LARRY AND I at Bullards Bar in April 2019, both with big spotted bass. I had a premonition that I would land a trophy fish that day, and it’s funny how sometimes your gut tells you all you need to know.
Although I have fished with Larry on multiple occasions, my most memorable trip came 11 months ago on April 16, 2019 when he took me out for an attempt at a world-record spotted bass at Bullards Bar. I had a premonition that I would land a trophy fish that day, and it’s funny how sometimes your gut tells you all you need to know.
We launched in the early afternoon and knowing that the water at Bullards Bar was extremely clear, I switched over to 6-pound P-Line fluorocarbon line to be as stealth as possible. The first hour of fishing resulted in multiple ‘dinks.’ And this was not what we came for so Hemphill used his experience to try some new locations without success. I spotted a tiny submerged brush pile and flipped a wacky-rigged Yamamoto Senko in green/blue shad with my Shimano Stratic C4 reel on a custom Fitzgerald rod near the bush and worked the lure through the heavy cover to find the sweet spot – Bam! What resulted was my personal-best spotted bass at 7.2 pounds on his scale that was quickly released into the clear water conditions after a few quick photos.
Neither of us knew that this spotted bass would smash the current world-record for women’s spotted bass until the next day when we started to research the matter. The line class record for 6-pound test is 2.4 pounds, and the overall record is just over 5 pounds. In some ways, it is possible to regret that we weren’t aware of what we had, but not weighing the fish on a certified scale and going through the process for verifying a world-record does not diminish the experience of landing a world-class spotted bass with my mentor. This was a day to remember, and it only creates more excitement to see what more is out there. We ended up with over 16 pounds for three fish as I landed another at 4 pounds on a drop-shot, and Lunker Larry put in a 5-pound, 1-ounce spot. Not a bad day for my first, but not my last, trip to Bullards Bar.
Some of us are fortunate to have mentors drop into our laps, and ‘Lunker Larry’ Hemphill has given me the gift of his years of wisdom on becoming a successful bass angler. His patient approach to instruction opened my eyes to the complex aspects of bass fishing, and I hope to always remember the lessons that he has patiently provided. I hope someday to do the same for the next generation of anglers, in particular, young female anglers.
