on July 8, 2013 at 6:43pm: Fish sometimes die.

I know that sounds harsh, but that's just how it is. When I began to manage our ponds in earnest, I would lament the loss of a fish, and I always used to wonder if it was one I had recently caught. Maybe there was something I should've done differently? Maybe that fish would still be alive had I not caught it?

Maybe. Maybe not.

But thinking like that will drive you nuts, not to mention put a big damper on what should be a happy occasion. As anglers, we can take steps to try and ensure that our catch is treated as well as possible, but in the end Mother Nature makes the call. She has the final say, irregardless of what we think SHOULD happen.

Now, I find a big BG floating, I scoop it out, and I get back to business. One fish dying, while we find it unfortunate, is unavoidable at times. Simply too many variables in play to keep asking yourself "what if"...

Nice catch Adam, that's what I think you should remember.

Comment by Bruce Condello on July 8, 2013 at 5:35pm: Fantastic fish, Adam. Congratulations. Resist the temptation to overanalyze the death of one fish. That's the way of things. All any angler can be asked is to harvest themost renewable sizes, and show reasonable care to the fish to be released. Nature will take care of the rest. Again, congrats!! :)

Comment by Jim Gronaw on July 8, 2013 at 5:26pm: That's a shame Adam...but it does happen. Consider yourself blessed by having caught her once. I have a pond near me where we have taken numerous big fish and released them, and every now and then one just dies and floats, and some die and sink.

Great fish...great memory.

Comment by David, aka, "McScruff" on July 8, 2013 at 3:45pm: Sorry to hear that. Sure hope it wasn't the c&r.

Comment by Leo Nguyen on July 8, 2013 at 3:43pm: Stress factor during the fight is a massive factor, when it comes to old age. Unless there's a full autopsy by a specialized biologist, we can only assume that the fish is old, stressed out, and passed on. Heart break to hear such news. This is why we hard pressed on proper CPR, for unforeseen issues like this, especially in public waters when these beautiful things are man-handled like they're frisbees.

Comment by Adam Rink on July 8, 2013 at 3:35pm: Thought I'd let everyone that viewed the pic know, my dad found this fish belly up about a week ago. It was pretty sad to hear the news that the biggest bass this pond's ever seen died. Still don't know the reason, she seemed healthy when I caught her (the hook set was perfect, right in the corner of the mouth), and no other fish has floated up. She must have just been old.

Comment by Adam Rink on June 16, 2013 at 11:03am: I wouldn't mind if she's never caught again, catching her just once would be plenty fun for me.

Comment by carl hendrix on June 16, 2013 at 8:26am: buddy that's a real nice one! even if its not a gill!! LOL!!

Comment by David, aka, "McScruff" on June 16, 2013 at 8:00am: Adam, maybe she will be wiser and never caught again.
With luck, she'll live out her days as a
battle tested warrior.