That's awesome jignpig. So obviously the fish was tagged or fin clipped to know it was the same fish?
Looks like you went swimming with the fish in the first picture!
Thanks guys. No tags or clippings. When i identify a bass that shows promise (which i define as over 7 pounds), i make sure i have a good photo of both sides of it. the coloration pattern that makes up a bass' lateral "stripe" does not change. this is an easy way to identify a fish without the hassle/risks of cutting or tagging. in the top photo, these markings aren't very clear, but comparing the two photos, you can see a couple of interesting blotches. one looks like an arrow pointing straight up (by my middle finger top photo) and one that looks like a spade or upside down heart (my index finger is slightly covering this mark in the top photo). both these marks are readily apparent in the second photo.
also a lot of fish will have other special characteristics that stick with them for life and make them easy to identify. for example, you can see that for some reason, a couple of this bass' dorsal spines curve upward slightly for some reason.
as for me looking like a drowned rat in the first pic, there's an interesting story behind that. I love to fish approaching weather fronts. sometimes i cut it a little too close. shortly after i tricked her on a swimbait 2 years ago, the bottom just fell out and i got soaked. the flash actually caught a few raindrops in the pic.
But Bluegillerkiller is absolutely right. She gave a terrific account of herself on both catches and even though i was holding her in the end, i wasn't really sure who had won the battle. Hopefully it will take a few more rounds to decide. gonna get tougher though - looks like she's moving up to the heavyweight division.
