Witness to the Texas State Record
My partner, Barry Yeatts, and I were at Lake Fork during the week of Jan. 24, 1992.
It had been a warm week, and on Friday we had gone to an area close to the dam to crappie
fish. About 4 pm a boat with three fishermen pulled up, and anchored, and begin to crappie
fish. The area was a 40 ft deep point, known for crappie during the cold months.
Around 4:45pm, Barry StClair, had a fish on. About a minute before he had asked me how
deep we were and I said 42 ft.
He fought the fish for at least 5 minutes, taking time out to untangle his partner's lines
from his. When catching any fish this deep in the winter, it will only fight until half
way up, then comes up on its side. And that's what this fish did. At first I thought it
was a catfish, but Barry held it up and I could see it was a bass over 13 lbs. I went over
to see if he would donate it to the Lone Star Lunker program. My partner who now guides on
Lake Fork, had a set of 50 lb Normark digital scales. The scales read 18 lbs 4 oz. a new
state record. StClairs boat did not have a live well, so we put it in my partners new
200DX Skeeter. The fish was so big it barely went through the live well hole.
Looking at his equipment, StClair was fishing with the usual two hook wire crappie rig on
the bottom. The top hook of the rig had straightened out, so I think both hooks had been
in the mouth at first, the the top hook had taken the first strong pulls, and had pulled
out, but the bottom hook managed to hold after the bass tired out. We took the bass to Oak
Ridge Marina for the official weigh in, at 18.18lbs. Dave Campbell the Lone Star Lunker
coordinator came up from Tyler. I helped hold the bass while he let air out of the
bladder. The fish did make it fine and become a part of the lunker program. It was
eventually returned to StClair. As far as I know it is still alive.
I have fished all my life, and even though I personally did not catch the state record, I
can tell you it was a thrill being next to the man who did, and I consider myself very
lucky to have been there. I would like to be the one who finally breaks George Perry's
world record, but if I can't catch it, maybe I can get lucky twice and be next to you when
you do!
Can you imagine a bigger thrill?? Keep on trying, it might be the next bite--- Robert
Hatter