However, by the time the day ended, he found himself hauling in a rare and record catch.
Moore caught a spotted bass, a species never before found in Lake Weatherford. Though it weighed just one pound, two ounces, because no other had ever been caught — or seen in the lake — it qualifies as a record for that body of water.
“When I hooked onto it, I didn’t think anything about it until I realized that it was a spotted bass, and I’ve never seen one caught out of it before, out of Lake Weatherford,” Moore said. “So I called the game warden.”
The game warden, whom Moore said was shocked at learning of the catch, confirmed the fish’s rarity in the lake and that it was indeed a record.
Like the game warden, Moore said he was equally shocked. He called a good friend, who was also amazed at the discovery.
“I took multiple double takes at it to see if it actually was a spotted bass or if was just a large mouth,” he said.
It was indeed, spotted.
As for how the fish might have gotten in the lake, Moore said it could be include a number of reasons.
“Birds could have put it in by the eggs getting stuck to their feet, flooding, or just somebody putting it in there,” he said.
Moore said the only other lakes nearby that might have a spotted bass include Possum Kingdom or Eagle Mountain.
As for the future of the fish, Moore said he is going to “release it into a local pond and let it live its life — and then get a replica made of it to hang on the wall.”
VIP Angling
Max Moore also created VIP Angling. The nonprofit organization was originally designed to host fishing events for visually impaired children.
Now it has expanded to include anglers of all ages with different disabilities.
For more information, visit VIP Angling on Facebook.
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