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What a crazy week for fishing in Texas!
In particular, what a stretch for O.H. Ivie!
After a week that saw Brodey Davis land the largest bass caught in the Lonestar State in thirty years – a catch that overshadowed quite a few incredible double-digit catches in their own right – Ivie strikes it hot again!
This time, it was angler Kyle Hall who will enter the record books with one of the largest bass ever recorded in Texas.
Rewriting the Record Books
After getting a certified weight at Elm Creek RV & Campground of 16.10 pounds, Hall is the latest in a series of anglers who have helped put Texas at the forefront of the fishing world.
Brodey Davis’ aforementioned 17.06 pound bass earned him the #7 spot on the Texas Parks & Wildlife list of all-time lunkers, as well as the largest ever recorded on Ivie.
A couple days later, Robert Bandy jumped onto the list with his 16 pound lake record from Eagle Mountain.
Throw in Brady Stanford’s pending world record meanmouth – also caught on O.H. Ivie – and this will be a week the fishing community remembers for quite some time!
After receiving official certification, Hall’s largemouth has taken its rightful place at the #21 spot all-time for Texas bass. The previous #21, an April 2010 Ivie catch by Jerry Bales, dropped one spot.
Bales’ catch – a massive 16.08 pounder – moves to fourth all-time on Ivie as Hall’s catch moves comfortably into third place. Only Joe McKay’s 16.40 pounder and Brodey Davis’ 17.06 – both caught in February 2022 – rank higher on the lake.
Renowned angler Josh Jones – who also happened to share video of Brodey Davis’ weigh-in last week – also shared Hall’s weigh-in with the world.
Hall celebrated on Facebook, saying “UNREAL!!!! I’ve spent countless hours on the water in the last month searching for one fish. And today was the day! 16.10”
Exceeding Expectations and Setting New Goals
Premier Angler spoke with Hall roughly 36 hours after his catch. The entire experience was still fresh in his mind – so much so that the angler admitted that he hadn’t really slept nor watched videos of his catch yet.
Part of that excited is because Hall’s 16.10 pound bass comes after a long journey – especially over the last several weeks.
“Lots of people think fishing with Livescope and an A-Rig is easy,” Hall said, “but I’m willing to bet I’ve spent more hours on the water looking at that screen trying to catch a 13 (pound bass) than anyone over the past month.”
That goal of pulling in a 13 pound bass came after a recent stretch where Hall landed impressive fish weighing 11.3, 10.65, 12.20, and 11.15. For Hall, who owns Tri Lakes Tackle Town – the same shop where Robert Bandy, who caught a whopper 16 pounder earlier in the same week, works – landing a fish 13 pounds (or heavier) was the natural progression.
Hall, who caught the Ivie giant on an Alabama rig and an Odiehammer Full Send rod, was also quick to dismiss the notion that the advent of Livescope and forward-facing sonar has made bass fishing easy. Despite the number of impressive fish being caught, he was clear that doing so requires an incredible effort.
“Nobody really gets how many hours I’ve spend out there, (fishing) daylight to dark, waiting for this fish,” Hall said. “People don’t realize how hard the Livescope game really is. I’ve casted at probably a hundred fish over 10 pounds over the past month, and my A-Rig has come back messed up probably 90 times. That’s just part of throwing a rig with five hooks on it. Everyone is bashing on the A-Rig and Livescope, but I’d give anyone a month to try it and see if they land a fish that big.”
Even a full day and a half later, Hall was in shock about his catch. While the catch was still fresh in his mind, however, he has already set his next goal: landing the lake record on Granbury Lake.
The current lake record largemouth is 11.4 pounds, but Hall is convinced that there is a 13 pounder in the lake. Hall noted that landing the Granbury record would do wonders for his bait shop, but we’re pretty sure having two 16-pounders landed by staff in two days certainly won’t hurt either…
Where do you think the next massive Texas bass will come from? At this rate, it won’t be long before someone else enters the record books…
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