Travis Olander 07.19.23
After months of ready, Lea Anne Powell bought official phrase from the Worldwide Sport Fish Affiliation (IGFA): In February, she caught the a World File Largemouth Bass within the 12-pound line class – and he or she did it trolling the waters of what’s now “America’s Finest Bass Lake,” in accordance with Bassmaster. Powell hooked the record-breaking Largie at O.H Ivie Lake, about an hour’s drive east of San Angelo, Texas, utilizing nothing greater than a easy spinner rod. A number of selfies with the lunker wouldn’t suffice for the IGFA to name it a file. Powell defined the intensive course of she needed to undergo to say it.
“The method was pretty intensive. I had to go surfing, fill out a complete bunch of paper work after which I really needed to mail in a line pattern of the road that was used to catch the fish,” mentioned Powell. “All of the paper work, pictures and documentation that I’ve needed to undergo a number of panels and I consider internationally.”
In accordance with Powell, it took round three months to obtain affirmation from the IGFA that her prize catch was, certainly, record-setting. Powell added that her anticipation stored her on the telephone with officers all through the method.
“I submitted all the pieces in March and it was official on June twenty third,” Powell mentioned. “I had been driving them insane by calling. I’ve been very anxious you realize, I wished it. Squeaky wheel will get the grease.”
Powell’s World File Largemouth Bass tipped the scales at 12 kilos, 3 ounces, making it the most important ever caught within the 12-pound line class. Her file replaces a Bass caught by Sarah Elizabeth Harris at Lake Baccarac, Mexico, in 2021. That fish weighed in at 9 kilos, 1 ounce. The woman angler mentioned she had, the truth is, caught the fish utilizing 10-pound line, however the IGFA solely categorizes file catches utilizing 4-, 8-, 12-, and 16-pound lessons.
Powell says she started fishing after her mother and father died in 2015. Her mother and father beloved to fish and he or she discovered peace within the observe after her pals requested her to hitch them on a fishing journey. Powell says she continued pursuing the interest thereafter. Powell wasn’t alone when she bagged her file catch in February. Her buddy, Dalton Smith, proprietor of Dalton Smith Information Service and an area information for anglers who go to O.H. Ivie Lake, invited her on the fateful journey.
“Earlier than I went to O.H. Ivie with Dalton, I actually had solely caught a 7-pound 8-ounce Largemouth. And I used to be like, cool, if I get an 8 pounder I’m joyful,” mentioned Powell.
A part of Powell’s profitable hunt got here from a Livescope Smith introduced with him on the journey.
The underwater sonogram offers the tough depth and placement of fish, permitting anglers to dial of their goal zones and enhance their odds of getting bites.
“You possibly can see the fish and might inform what’s massive and you’ll inform what’s small and we bought into this space the place [Smith] was seeing a bunch of huge fish,” mentioned Powell.
On their second day of the journey, Smith used the Livescope to information Powell’s casts to a specific scorching spot on the lake.
“So I casted out about 50 ft from the boat and about 55 ft barely to the left of the place he was,” Powell mentioned. “I used to be making an attempt to study this entire Livescope sonogram and I used to be like, ‘OK, I believe I’ve a follower.’”
Powell mentioned her buddy didn’t consider the dimensions of the Bass she hooked till she began preventing the mammoth in earnest.
“As soon as I set the hook he was like, ‘Oh my God, you caught a large’. However what was loopy is we have been each freaking out as a result of it was hooked 45 ft from the boat and 15 ft down on 10-pound line with a spinning rod,” mentioned Powell. “Which, if anyone is aware of fishing in any respect, that’s a really hectic state of affairs and anytime I might get her near the boat, she would begin taking off and stored nosing down so I used to be having to regulate the drag when she would take off operating.”
After getting the Bass topside, Powell knew they have been in brief on time and wanted to shortly take the trophy fish to Elm Creek RV Park close by, the place an IGFA-certified scale may present a dependable measurement to confirm her new file.
“My buddy advised me about doing the data and all the pieces and I had no concept it may very well be classed as such but it surely seems it might,” mentioned Powell.
Powell says she desires to encourage youthful girls anglers to get out on the water, as they may very well be the following to catch a file fish.
“I’m simply making an attempt to encourage extra folks to get out and fish,” Powell mentioned. “I’ve had a lot discouragement being a girl angler and I don’t let that cease me. For each ‘no’ I’m getting advised and each phrase of discouragement, it pushes me and drives me to go more durable and go quicker and deeper into my tournaments.
“You possibly can’t make a file, you may’t catch a fish except you’ve a line within the water and do what you may to not let any negativity get you down. Flip these negatives into positives and allow them to encourage you to get on the market and fish and simply catch ’em up!”
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