ABILENE, Texas – A Texas fisherman reeled in a 13.33-pound largemouth bass at Fort Phantom Hill Reservoir over the weekend, breaking a waterbody record. The catch also places the Abilene-area lake among the best in the Lone Star State for fishing.
Eric Lewis, of Haskell, caught the fish on Sunday during the Couples Association of Sport Tournaments (CAST) Hill Country Region Event.
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According to a news release from the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department, Lewis landed within an hour of being out on the water.
“I set the hook and immediately knew it was a big fish but with muddy water it was hard to tell exactly how big,” Lewis said. “The fish went to the left and wrapped around one of the dock posts. I thought ‘Oh no’ so I pulled against her, and she came around and went to the post on the other side.”
“With some work we were eventually able to get her netted and in the boat. I knew she was at least over 10-pounds, but I’d never seen a fish that big before,” Lewis said.
Lewis’ fish beat the previous state record of 12.90 pounds and marked the 10th Legacy Class largemouth bass in the 2024 Toyota ShareLunker collection season.
It is also the first ShareLunker for Fort Phantom Hill Reservoir.
The Toyota ShareLunker is a program from TPWD that runs year-round and aims to enhance bass fishing in Texas. Anglers who catch large bass in Texas lakes can submit data to the ShareLunker program for a chance to win prizes.
It has four levels of participation:
- Lunker Legacy Class, 13-plus pounds between the spawning period of January and March.
- Lew’s Legend Class, 13-plus pounds from April to December.
- Strike King Elite Class, 10-plus pounds.
- Bass Pro Shops Lunker Class, 8-plus pounds.
O. H. Ivie — a lake 55 miles east of San Angelo — leads the program with five legacy class, two seven elite class, and two lunker class fish.
Six different reservoirs have produced a Legacy fish.
“I’ve known about the ShareLunker program and watched it really come to the forefront with O.H. Ivie over the last few years,” Lewis said. “I know TPWD does a great job with the fisheries, but I had no idea how organized, quick, thorough and professional the entire ShareLunker program was until I got to experience it. It was crazy to see the level of care given to the fish and the attention to detail on its health and status.”
Click here for more information on the Texas ShareLunker program.