Really big largemouth bass: Night fishing earns Fish of the Week

Scott Oglanian caught an 8-pound, 10-ounce largemouth bass in the Chicago suburbs. | Provided

Scott Oglanian caught a monster largemouth bass on a Texas-rigged paddle tail at exactly 3 a.m. Oct. 1 from a big suburban pond.

``I only thought it was over 7 pounds when I grabbed it, then when the adrenaline slowed down, I realized what I had in my hand,’’ he messaged.

It weighed 8 pounds, 10 ounces.

``The crazy part about it is that it has a lot of more room in its belly,’’ he messaged. ``That fish in the spring or later in the fall could be around or over 10 pounds.’’

And I totally agree with his final assessment, ``I can barely fathom a bass that big myself coming from out of northern Illinois.’’

It’s worth another view.

Another view of Scott Oglanian’s 8-pound, 10-ounce largemouth bass caught in the Chicago suburbs.

Not only does this earn Fish of the Week honors, but I think it belongs in the consideration for Fish of the Year.

FOTW, the celebration of big fish and their stories (the stories matter) around Chicago fishing, runs Wednesdays in the Sun-Times. Submit nominations by message on Facebook (Dale Bowman), on Twitter and Instagram (@BowmanOutside) or email (BowmanOutside@gmail.com).