Willie Pipkin waited 25-minutes sitting in the chilly waters of Barton Creek while holding a 14.05 bass and waiting for help since he needed to keep alive. He had been bank-fishing without a live well. Only after his friend arrived with a fish bag, did he call the ShareLunker staff to come for his catch of a lifetime.
(Photo by his friend, Tim Fading)

by John Jefferson

For serious bass anglers, March is the last month of the ShareLunker Legacy program for Bass 13-pounds or more. February 15 – March 15 often produces many of the heaviest bass.

There’s usually a flurry of fishing the last two weeks before the Legacy deadline hits on March 31.

An Austin man had dreamed of catching a thirteen-pounder. That dream came true February 5th, although he had to do more than merely crank a reel handle to complete the capture.

Willie Pipkin parked his car and strolled down the hill to fish Barton Creek, downstream from Barton Springs Dam and the popular Austin swimming pool. He had a spinning rod and reel and a backpack full of fishing gear — but they don’t make backpacks with live wells! He owns a boat but sometimes it’s quicker fishing from shore. And gasoline motors are not allowed on Lady Bird Lake (LBL). TPWD oddly considers Barton Creek part of LBL all the way to the Barton Creek Dam.

Pipkin saw a large bass and cast a watermelon red Zoom Fluke toward it … for three hours! It finally struck, but he lost it. He returned the next day, and the same fish was still holding by the same rock. He began casting to it again. After ANOTHER three hours, he finally caught it.

But there’s more.

Without a live well, he was, uh — up the creek. He desperately called a friend. Willie sat in the chilly water holding a 14.05-pound bass with both hands … waiting.

His friend, Tim Fading, arrived 25 minutes later with a mesh fish bag he uses for saltwater fishing.

AFTER securing the bass in the bag, Willie called the ShareLunker staff to pick up his fish. It became a Legacy ShareLunker … and broke the LBL largemouth record.

But there’re more happenings in March. The TPWD Commission meets March 26-27. The following is the “bumper sticker” version of what they will consider.

Migratory Game

– Increase pintail bag limit to three – all zones.

– Reduce early teal season to nine days – all zones.

– Extend regular season in High Plains Unit by seven days.

– Reduce white-wing dove days to five.

– Reduce rail/gallinule season to nine September days; move seven days to seasons end.

– Extend falconry season by six days for select birds.

Upland Game

– Clarify Hill County zone for turkey hunting.

– Open Lubbock County turkey season.

– Extend statewide quail season to last February day.

Big Game

– Expand mule deer archery season to the day before the general MD season.

– Modify MLDP to allow MD harvest by any legal means; set season.

For more information, check the public comment page in the Texas Register. Public comments are received through March 26 at 5 p.m.

Public comments may be presented in person (three-minute limit) at the March 27 meeting, if registered in advance. Call 1-800-792-1111.

I’m gonna’ buy one of those saltwater fish bags! It might prevent a heartbreak!

And turkey season approaches.

JJ