March 2, 2009
Athens, Texas — Caddo Lake has long been a lake of
mystery, spawning rumors of strange happenings and sightings of
mythical creatures.
Ronnie Arnold of Karnack met one of those creatures face to face
Monday: a 15.1-pound largemouth bass that became the latest entry
into the ShareLunker program.
Perseverance is important whenever one pursues monsters of the deep,
and Arnold’s experience is an example. "I was fishing in the same
area where I’d hooked and lost a big fish a month ago," he said. His
first impression was that he’d caught just another ordinary bass.
"I’ve caught four-pounders that fought harder," he said. "But when I
got it up on top, I saw it was a big fish."
Arnold was fishing in 5 ½ feet of water with a crankbait. He was
quick to clear up the mystery about where he caught it: "On the
Texas side."
Arnold’s catch becomes the sixth ShareLunker entry from the East
Texas lake, but it’s not the biggest. In 1992 Bobby Shaver of Waskom
caught the current lake record, a 16.01-pounder.
The last ShareLunker to come from the lake was caught just more than
10 years ago, on February 22, 1998.
Arnold’s fish is the ninth entry into the ShareLunker program this
season and the fourth to weigh 15 pounds or better.
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