Tennessee Bass Record Shattered
Darren Nunley just shattered Tennessee's largemouth bass record while fishing with friend Hensley Powell on Nickajack Lake. The exact weight and length details are still forthcoming, but the catch is already being celebrated by the national fishing community as a testament to Nickajack's potential.
The new record, once certified by the Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency (TWRA), will eclipse the 15.20-pound largemouth caught by Gabe Keen on Chickamauga Lake in 2015. Keen's catch itself shattered a record that had stood for over 60 years. Prior to Keen's 2015 record, the state's top largemouth bass was a 14-pound, 8-ounce fish caught by James "Logue" Barnett in 1954 from Sugar Creek. That record remained untouched for more than six decades. The recent string of record-breaking bass in Tennessee is largely attributed to the introduction of Florida-strain largemouth bass. These bass have been stocked in reservoirs like Chickamauga and Nickajack, and they have the genetic potential to grow larger than the native northern-strain largemouth. Nunley's massive 15.75-pound bass was caught on a Z-Man JackHammer ChatterBait while fishing a shallow grass spot. His guide, Hensley Powell, had identified the promising area the day before after other clients landed two 8-pound bass there.
