Congratulations on your first bass. I try to remember to carry my camera every time I'm around the pond but I forget to fairly often also. Tracking relative weights is a good way to determine how well your fish are doing. My bass looked more like trout until I stocked more forage fish now they look much better.

My wife is the same way with the fish handling - she loves to fish as long as she doesn't have to touch one.

JHAP
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"My mind is a raging torrent, flooded with rivulets of thought cascading into a waterfall of creative alternatives."
...Hedley Lamarr (that's Hedley not Hedy)