Packerland Bass Club Big Bass

On October 8th I was in my first event ever. A club event on Lake Metonga known for it's smallmouth. Was a terrible day for weather with 15 mph winds and rain. The bite was tough as well. My boater was able to catch 3 for just over 11 lbs which was enough to win the event, and I ended up with this strange looking smallie, which was enough for big bass and 2nd place in the event. Didn't put up much fight and when I got it in the boat I understood why. Somewhere along the way the fish suffered a major tail/back injury which seems to have caused the tail to stop growing as you can see in the picture. The monster was 20" long and we weighed it in at 5 lbs, and 3 oz. One can only wonder how long it would be and how much it would weigh with normal growth on the back half !