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Lance Walker lands at 14.58 pound largemouth bass at Pickwick on January 27, 2012, a potential lake record.
Sending a few pictures of the Bass I caught on Pickwick Friday. Had lots of calls and heard some false details, but here is the way it went down.
After a long week of being at shows (Shot show and Farris show) I really needed a break. I called one of our deacons in our church at FBC Counce, Ray Rittenhour, and asked him if he wanted to ease out about 11:00 and crappie fish some. Well, Ray and I did go crappie fishing and after a few hours with little luck and realizing the lake had rose 3 foot at least in a short time, we decided to just try the bass to salvage the day and maybe catch a couple.
About 2:00 we started bass fishing and the lake was just ugly, rising faster than water could get out and just did not seem right, but thought if we fished some shallower bars right off the river, we may get a bite or 2. Well, the first bite was a gar fish, so we joked that we would not get skunked. Within 5 other casts, I had another bite in about 12 ft of water and the fish made a run just like a drum or catfish, with wide turns, one that made me say quickly it was not a bass. Within a few minutes, my line wanted to rise up, so I immediately went to my knees in the hopes it might be a bass. About 25 yards from the boat, I saw the roll and a glimpse of what I thought were lateral lines. She went back down and came to the boat. After 4-5 runs with me thumbing her to keep from pulling off, I finally got the look and realized what she was, a clear 10 pound fish, so I got nervous of course. Well 1-2 more runs, and I finally got her to the side of the boat. Ray grabbed her and lipped her with both hands.
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By this time, Brent Barnhart had pulled up and was watching this as the fish came over the side of the boat. I immediately knew she was bigger than the 13.3 I had caught 3 years ago in Alabama waters of Pickwick, but I did not know how much bigger. I ran the water in the livewell, placed her in and took 10 or so minutes to freak out.
Finally, we got our wits, took some pictures and started weighing her, in which my scales and Brent's would not read true, probably because I was shaking so bad. In the meantime, I had called Mike Whitten to find out the state record and understand the rules to certify possibly one, in which he helped me all he could. I called my wife and asked her to find a TWRA officer or somebody to help me. She and Cole (my son) ran to the Pickwick state Park and found the Park Manager and a game warden. Well, off we went to Pickwick State Park. Upon arriving at the park, we took some great pictures while they tried to get a fisheries biologist on the phone with TN. Well, we finally got one on phone who explained in order to certify a state record, we had to have certified scales, 2 witnesses, dorsal fin clip, valve of blood, etc. Needless to say, fish had to die in order to do this; it seemed to me and Ray. I could have gotten to a certified scale, but nobody knew how to take blood, which the biologist was in Nashville, to make sure it was not Florida strain or hybrid, which he said was required. Of course I knew it was a pure Northern strain by her apperance as you can see in pictures, but that was not good enough.
Finally, got a set of scales there that seemed very close (hand held) and weighed her at 14.58, so we knew we were close. Dilemma time, do you take the chance you have state record or do you let her go? So, I asked the TWRA agent and guys to measure her length and girth to give me good ideas on size. She was 27 1/8 inches by 24 in girth. Decision was easy, fish had to live. Cole hopped in the boat with Ray and me. We took an easy drive back to the area I caught her, in which we had a nice short visit before I placed her back in the lake. Let me tell you, she TORE out of my hand and was unharmed.
So, get home, plug in the dimensions in various "weight calculators," and it varies from 14.5 up to 15.7, with a consensus seeming to be around 14.8. Anyway, guess we will never know if I let the TN state record go or not Friday, but I can tell you, she LIVES on Pickwick Lake. In my heart, I honestly feel it was the State record and for that I am humbled and thankful God gave me that chance to share that fish with good friends and family and let her swim again.
Wanted to share this with some good friends so the story of this fish would not be changed through the translation of others.
Lance Walker
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