14.94 pounder biggest since 2015

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SAM RAYBURN — It seems like the whoppers always come calling when you least expect it. Just ask Joe Moore of Huntington.

Moore was bass fishing with his wife, Lillie, on the afternoon of Feb. 18 at Sam Rayburn when he got the biggest bite of life. Interestingly, Moore didn’t feel the thump when the fish scooped up the green pumpkin lizard he had cast into 5 feet of water.

“I was digging out a backlash when she bit,” Moore chuckled. “Once I got it out and reeled up the slack, the line got tight. At first, I thought I was hung in the grass, but then I felt something pulling back.”

Moore said the ensuing battle was hardly a match for the size of the fish, which was barely hooked in the side of the mouth when he brought it into the boat. He weighed the 25 1/2-inch female at 14.19 pounds on a handheld scale.

The angler said he noticed something wasn’t right after he placed it in the livewell.

“She immediately acted like she wanted to roll over on her side,” said Moore, 74. “It was really strange. That fish came straight to the boat and didn’t hardly fight at all. I’ve caught 2 pounders that fought harder. Something was definitely wrong.”

Moore transported the bass to Jackson Hill Marina to get official weight, but it was dead on arrival. JHM owner Terry Sympson certified the weight at 14.94 pounds.

“I still can’t figure it out — I don’t know if she just went into shock or what,” Moore said. “I was proud to catch her, but I would much rather her still be swimming around than be dead. She was a big, beautiful fish full of eggs. It was a real bummer for her to die like that.”

Moore’s 14.94 pounder is the biggest bass reported from Sam Rayburn since 2015. It’s well shy of the 16.80-pound lake record caught in May 1994 by Tommy Shelton.

The bass is eligible for entry in the Legend Class of the Toyota Share-Lunker program since it was weighed on certified scales. Anglers who enter fish in one of the program’s four categories between now and Dec. 31 will earn certificates of recognition, Share-Lunker memorabilia and have a shot at winning a $5,000 gift certificate to Bass Pro Shops. For more information, texassharelunker.com.