Tennessee Record Bass Caught
A Tennessee angler caught a state-record largemouth bass, leaving the fisherman stunned with "My God, what have I done?" The catch adds to a week of impressive fishing stories, including 12- and 13-pound bass from Lake Tyler in Texas and a potential North Dakota record yellow perch from Devils Lake.
The pending Tennessee record largemouth, weighing 15.75 pounds, was landed by angler Darren Nunley on Nickajack Lake on February 28, 2026. The impressive catch was made while fishing with guide Hensley Powell and measured a notable 29.5 inches in length. This catch is set to break the previous Tennessee record held by Gabe Keen, whose bass weighed 15.3 pounds and was caught from the nearby Chickamauga Reservoir on February 13, 2015. Both Nickajack and Chickamauga lakes have been part of a successful stocking program by the Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency (TWRA) to introduce Florida-strain largemouth bass, which are known to grow larger than native northern-strain bass. Biologists from the TWRA believe Nunley's fish is likely an F1 hybrid, a cross between a native northern largemouth and a stocked Florida bass. This genetic combination can result in "hybrid vigor," leading to exceptionally large and fast-growing fish. The official certification of the new record is pending a routine review and DNA analysis by the agency. The week's fishing news also included major catches in Texas, where bass guide Jack York landed a 13.45-pound largemouth on Lake Tyler. This fish was the 10th "Legacy Class" entry for the 2026 season of the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department's ShareLunker program, which uses trophy catches for selective breeding. In North Dakota, a 44-year-old record is poised to be broken after angler Alan Hintz of Wisconsin caught a massive yellow perch from Devils Lake on March 1. The fish officially weighed 2.99 pounds, which is expected to round up to 2 pounds and 16 ounces, just surpassing the existing 1982 record of 2 pounds and 15 ounces.
