15-Pound Georgia Bass From Pickens County

The big bass wouldn’t bite — at least not at first.

In early May, Jacob Ramey, 20, of Bainbridge, Ohio was visiting Georgia and staying at Big Canoe in Pickens County.

“We were painting my aunt’s cabin,” said Jacob. “And we were fishing on and off all week.”

On May 2, Jacob and his brother noticed a monster bass bedding four or five feet off the bank in about three feet of water. They tried to catch the fish but couldn’t entice the tremendous bass to hit.

The next morning the fish was still there but still refused to bite.

Jacob Ramey of Bainbridge, Ohio, was visiting in Georgia and fishing at Petit Lake in Big Canoe when he caught this incredible bass. The fish, which was 27-inches long with a girth of 23 1/2-inches, weighed 15-lbs., 9.4-ozs. and ranks as No. 21 on GON’s Georgia’s Biggest Bass Of All Time list.

That evening Jacob was back again and pitching a 6-inch Zoom lizard on 12-lb. test line when the fish finally hit.

“I saw the fish take the lizard,” said Jacob. “And when I set the hook, I hardly even budged it. The fish made a couple of runs left and right. It tried to jump, but it was so fat it could hardly get out of the water. It could only come up and shake its head. I fought it for a while and then it made a run toward the bank, and my dad reached down and grabbed it by the lip and pulled it up on the bank.”

Certified scales weren’t immediately available, but the fish weighed well over 16 pounds on hand-held scales. Jacob was due to fly back to Ohio early the next morning. The bass was packed in ice and made the trip, too. When it was finally weighed on certified deli scales later the next day, the official weight was 15-lbs., 9.4-  ozs.

Only 20 Georgia largemouths  were bigger. Jacob’s bass ranks No. 21 on GON‘s Georgia’s Biggest Bass of All-Time list.