A Dripping Springs musician landed a record-breaking largemouth bass while fishing from shore at Lady Bird Lake in downtown Austin. Willie Pipkin reeled in a 14.05-pound bass, setting a new water body record for the 468-acre reservoir.
Pipkin, a professional musician, spends his mornings fishing after his wife drops their daughter off at school. Though he owns a boat, he prefers the convenience of fishing Lady Bird Lake during the winter and early spring.
One of his favorite spots is a spring-fed creek near Zilker Park, where warm water from Barton Springs keeps fish active. On the morning of Feb. 4, Pipkin spotted a massive bass hovering over what appeared to be a spawning bed. After multiple casts with a watermelon/red Zoom Fluke, he got a solid strike but lost the fish. Determined, he returned the next day and spent nearly three more hours targeting the same bass before it finally took the bait.
The fight was intense, with the fish making several strong runs before Pipkin brought it to shore. His scale read 14 pounds, confirming it was a ShareLunker—and possibly a lake record. Instead of calling the ShareLunker program immediately, Pipkin phoned a friend who brought a breathable mesh bag to keep the fish alive until Texas Parks and Wildlife staff arrived.
At an official weight of 14.05 pounds, Pipkin’s catch shattered the previous Lady Bird Lake record by more than half a pound. Despite its size, experts believe the bass may have already spawned due to its slender shape.
Texas has a history of massive bass caught from shore, including a 17.08-pounder at Lake Fork in 1991. Pipkin’s catch is a reminder that trophy fish don’t always require a boat—sometimes, the best catches happen right from the bank.
Image/Source: beaumontenterprise
