Texas Angler Lands 13-Pound Lunker at Hords Creek

There’s nothing like feeling that thump on the end of your fishing line. Now, I’ll confess right here, right now, reeling one in with one hand isn’t always pretty. I’ve done it. I’ve coached my kids and grandkids through it too: “Pull back, now reel, lean forward,  reel, reel, reel!” It’s a workout. But there’s nothing sweeter than landing a fish yourself, cleaning it up and cooking it, slicing some potatoes and carrots, warming up beans, and eating what you just harvested under a Texas sky. That’s why this story fired me up.

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A Monster Surprise in Central Texas

On February 11, fishing guide Wendell Ramsey Sr. launched onto Hords Creek Lake near Coleman, Texas. He expected decent fish. He had caught 7- and 9-pounders there before. But a 13-pound largemouth? Never.

In 51-degree water, Ramsey tied on an umbrella rig tipped with swimbaits and began scanning with Livescope in about eight feet of water. Around 9:30 a.m., three giant bass showed up on screen. Two followed the bait.

The third one crushed it. “She came at it fast and hit it hard,” Ramsey recalled. At first, it felt like setting the hook into a soft log, then the head shakes started.

Then, when the fish saw the boat, it turned on the power. Moments later, a 13.76-pound largemouth bass was in the net.

Texas ShareLunker Makes History

Ramsey knew immediately what he had to do,  call the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department’s ShareLunker hotline via Outdoor Life Magazine.

Biologists confirmed the fish as a Legacy Class ShareLunker, the first ever from Hords Creek Reservoir. The lake now becomes the 80th public water body in Texas to produce a Legacy Class bass (13 pounds or heavier).

For anglers across Texas, that’s a big deal.

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