If you’ve ever dreamed of landing the trophy bass of a lifetime, there’s no better time than the present to make your way to Toledo Bend.
Chase Hymel, 30, admittedly had the shakes that afternoon when the final fish of the day turned out to be the largest bass of his life – a 10.47-pounder. “We were fishing the Indian Mounds Tuesday after launching near Housen at daylight,” Hymel said. Hymel and his huge bass didn’t cross paths until about 4 that afternoon. He was throwing a punch rig with a skirt, specifically a magic craw Reaction Innovations Kinky Beaver tied to 16-pound Sunline fluorocarbon. This setup was cast via a Daiwa Tatula rod and reel combo.
“The winds were pushing water to some flats on points in the area,” he said. “I would cast on the sides of grass in 5 ½-feet of water and begin my retrieve. I was fishing the bottom.”
On one of his casts as the lure fell, he let it sink and then picked it up twice. “She nailed it then and she felt big. The fish went under the boat and near the motor, but I kept her down. It was huge.” Martin, his partner, netted the huge fish. “We were hollering and screaming,” Hymel said.
At Toledo Town and Tackle on certified scales, Hymel’s lunker officially weighed 10.47 pounds. Since the bass weighed at least 10 pounds and was tagged and released back into Toledo Bend waters, Hymel will receive a replica of his trophy courtesy of the Toledo Bend Lake Association.
Hymel’s trophy bass was lunker No. 58 entered into the Toledo Bend Lunker Bass Program for the 2014-15 season.
