Angler braves sleet, cold and fog to reel in record-setting bass in Texas, photos show
_fitted.png "An angler caught a record-breaking largemouth bass at lake O.H. Ivie, in Texas, state wildlife officials said.")
A fisherman and his son pressed on through miserable conditions during a recent fishing trip in Texas, and they have a record-setting catch to show for it.
Despite freezing rain and fog, Brodey Davis and his son Stetson headed out onto O.H. Ivie lake, he said in a Facebook post. The lake is about 50 miles east of San Angelo.
The low was about 20 degrees Fahrenheit in the San Angelo area on Feb. 24, the day of the catch.
“There was only 2 other boats on the lake that morning that I know of,” Davis said.
It was a slow day and after a few hours without any luck, they were just about ready to head back to shore, Davis said. But he wanted to try one more spot.
That’s when he saw it: a largemouth bass hovering in the water over some sunken timber.
“I casted at her 2 times and the second time she slammed it!” he said. “After a few good runs she finally gave in and Stetson netted her.”
The bass measured in at 27.25 inches long and 17.06 pounds, making it the largest largemouth bass caught on O.H. Ivie, according to Texas Parks and Wildlife Department records. It’s also the seventh-biggest largemouth caught in the state and marks the first time a new largemouth catch has made it into the top 10 since 1997.
“Historic day!” TPWD’s Toyota ShareLunker Program said in a social media post. The program is dedicated to creating “bigger and better” bass fishing in the state, in part by incentivizing anglers to donate larger fish to the program, which are then used to breed more fish.
“Angler Brodey Davis just weighed one of the largest Texas ShareLunkers to hit the scales in the past 30 years!” the post said.
Davis said the fishing trip is one he “will never forget,” not only because he reeled in a monster fish but also because he got to share the glory with his son.
“Words can’t describe the feeling!” he wrote. “There were several hugs and emotions ran high for me!”
This story was originally published March 1, 2022 at 2:20 PM with the headline "Angler braves sleet, cold and fog to reel in record-setting bass in Texas, photos show."