The Huffman, Texas resident, his two sons, and father were enjoying being on Sam Rayburn Lake during the families’ annual spring break fishing trip. Tompkins recalled, "I saw some fish feeding and a pretty good one came out of the water. I threw my favorite Stanley Spinner Bait a couple of times when she suddenly took it and began to run, I knew it wasn't acting like any bass I ever caught and told the boys to get ready with the net. She was pulling drag and I knew she was big but when she came up and I saw her roll over on her side my heart started to pound." It took a family effort according to the boys who helped net her with dad holding on for dear life.

"I didn't know what to do with her or where to take her when someone told me that Jackson Hill had certified scales just a few minutes away,” continued Tompkins. “When they first saw the fish everyone got excited and started to work as fast as they could. Not knowing what kind of shape she was in they quickly weighed and measured her and put her in their holding tank to make sure she was OK. It was after we got her in the tank and I sat there looking at her that it really hit me. Everyone was congratulating me and my boys and telling me that they thought it was one of the biggest bass ever caught on Rayburn." The bass weighed 14.32 lbs is 26 inches long and 22 3/4 inches in girth.

The Jackson Hill crew called Texas Parks and Wildlife and began to fill out the paper work while waiting for the fish hatchery to come pick her up. When Reese Sparrow, hatchery manager arrived, the fish seemed to be doing really well and after a brief instruction on how to properly hold her with both hands to support her full weight there was a quick photo session before heading off to her new home at the Athens fish hatchery.

Texas Parks and Wildlife reports the ShareLunker program has been instrumental in illustrating the importance of catch and release fishing in the development of trophy largemouth bass fisheries. Data collected by the program shows that it takes 8 to 10 years for a bass to grow to 13-pound size. Slot limits that protect large fish have been proven effective in increasing the quality of fishing. Science-based fisheries management has been shown to be the best method for managing Texas public waters.

When the program began, little was known about the procedures needed to care for big bass. Early in the program, many entries died while at TPWD facilities. Over time better care has increased survival to the point that nearly all fish entered into the program survive to be used for spawning or are returned to the wild. Even more importantly, proper handling techniques have been publicized as part of the program, so that anglers are now able to take better care of any fish they catch. Congratulations to Darrell and to the Texas Parks and Wildlife for operating such a fine program that has benefited every angler and done so much to improve bass fishing in Texas.

Photos:
Reese Sparrow examines Darrell Tompkins sharelunker for a microchip to see if she had been caught before

Darrell shows off the catch of a lifetime

Source: Tyler Sympson, Jackson Hill Marina (www.jacksonhill.us)