Angler, guitarist reels in new lake record while fishing from shore at Lady Bird Lake
On February 5, musician Willie Pipkin of Dripping Springs was fishing from the shores of Lady Bird Lake in downtown Austin when he hooked and landed a 14.05-pound largemouth bass that is a new water body record for the 468-acre reservoir. Pipkin subsequently loaned the fish to Toyota ShareLunker program.
Pipkin managed to keep the fish in good shape until TPWD arrived by keeping it in a breathable mesh bag provided by his good friend, Tim Fading (left) of Austin.
The unofficial Texas record for bank-caught bass belongs to the late Troy Coates of Emory. Coates caught the 17.08 pounder at Lake Fork in February 1991. The bass currently ranks as the No. 6 heaviest Texas bass of all-time. (Courtesy Photos Willie Pipkin)
Outdoors WriterAnyone who likes a good ol’ fashioned big fish story is sure to love the tale behind the Lady Bird Lunker. There is no mention of forward-facing sonar or other high-tech devices in this deal. Just a friendly fisherman who plays the guitar and grew up shagging grasshoppers to use as bait for dunking in Hill Country stock tanks.Fittingly, the story unfolded along th...
Premium Content is available to subscribers only. Please login here to access content or go here to purchase a subscription.
