Bass Up Shallow

I really messed up yesterday. I had two boats on the water and planned to finish prepping the 3rd boat, then go check on the fishermen. What I thought would be a one hr repair turned into 4 hrs, and the clients were coming off the water by the time I got started fishing. The guests reported the fishing as “slow”, and I suspected that it might well be as I made my first cast with a wacky worm to the beaver pile. I caught a fish on that cast (never a good sign) and proceeded to the opposite brush pile where I lost a good fish in the brush. 2 fish in 10 minutes… By this time both boats were unloading their gear on the dock, so I fished my way back to them and caught a second fish. While I conversed with them I made a few more casts along a pronounced weed bed that is no more than 50′ from the dock. I got a bite, set the hook, and saw a flash that I estimated to be 4 lbs. I told my guests that it was a “pretty good one”. The second appearance made it certain that I had underestimated the size of my catch. 7.25 lbs on the Boga Grip. I begged the guys to stick around so I could show them the nuances of fishing the wacky rig, but family obligations were calling. I returned to the water after their departure (leaving that area for the next customer). I caught two more bass in the next 30 minutes of “exploring” and had a 12 to 14 lb bass swim over to the point where my wacky rig had entered the water. I got to watch that fish swim for 10 to 15 seconds; even cast in front of it, but no interest. I suppose there are skeptics on my size estimate, but the last fish I estimated at 12 lbs turned out to be 12.25 when the lucky angler brought it to the boat. There are a few beds showing up now, and some males have staked their claim to an area if not a bed. The other pic I posted is of an 8+ lb bass caught back in March.