Big catches possible in May 28-29 fishing tournament

Fishing fans are abuzz over the possibility that one of the more than 120 teams competing May 28-29 in the fourth BoatUS National Collegiate Bass Fishing Championship might pull a record bass out of the rich waters of Lewisville Lake.

The current lake record is a 13.63-pound bass caught by Jon Babich on Nov. 28, 2005. Babich was fishing for crappie at the Lewisville Fishing Barge, just north of Lewisville Lake Park, when he spotted a large bass in the water. He hooked and netted the 2-foot-long fish and it later was certified by Texas Parks and Wildlife as the biggest largemouth bass recorded at Lewisville Lake.

It marked the fourth time during 2005 that the lake record had been beaten, starting on June 1 when Michigan pro Kevin VanDam caught an 11.81-pounder on the first day of the Bassmaster Elite 50 tournament. VanDam went on to win the tournament and the $100,000 cash prize.

His lake record was short-lived, however, as local angler Houston Rogers hauled in a 12.23-pound, 29.75-inch bass on July 17. And then, just two weeks later on July 31, Charles Pratt claimed the top mark with a fish measuring 12.67 pounds. Pratt held the record for nearly five months before Babich made his mark at the fishing barge.

Babich’s catch also was the first recorded ShareLunker caught at Lewisville Lake. ShareLunker is a program of Texas Parks & Wildlife intended to encourage sport fishing. Largemouth bass weighing more than 13 pounds are recorded and then returned to the lake, and having a ShareLunker catch can earn additional state-funded fish stockings at the host lake. Since 1978, Texas Parks & Wildlife has stocked more than 2.5 million largemouth bass fry and fingerlings in Lewisville Lake.

Contributing to the excitement around the May 28-29 collegiate event is the fact that the heaviest fish typically are caught during the spring spawning season. This year’s tournament is being held in May, while the three previous collegiate championships were held during the fall when fish weights tend to be smaller.

In addition to the Elite 50 tournament in 2005, Lewisville Lake has been the site of three Womens Bassmaster Tour events during the past four years along with one FLW Tour event and the Big Bass Tour North Texas Classic last fall. Later this year, the lake will host the 2 Of Us Couples Fishing Championship.

Lewisville Lake is located 20 minutes north of downtown Dallas along Interstate 35E. Created in 1954 on the Elm Fork of the Trinity River, the lake covers nearly 30,000 acres of surface area and reaches depths of up to 67 feet. Lewisville Lake is rated as “excellent” by Texas Parks & Wildlife for catfish, crappie and white bass, and “good” for largemouth bass and striped/hybrid bass.

Practice days will be Monday through Wednesday, May 25-27, with the competition starting at dawn Thursday. Tournament launches and 3 p.m.

weigh-ins will be held each day at Sneaky Pete’s Resort, #2 Eagle Point Marina in Lewisville. The lakeside facility includes full-service restaurant and bar, beach area, outdoor swimming pool, sand volleyball, boat slips, and live music on the weekends. For information, call 972.434.2500.

For tournament information, go to www.collegiatebasschampionship.com.

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