Bass fishing must run in this family.
An 11-year-old boy not only completely shattered the junior largemouth bass record on J.B. Thomas Reservoir, but just a few years earlier, his father caught one of the biggest bass in Texas history.
Stetson Davis, of Tuttle, Oklahoma, landed a 13.31-pound bass on March 6 at the reservoir. The reservoir, also known as Lake J.B. Thomas, is located roughly between San Angelo and Lubbock, more than three hours west of Fort Worth.
Stetson’s bass was more than 5 pounds larger than J.B. Thomas’ previous junior angler record (7.96 pounds) set in 2020.
The huge largemouth is the 11th bass overall to qualify for the 2024 Toyota ShareLunker program’s Legacy Class this season. The program’s highest division, the Legacy Class honors catches over 13 pounds, which is the bass of a lifetime for most angling families.
Yet Stetson’s father, Brodey Davis, also has a spot in ShareLunker history. Just two years ago, he landed the seventh-largest bass in state history. According to the Texas Parks & Wildlife Department, the senior Davis’s bass also the largest bass caught in Texas in more than three decades.
Brodey Davis caught his bass at O.H. Ivie Lake, one of the best trophy bass lakes in Texas. That bass still sits as O.H. Ivie’s largest bass to date, although the lake is a frequent contributor in the ShareLunker program.
Stetson and Brodey Davis set their sights on J.B. Thomas to notch Stetson’s first double-digit bass, which he blew out of the water.
“We didn’t have much luck at the start, but around 9:20 a.m. we spotted her,” Stetson Davis told TPWD. “I made multiple casts her way, but she wouldn’t bite, and it was a little frustrating. I finally placed the bait close enough to where she saw and then she bit.
“I set the hook, and instantly, my dad went to go and grab the net. When the fish came to the surface, we knew it was a double-digit. It was a fairly quick fight, and we were able to secure it in the net and get it into the boat.”
“Getting young people hooked on fishing through these programs is important to creating a lifelong love of the sport,” Natalie Goldstrohm, Toyota ShareLunker program coordinator, said in a press release.
Along with O.H. Ivie and a few other Texas hotspots, J.B. Thomas appears to be a good place to focus on catching big bass this year.
Lawrence Lee of Temple caught the lake’s first-ever Legacy Class bass at the reservoir on January 17. It weighed 13.79 pounds, nearly half a pound larger than Stetson’s fish and also the lake’s all-time record largemouth.
The lake also has produced a handful of Elite Class lunkers this year, including multiple double-digit bass.
Anglers who catch 13-plus-pounders like Stetson’s bass can submit them to TPWD for its selective breeding program. That ShareLunker program runs from January through March during the spawning season in Texas.
For helping the program, Stetson earned a replica mount of his fish, VIP access to the Toyota ShareLunker Annual Awards, and other prizes.