My son caught one that was 19 3/4" and weighed 4.75 pounds on a certified scale 6 hours after it was caught. Fish was kept on ice, but probably lost few ounces in weight. One of the prettiest smallies i've ever seen. It went on the wall.
Tom, your fish was certainly in the 5.5 pound range.
My best todate is 19", 4.5 pounds.
What doesn't kill you makes you stronger. Except for bears. Bears kill you.
