It’s not everyday you go out on the water in hopes of having a good day fishing, and walk away a world record holder.
In fact, the chances are about next to none.
However, for one female angler, this dream turned into a reality after she caught the largemouth bass of a lifetime.
According to KETK, it all went down at O.H. Ivie Lake, near San Angelo, as Lea Anne Powell is now the International Game Fish Association (IGFA) largemouth bass record holder. She now holds the female world record for a largemouth bass caught in the 12-pound line class. The IGFA has different line classes that include 2, 4, 6, 8, 12, 16, and 20-pound line classes, however, Powell’s largie was actually caught on 10-pound Seaguar Red Label line.
She initially caught the largemouth four months ago, and after a long grueling process to get the fish certified, the world record is hers.
She told the outlet:
“The process was fairly intensive. I had to go online, fill out a whole bunch of paper work and then I actually had to mail in a line sample of the line that was used to catch the fish.
All the paper work, photos and documentation that I have had to go through multiple panels and I believe internationally.”
The largemouth was a whopping 12 pounds, three ounces, which she originally caught back on February 28th on O.H. Ivie:
“I submitted everything in March and it was official on June 23rd. I had been driving them insane by calling. I’ve been very anxious you know, I wanted it. Squeaky wheel gets the grease.”
Powell also has a really cool story behind why she started really getting into fishing as well:
“I lost both of my parents in 2015 and I actually found peace within fishing. A friend of mine kept asking me to come fish and I had a natural knack for it and it just stuck.”
She also discussed the moment she caught the largemouth on that February day:
“Once I set the hook he was like, ‘oh my God, you caught a giant’. But what was crazy is we were both freaking out because it was hooked 45 feet from the boat and 15 feet down on 10-pound line with a spinning rod.
Which if anybody knows fishing at all, that’s a very hectic situation and anytime I would get her close to the boat, she would start taking off and kept nosing down so I was having to adjust the drag when she would take off running.”
And after her world record catch, she has one message to the women who are wanting to go out and fish:
“I’m just trying to encourage more people to get out and fish. I’ve had so much discouragement being a lady angler and I don’t let that stop me.
For every no I’m getting told and every word of discouragement, it pushes me and drives me to go harder and go faster and deeper into my tournaments.
You can’t make a record, you can’t catch a fish unless you have a line in the water and do what you can to not let any negativity get you down. Turn those negatives into positives and let them motivate you to get out there and fish and just catch ’em up!”
The Texas state record largemouth bass was reeled in on Lake Fork back in 1992, weighing in at 18.18 pounds.
The all-tackle world record is a tie at 22 pounds, four ounces, caught by George W. Perry at Montgomery Lake in Georgia back in 1932, and the other by Manabu Kurita at Lake Biwa in Shiga, Japan back in 2009.
O.H. Ivie has produced some absolute MONSTERS this year.
“Angler Nolan Sprengeler makes his big score with ShareLunker 644 from O.H. Ivie. She weighed in at 13.89 lbs.
This is the 10th Legacy Class Lunker from O.H. Ivie and #12 for the season. Congrats Nolan and thanks for sharing your Lunker!”
The Toyota ShareLunker Program collects bass that are 13 pounds or more, and the big females are typically sent to a hatchery so their offspring can be used to stock lakes and ponds across Texas.
Sprengeler’s catch follows Jason Conn’s top 10 record largemouth bass, weighing in at a mind boggling 17.03 pounds. Another angler bagged two 14-pounders on the SAME DAY.
But that’s not all…
Brandon Vaughan bagged the 11th Legacy Class fish this year with this hog weighing in at a whopping 14.50 pounds.
“Legacy Class bass continue to lure anglers to O.H. Ivie! ShareLunker 645 was caught by Brandon Vaughan. His catch weighed 14.50 lbs and is the 11th Lunker from O.H. Ivie this season.
Congrats, Brandon and thanks for your contribution to bigger, better bass in Texas.”
If you love bass fishing and aren’t booking a trip down to O.H. Ivie, what are you even doing?
