Lightning strikes twice for one lucky Texas angler. Ross Gomez of Lubbock, TX landed a 14.78 pound beast of a largemouth while fishing Lake Alan Henry on Feb. 12. While that feat is quite the accomplishment in and of itself, making it even more notable is the fact he caught the exact same fish back in the same lake in 2023 under almost the same exact circumstances.
During the first three months of the season (January through March), anglers who reel in a 13-plus pound bass can loan it to Texas Parks and Wildlife Department for the ShareLunker selective breeding and stocking program. As part of the selective breeding program, the fish is fitted with a chip that allows biologists to later identify the fish, as was the case with Gomez’ two lunkers.
The first time Gomez caught it was back in February of 2023, when he was targeting crappie. Not having much success, he changed up his presentation by tying a baby shad glow to the dark soft bait. Then, his luck changed in a big way.
He saw the massive mouth of the then-13.22-pounder engulf his bait as he pulled it up from the depths, and the fight was on. Gomez was outgunned with his 4-foot micro crappie rod with 4-pound test line, so he loosened the drag and let her run until she tired herself out and he could reel her in. He played his cards right, and brought the fish in.
Gomez didn’t have his scale, so he asked an angler on a nearby boat if he had one. The angler told Gomez about the ShareLunker program, of which he was unaware. Once he saw the fish was over 13 pounds, he took it to an official weigh station for a certified weight. Armed with an official weight, Gomez placed the fish in a holding tank and called TPWD to get the fish.
Same Spot, Same Month, Same Fish
Gomez’ February 2023 giant became ShareLunker 641. The fish was utilized in the breeding program, fitted with a chip for future identification, and returned to Lake Alan Henry. Almost two years to the day, that same fish would become ShareLunker 674, once again on the end of Gomez’ rod — only this time, it weighed an unbelievable 14.78 pounds.
“I was fishing in the exact same spot,” Gomez told Wired2fish. “I was thinking of going out in my kayak, but it was windy, so I went to the dock where I caught the big bass years ago.”
Gomez was buoyed by the dropping temps, but when he set up his Garmin Striker 4 and took a look around, things didn’t seem promising. “The screen was all blue. I didn’t really see any signs of life. But I was there, so I figured I’d try.”
Though he has taken more of a liking to bass fishing since he caught his big one in 2023, Gomez still spends a lot of his time chasing crappie. On Feb. 12, he was armed with a Wally Marshall crappie reel that he found on Tik Tok and his favorite crappie rod: a 5-foot stick he picked up at Walmart for $20 years ago.
He stood in the exact same spot he did in 2023, and tossed a small swim shad into the 25-foot depths.
“I was fishing around and nothing so I switched over to a paddletail I had with me, kind of dark green with a white underbelly. I just pitched it out and I was letting it fall deep, like 30 or 40 feet so I’d have a little time to retrieve it,” he said.
He worked the bait towards the surface, and it was deja vu all over again. Now familiar with the tug of a giant bass, Gomez knew exactly what to do. He loosened the drag and let her run until she was tired enough to land.
“I think it was probably the third or fourth cast that I threw. I threw it down there and I let it sink and started retrieving it and then all of a sudden I just felt this heavy pressure on the line, and I was like, ‘Uh, oh,’” he said. “All of a sudden, she just started taking line. I knew she was pretty sizable. I kept going and going and working the drag and letting her take and tightening up and loosen a bit. And eventually she tired herself out and I was able to pull her out of the water. And I was like, ‘Wow, that’s bigger than the last one I caught!’”
“She was something else,” he added.
“I got a buddy who owns a bait shop in town and I called him up and I was like, ‘Hey, I got this fish, I need help. Because I’ve been through it before and I knew I needed an official weight, and my scale that I had was horrible. I knew I had to take it to this place up the road where they have an official scale.” Gomez said.
He called his friend and he showed up with a tub to transport the big bass. “He filled the tub with water, put her in there, and took her to get weighed.”
After they got the weight, they put the fish in a holding tank on the shop’s premises that’s there for that exact purpose and called the TPWD to get the ShareLunker process going. But the realization that it might have been the same fish didn’t hit him until the next day.
“I was walking through my house and it just hit me: ‘That must be the same fish.’ I told my wife that’s the same fish — it has to be.” But it wasn’t until the next day when he received a message from TPDW that his suspicions were confirmed.
“I got the text from Natalie. She was like. ‘It’s the exact same fish.’”
A Red Hot February
Gomez’ February 2023 giant became ShareLunker 641. The fish was utilized in the breeding program, fitted with a chip for future identification and returned to Lake Alan Henry. Almost two years to the day, that same fish would become ShareLunker 674 — only this time, it weighed an unbelievable 14.78 pounds. After catching the same fish in almost the same spot two years apart, we think Gomez should buy a lottery ticket. Or at least take me fishing with him.
February has been on fire for anglers in the ShareLunker program, with a bevy of big fish coming to the scales. In fact, this isn’t even the only 14 pounder caught this month, as Willie Pipkin caught an impressive 14.05-pound largemouth on Feb. 5 on Lady Bird Lake in Austin. Who knows what we’ll see next. Before that, Brady Stanford hauled in ShareLunker 670, the first of the season, on Jan. 2 from O.H. Ivie — his fish weighed in at 13.13 pounds.
About the Toyota ShareLunker Program
The angler-reporting aspect of the Toyota ShareLunker program, operated in conjunction with the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department (TPWD), provides vital data to fisheries biologists, helping them continue to create bigger, better bass in Texas.
Anglers who reel in a 13-plus pound bass from Jan. 1 – March 31 can loan it to TPWD for the ShareLunker selective breeding and stocking program and report their catch via the ShareLunker 24/7 hotline at (903) 681-0550. Once certified, the catch earns Legacy Class status.
First, the fish must be weighed on a certified scale (a list of official weight stations can be found here). Anglers must also enter the catch data on the Toyota ShareLunker mobile app – available for free from the Apple App Store and Google Play – or at TexasSharelunker.com.
In addition to providing basic catch information, anglers have the option to send a DNA scale sample from their lunker bass to TPWD researchers for genetic analysis. Anglers who contribute a sample to the program will receive additional prizes, including a Lew’s baitcast reel.
Legacy Class anglers receive a catch kit filled with merchandise, a “13lb+ Legacy” decal for their vehicle or boat, VIP access to the Toyota ShareLunker Annual Awards event, a high-quality replica mount of their fish from Lake Fork Taxidermy, ShareLunker branded apparel provided by AFTCO, and Bass University will provide a swag pack and annual subscription.
