Young Guns

Age is no barrier when it comes to reeling in the big ones.

Just ask Stetson Davis of Tuttle, Okla., and Trey McKinney of Carbondale, Ill.

Davis is only 11. He’s among the newest members to join Texas Parks and Wildlife’s Toyota Share-Lunker Club.

On March 6, Davis was having fun fishing at Lake J.B. Thomas with his dad, Brody, when he reeled in a 13.31-pound Legacy Lunker. The youngster caught the big bass on a six-inch swim bait guided by forward facing sonar.

The bass ranks as a new Junior Angler Water Body Record for the 7,300-acre reservoir near Snyder. It’s the second Legacy entry of the year from J.B. Thomas and the 11th overall entry of the statewide collection season that runs through March 31.

The big fish apple apparently doesn’t fall far from the tree in the Davis clan. In February 2022, Davis’ father caught a 17.06 pound Legacy Lunker at Lake O.H. Ivie. The ‘Ivie lake record currently ranks as the No. 7 heaviest Texas bass of all-time and the biggest fish reported in Texas since 1999.

McKinney took his big fish catching to different heights at the age of 19. He recently became the youngest angler in Bassmaster history to win a big league Elite Series event and the $100,000 pay day that comes with it.

For those who may not know, McKinney’s historic win came on Feb. 29 to March 3 at Lake Fork in eastern Texas. He finished the four-day derby with nearly 131 pounds on 20 bass -- an average of about 6 1/2 pounds per fish.

The total is alarmingly close to the BASS four day all-time weight record of 132 pounds, eight ounces set in April 2008 by Mississippi angler Paul Elias at Lake Falcon near Zapata in far South Texas.

If it sounds like the big ones were stirring at Lake Fork, that’s because they were. And McKinney wasn't the only one who found them biting in a tournament that will forever be remembered as one of greatest big bass slugfests of all-time.

The entire Top 10 earned century belt trophies for cracking the 100-pound mark. Tyler Rivet of Raceland, La., took second place with 125 pounds, ounces. Two other anglers busted 124 pounds.

Ben Milliken of New Caney was the highest finishing Texan (eighth) with 113 pounds, 12 ounces. The 10th place angler wrangled 100-07.

Just about everyone familiar with Lake Fork had a hunch it would take some really big weight to win. Sort of like they figured the LiveScopers would rule the stage.

“’Scopers” is the badge pinned on the forward-facing sonar (FFS) junkies — many of them young guys — who are dominating the sport these days. Some have electronics set-ups that easily cost upwards of $30,000.

At one point or another every angler in the Top 10 at Fork relied on FFS to sniff out big, pre-spawn bass suspended in the water column. Most watched the fish eat their baits on massive electronics screens that displayed real-time intel fed by little black boxes and hand-sized transducers.

There is a popular catch phrase among anglers these days — “if you’re not ‘scoping, you’re hoping.” It seems the mantra is becoming more definitive each time the tournament scales close. Tournament anglers who aren’t employing FFS into their game plans are clearly putting themselves behind the eight ball when competing against those who do.

FORK: STILL CRANKING AT 44

Lake Fork turns 44 this year. The 27,000-acre reservoir is obviously a long way from being over the hill or all washed up.

Though some may have been shocked by all the heavyweights reeled in by the Elite Series field, the slugfest didn’t come as a total surprise to Jake Norman.

Norman is the fisheries biologist who oversees Fork and several other powerhouse lakes for the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department’s inland fisheries division.

The bass fishing biologist has a pretty good handle on what is finning around out there, and how the fish fare from one year to the next under a 16-24 inch a slot limit.

The restrictive limit protects fish within the designated slot from being harvested or being retained. Anglers can keep five fish daily, 16 inches or under, but only one over 24 inches. Likewise, four to nine pound slot fish seldom find their way into tournament tallies because it is illegal to put them in a livewell for transport to shoreline weigh-ins.

Big league events hosted by Bassmaster and Major League Fishing are able to work around the slot by placing an official observer in each competitor boat. The observer weighs and documents each fish before it is released. In Elite Series competition, the heaviest five count toward the angler’s daily weight.

Fork has produced fairy tale totals in past Bassmaster events. This year, it fished completely off the charts.

Though no one cracked 40 pounds on five fish, Norman says the 25-pound barrier was broken 95 times and the 30-pound threshold was tapped 44 times. Amazingly, McKinney managed to break 30 pounds for four consecutive days.

CALLING IT

I spoke with Norman just before the event got underway. He predicted the perfect storm was coming, especially for the ‘Scopers. A cold front that pushed through ahead of the tournament played a key role in setting the stage, he said.

“The majority of the fish, especially the females, did exactly what you would expect with the dropping temperatures,” he said. “They moved off the bank and suspended in creek channels and timber. They were obviously still catchable, but without FFS sonar I don’t think near the number of anglers would have been able to target them with the efficiency that they did.”

Initially, Norman predicted the tournament would end with a handful of triple digit weights that could go as high as 125 pounds for the winner. What he didn’t suspect was the event turning into a big bass parade unlike any the bass fans have witnessed since that storied freak show that unfolded at Lake Falcon 16 years ago.

“I would have guessed more separation between the Top 10, and would have guessed only four to five century belts with weights trickling down to the high 80’s by 10th place,” Norman said. “It was definitely the best slugfest since Falcon. This event will stand out for a long time.”

PROOFS IN THE PUDDIN’

No one can argue that Lake Fork has not seen its ups and downs over the years, yet Norman believes it remains one of the best lakes in the nation. He said the Elite Series results confirm what he has been preaching for the past two years — the lake is bristling with bass in the four to seven pound range. And they should continue stacking on weight.

“Those four to seven pound fish have obviously kept growing, and I can comfortably say now that the lake is full of five to nine pound fish,” Norman said. “I have always said it is still the best lake in the state — likely the country — to catch multiple fish over eight pounds in one day. You have a better chance at a true giant than other places, but I would still argue there isn’t a water body that can give you multiple eight pounders and a 35-pound plus bag any day of the year.”

GOOD FOR BUSINESS

Hundreds of thousands of Internet viewers watched as the big bass bash streamed live on Bassmaster. com. Area merchants are almost certain to see spikes in business in coming months as a result.

Norman said he received numerous calls from Lake Fork fishing guides whose phones were ringing before the tournament was even over.

“The immediate future will bring more of the same for Fork,” Norman said. “Those big slot fish are not going anywhere soon, and hopefully most of them continue to progress through the slot and we start seeing a greater number of 10-pound-plus bass over the next few years. We just need to ensure that smaller fish are falling in behind these.”

Norman said the lake saw a banner spawn in 2023. He expects another good spawn this spring thanks to an abundance of flooded cover in the shallows.

‘Shallow habitat, primarily vegetation, is still the lifeline of Fork,” he said. “The forage, genetics, regulations, water quality, deep/ offshore habitat and structure are already in place to continue showing out as a premier trophy lake. If we can maintain the vegetation that is there now, and encourage expansion of it into more areas of the lake, Fork is going to keep impressing people.”

Matt Williams is a freelance writer based in Nacogdoches. He can be reached by email, mattwillwrite4u@yahoo.com.