Houston’s lunker weighs 14.08 pounds with 24 3/4-inch girth
EDITOR’S UPDATE: David Houston, who caught the lunker bass, spoke to LouisianaSportsmanc.com after this story went live on the website. The complete story of how he caught the bass, and ultimately released it, can be seen by clicking here.
Poverty Point Reservoir’s largemouth bass record was shattered Monday when David Houston arrived with a hawg that was actually just a little wider than it was long.
Jennifer Thompson, who works at the Poverty Point Marina in Delhi on the north end of the state park, said she had never seen a 14-pound bass – until midday Monday.
“We weighed it on our certified scales here at the marina complex,” she said. “The bass weighed 14.08 pounds, with a 23 1/2-inch length and a 24 3/4-inch girth.”
When reached by phone Tuesday morning, Houston, who resides in Winnsboro according to his Facebook page, told a Louisiana Sportsman correspondent that he wouldn’t comment on the fish.
Thompson said she understood the lunker was caught on the north end of the 2,700-acre reservoir on a cold, cloudy day with the water temperature in the mid-50s.
“As far as a general area, it was here close to the marina complex,” she said. “All I know is a plastic worm. I don’t know what colors.”
Houston’s bass clipped the lake’s previous record fish by just over a pound: According to Poverty Point’s Facebook page, the previous record holder, Keith Lofton, caught a 13.06-pounder on Feb. 2, 2012.
Lofton’s fish measured 23 3/4 inches long, with a 22-inch girth.
The state’s Top 10 largemouth bass are all at least 15-pounders, with the No. 1 fish weighing 15.97 pounds caught by Greg Wiggins on Caney Lake in February, 1999.
Thompson said Houston’s giant bass was released back into the lake after it was weighed and measured.
