It’s been an eventful spring thus far in the fishing world. Among other things, multiple Texas waterbody records have been busted, a Top 20 largemouth bass was sniped off a spawning bed, and a veteran Alabama bass pro named Dustin Connell cemented his name in pro fishing’s history books by securing his third REDCREST win in five attempts.
Here’s the skinny. If this stuff doesn’t make you the ponder thoughts of soaking a bait somewhere fishing probably doesn’t interest you much:
O.H. monster is No. 20 all-time
Cullie Beveal of Lindsay, Okla. went bass fishing at Lake O.H. Ivie near San Angelo on April 2 with high hopes of catching a fish to crack his personal best largemouth of 10.51 pounds.
Beveal, 26, did it up right. Fishing alongside Granbury bass pro and fishing guide Kyle Hall, Beveal reeled in an absolute monster that topped his previous best by nearly six pounds. The 27 3/4-inch bass weighed 16.39 pounds on certified scales.
It’s the heaviest bass reported statewide since Shawn Strength landed a 16.65 pounder in November 2023, also at Lake O.H. Ivie.
Beveal’s fish ranks as the No. 20 biggest Texas bass of all-time and bumps Keith Burns’ Caddo Lake 16.17 pounder to the No. 21 spot. It’s the fifth Top 20 bass record at O.H. Ivie since 2021.
“People are calling it the fish of a lifetime, but I’m thinking it’s more like the fish of 10 lifetimes,” Beveal said. “It’s still kind of surreal, really.”
Beveal caught the fish just after noon on the second of two days he booked with Hall, a big bass specialist and forward-facing sonar expert with a pair of Top 50 fish to fish his name. Hall experienced one of his best days ever at ‘Ivie on March 31, when he boated four bass over 12 pounds — all in the same day.
Interestingly, Beveal’s bass wasn’t caught roaming around in open water like most FFS giants are. The angler caught the fish off a spawning bed after Hall discovered it in 6-8 feet of water using his LiveScope.
“We never would have known she was there without it,” he said. “There was a malewith her and we watched them on the screen for several minutes, just to see how they were behaving, and to figure out what kind of bait might work best.”
Hall recommended tempting the fish with a 6 1/2-inch 6th Sense Panorama in a bluegill pattern. Beveal said he rigged the soft plastic bait on a 3/8-ounce shaky head jighead with a 6/0 hook. The big bass grabbed it on the second cast from about 15 feet away, the angler said.
“It felt like a brick wall when I set the hook,” he said.
It’s worth noting that Beveal’s catch came two days after Texas Parks’s and Wildlife’s 2025 Toyota ShareLunker Legacy Lunker collection season (Jan. 1 March 31) had closed. However, TPWD accepted an offer from the angler to put the fish on permanent display in a 25,000-gallon viewing aquarium at the program headquarters at the Texas Freshwater Fisheries Center in Athens.
Toyota ShareLunker program coordinator Natalie Goldstrom said Beveal’s fish may or may not be used for spawning in the future.
“Legacy Class Share-Lunkers take priority for spawning,” Goldstrom said. “This fish allows for a special opportunity to be available for spawning when it is best for the overall program, which may be this year or in the future.”
Goldstrom says Beveal will not be eligible to receive a free replica, prizes and other program perks reserved for Legacy Class fish, because the fish was turned in after the collection season deadline. However, he will be entered in a drawing for a Bass Pro Shops $5,000 shopping spree that will be held next January.
“I don’t really care about the prizes,” Beveal said. “If they are able to spawn her and keep her on display for other people to see that would be great.”
Bois D’ Arc Pending Record
There’s a new lake record largemouth pending for Bois d’Arc Lake in Fannin County.
On March 31, 2025, bass angler Bryan Forsythe of Flower Mound caught a 9.20 pounder. If certified by the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department’s Angler Recognition Program, it will eclipse the current record of 9.05 pounds.
Forsythe said he caught the 23- inch fish it while fan casting a white swim jig around heavy brush. As of April 6, the angler was still awaiting official certification of the scale he used to weigh the fish prior to releasing it.
TPWD fisheries biologist Dan Bennett wasn’t surprised by Forsythe’s catch. The biologist says he knows of at least two other fish that were caught and released in March that were reported to weigh more than Forsythe’s bass. However, neither bass was weighed on certified scales, and neither angler is pursuing the certification process.
Cooper Hybrid Record
A 13.15-pound hybrid striped bass caught on Jan. 15 at Cooper Lake by T.J. Jenkins of Yantis was recently certified by TPWD’s Angler Recognition Program as the new lake record for that sub-species. The previous record was a 11.97 pounder caught by Denise Ann Malone in February 2013.
Jenkins caught the fish while on a guided trip with fishing Michael Littlejohn. Littlejohn said the fish bit a Zoom Fluke rigged on a 1-ounce jighead. The fish did not survive.
Fisheries biologist Jake Normal rides shotgun over the 19,300-acre reservoir for TPWD. He said word of Jenkins’ trophy hybrid wasn’t much of a surprise.
“Cooper has excellent structure for hybrids to thrive year-round, plus a seemingly endless buffet of shad to keep putting on the pounds,” Norman said. “Plus, the fishing effort has been very light over the last decade, so a substantial percentage of the hybrids in the lake have received minimal fishing pressure.”
Norman said biologists collected otoliths (small ear bones) from the fish for aging. Growth rings in the bones indicate the fish was stocked in 2017 and was 7 1/2 years old when Jenkins caught it.
The state record hybrid striper is a 19.66 pounder caught in 1984 at Lake Ray Hubbard.
Neches River Life Catfish Tournament
April 25-26 are the dates of the 5th Annual Neches River Life Big Catfish tournament. The family-oriented event is open to as many as four members per team for a $200 entry fee; three person teams are $150. Deadline for entry is April 21. All legal means and methods including rod and reel, limb line, pole line and trotline are allowed. Use of forward-facing sonar is prohibited.
Categories include heaviest catfish, 2 fish stringer, big blue catfish and longest gar. Additionally, there will be a lady’s division and a free rod and reel event for kids.
Last year’s winning team in the Big Catfish category banked $8,000.
Tournament boundaries are from Hwy 84 (area) south to the forks of the Angelina and Neches River. No fishing is allowed below the forks or the Angelina River.
Tournament director David Holland says there will be multiple scholarships awarded, plus a Havoc boat/ motor/trailer awarded by a draw. A portion of the money generated by the event and a subsequent fish fry will benefi t Maddison Davenport, 17, and Ryan Havard, 8.
This tournament started with just a vision, and it has become something special,” Holland said. “Not because of the big payouts, 100-plus teams or the huge turnout at the weigh in but the way it gets the community involved with the sponsors… and the way we are able give back to the community with the high school scholarships, benefits, youth tourney and the way it brings family and friends together.”
The April 26 weigh-in will be held from 10 a.m. to noon at 58 Junction in Lufkin. Attendance is free. For more information or to register, check out nechesriverlife. net or contact David Holland, 936-366-0681.
Connell sets record with 3rd REDCREST title
A good ol’ Texas tip of the hat to Alabama bass pro Dustin Connell.
Connell won the $300,000 top prize in the 2025 Bass Pro Shops REDCREST tournament held April 3-6, at Lake Guntersville in Huntsville, Ala. REDCREST is the Bass Pro Tour’s annual championship. It’s a biggie.
Connell, 35, has a rich history of rising to the top in big money fishing events. This marks the third time he’s won the REDCREST trophy during the last five years. His previous wins came in 2021 and 2024.
The most recent victory bumps his career earnings to more than a $2.1 million. He is the only angler to win REDCREST multiple times and the third angler ever with three tour level championship titles. Kevin VanDam and Rick Clunn have won have four Bassmaster Classic titles apiece.
Connell weighed in 27 scoreable weighing 87 pounds 11 ounces in the final round. Jeff Sprague of Wills Point (12th place) was the highest finishing Texan in the event. Alton Jones, Jr. of Waco grabbed the 24th spot.
9.88 tops Mega Bass at Fork
Lorne Smith of Ardmore, Okla.,topped a field of more than 1,300 anglers to win the 17th annual Bass Champs Mega Bass event at Lake Fork. Smith weighed in 9.88 pounder during the 1 o’clock hour that earned him a fully rigged Skeeter ZX200 bass boat and $15,250 cash.
Second place was a 9.32 pounder caught by Tony Hill of Glenwood, Ark. Anglers weighed in six other bass over the lake’s 16-24 inch slot limit ranging from 6.20 pounds to 8.90 pounds.
Bass Champs paid out $25,000 per hour for the 15 biggest bass. First place each hour was $15,000; $500 for the 15th spot.
Matt Williams is a freelance writer based in Nacogdoches. He can be reached by e-mail, mattwillwrite4u@yahoo. com.
