Record-breaking Inks Lake largemouth will help build a better bass
Darryl Hanson II of Round Rock poses for a photo with the record-breaking largemouth bass he recently pulled out of Inks Lake in Burnet County. The 13.4-pound fish was entered into the Texas ShareLunker program to breed bigger and better bass for anglers across the state. Texas Parks and Wildlife Department photo
Burnet County’s Inks Lake has produced its first “Legacy Lunker,” a designation reserved for largemouth bass over 13 pounds. The Texas Parks and Wildlife Department will use the record-breaking fish to enhance bass genetics across the state.
Darryl Hanson II of Round Rock reeled in the 13.4-pound largemouth on March 10, setting a new record for Inks Lake. The previous record was 12.5 pounds, set in 2017 by Christopher Snyder.
Hanson donated his fish to the TPWD ShareLunker program, which will use the fish in a selective breeding program to put bigger and better bass in Texas lakes.
Inks Lake is now the 78th public body of water in the state to have produced a Legacy Lunker since the ShareLunker program began in 1986.
“In the Lone Star State, there are numerous water bodies capable of (producing) an impressive 13-pound (largemouth bass) or heavier,” said TPWD ShareLunker Program coordinator Natalie Goldstrohm. “There are reservoirs that have historically produced bigger bass, like Lake Fork and O.H. Ivie, and those that are lesser known (like Inks Lake) that have remarkable trophy bass fisheries.”
The heaviest largemouth caught on record in Texas was hooked on Lake Fork in 1992 and weighed in at 18.18 pounds. That lake has produced the top six heaviest fish in the state.
Hanson gave up his trophy catch to the Legacy Lunker program, and for that he’ll get a “13lb+” decal for his truck/boat, VIP access to the Toyota ShareLunker Annual Awards event, a replica mount of his fish, and a gift package and annual subscription from Bass University.
He will also get two entries into the Legacy Class drawing and the year-end grand prize drawing for a shot at a $5,000 Bass Pro Shop shopping spree.
Hanson shared his Inks Lake experience in a TPWD media release.
“I’ve had decent luck at Inks Lake in the past, and the lake has some good structure,” he said. “There is a particular area that has all sorts of docks and cement dock structures all around, which provides great cover, so I decided to target fish there. I put a couple of fish in the live well using an A-rig first thing in the morning to try and capitalize on bites. Then there was an area that I could see off to the left that was on a point with structure. I threw an A-rig running it parallel against it and she slammed it.
“I set the hook, and she pulled back and ran out to open water. She came up out of the water and I knew this was a big fish. She made five or six runs with two of them going underneath the boat. She got to the point where I could get her closer to the boat and scooped her into the net. I lifted her in the boat and said, ‘That must be a double-digit.’”
Learn more about the ShareLunker program at TexasShareLunker.com.