Thompson catches fish No. 80 for the 2014-15 Toledo Bend Lunker Program
Duane Thompson of Millington, Tenn., went down to Toledo Bend last month to visit and get in some good fishing time.
He accomplished both, and also guaranteed himself a return trip to the Bend — to pick up his replica of the 10.36-pound largemouth bass he caught with his uncle, Jimmy Thompson, on April 25 near Palo Gaucho.
The two had fished that morning and landed quite a few white bass and five largemouths up to 3 pounds. After dinner, they set out again hoping to catch a few more.
Thompson was casting one of his uncle’s ½-ounce homemade jigs with a soft plastic trailer in about 18 feet of water. He was fishing with 20-pound Seaguar ABRAZX fluorocarbon spooled to a Lew’s Tournament Pro baitcasting reel on a Falcon 20S Carolina Lizard Dragger No. 1 rod.
“It was on the second bite when she hit,” Duane Thompson said. “At first I thought it was probably a stump, but I set the hook and something pulled back.”
The angler fought the fish thinking it was just a big cat.
“She stayed deep, but I had her at the side of the boat in a couple of minutes,” he said. “My uncle had the net ready and scooped her into the boat.”
When both anglers saw the huge bass, a celebration ensued with fist pumps and high-fives.
“She weighed 10.6 pounds on my uncle’s scale,” Thompson said. “After weighing her, he said, ‘Let’s head to Toledo Town and Tackle.’”
They were concerned about the huge bass coming up from so deep, so they vented the fish’s swim bladder and placed her into the livewell.
Upon arrival, the staff at T-Town weighed and measured Thompson’s bass and then placed the fish in a holding tank.
The big bass officially weighed 10.36 pounds and was later tagged and released back into Toledo Bend waters.
Since Thompson’s bass weighed at least 10 pounds and was returned to the reservoir, the angler will receive a replica of his fish on May 17 courtesy of the Toledo Bend Lake Association.
Thompson’s bass is fish No. 80 entered into the Toledo Bend Lunker Bass Program for the 2014-15 season, which ends the middle of this month
