[Jared]

(Apr. 11, 2007 - Athens, TX)

Dale Washington of Godley, Texas, was fishing in 20 feet of water with a Rapala DD-22 when he caught a 13.05-pound largemouth bass that became Budweiser ShareLunker No. 436. That same fish had been caught April 5, 2006, by Robert Jones of Clute, Texas, entered into the program as ShareLunker No. 415 and returned to the lake.
Jeff Kirwood of Royse City, Texas, had a memorable day on Lake Fork as well, reeling in a 13.07-pound lunker that became Budweiser ShareLunker No. 437. Kirwood’s fish was 25.5 inches long and 20 inches in girth. Bait type was not reported.

Each ShareLunker has a passive integrated transponder (PIT) tag inserted into its abdomen when it is received at the Texas Freshwater Fisheries Center, and when Budweiser ShareLunker program manager David Campbell scanned Washington’s fish, its hidden history was revealed.

The fish was only 0.04 pound heavier the second time around. Its length was constant at 25.5 inches, and its girth was slightly less, 20.5 inches as compared to 21 inches the first time it was caught.

The fish’s taste in lures had changed somewhat, too. When Jones caught it a year ago, it took a watermelon seed Brush Hog.

The dual catches will no doubt heighten expectations of the 160 professional anglers who will fish in the Toyota Texas Bass Classic this coming weekend. The first place team prize is $250,000, and the angler who catches the biggest bass of the tournament will win a 2007 Toyota Tundra pickup. Any angler who beats the current state record — an 18.18-pound fish caught on Lake Fork in 1992 — will also win $100,000 and a new boat.

The Budweiser ShareLunker program is made possible through support from Anheuser-Busch, Inc. Since 1991, Anheuser-Busch, in partnership with the Texas Parks and Wildlife Foundation, has contributed millions of dollars in funding to support conservation causes and fishing, hunting and outdoor recreation programs in Texas.

ShareLunker No. 436
Caught by Dale Washington of Godley, TX
April 10, 2007 in Lake Fork
13.05 pounds, length 25.5 inches, girth 20.5 inches
Bait/Lure: DD-22
Water Body Record? No
Day of Week: Tue
Moon Phase: LQ​

Article courtesy of FishingWorld.com.
Photo courtesy of Texas Freshwater Fisheries Center

 

[imonembad]

Nice article!

 

[Guest]

Jared, Jeff Kirkwood is a guide that I know. He is a nice guy and I took a bass class he taught one year. He is a good fisherman. I wonder if he caught this while guiding? If that happened to me when I paid a guide $300 I would be steamed hehe.

 

[Guest]

I think I'm going to relocate to Quitman, Tx. I need to be closer to Fork.

 

[wormin_4_bass]

I am hoping to be on the list this coming season. Opening day for SAL is October 1st. :wigglewart2:

Jeff Kirkwood was guiding that day and the it was not a first time customer.
he working on giving classes in October and I am going to take them.

here is the story from the customers point of view. It;s kind of funny...

won't use any real names to protect the guilty, so lets just say I was on the lake Tuesday with a guide named Jerry Woodkirk. He seemed like a nice enough guy, giving advice on lures, where to cast etc. The day was pretty uneventful, bad front the two days before, really tough conditions.

I had fished with this guy before so had no idea what was to come as the day wore on. It was about 4:00PM as we stopped at a likely spot on the a lake, lets call it Lake Spoon. Jeff, er Jerry said this was a big fish spot and to be sure to get the fishes head up because of the stickups everywhere. Then it all began to happen.....

Jerry got a bite and it hung him on a stickup, what happened to the keep their heads up stuff? After a prolonged battle getting the fish off the staub he got on another one and when he got him off this one you could see the fish and it was a bigun. This is when a fine day on the water turned into a bad dream.

I heard some one yell get the net! I turned to find the dip net and as I turned I felt a smack across the back of my head. Turned and saw Jerry with a rod in each hand, one fighting the fish and one he used like a wip on me. I heard him shout "get that dadgum net or I'll smack you again". I got to the front of the boat with the net and heard Jerry yell at my partner to run the trolling motor, yep he moved alittle to slowly and Jerry got him across the legs with the extra rod, smacked him two or three times before he could get to the front of the boat.

At this point it was like being on a german u-boat..the captain shouting orders and swinging his wip. My buddy crawled under the console and I was swimming to shore when Jeff, er Jerry shouted out something that sounded like "it's my pal", and started smiling like a kid at christmas. I was swimming back to the boat and Dave came out from under the console just in time to see Jerry plant a bug smacker on the fishes lips and this time yell "its a gal", from the size we knew it was a girl.

Well as you all know he apparently was yelling it's a "SAL", who knew....It was like a day on the lake with Dr. Jeckell and Mr. Hyde. Went to visit Dave in the hospital last night, he's still being sedated and continues to yell "don't hit me again Captain" every once in a while but the Doc says he'll be able to fish again someday. I can't go in a tackle store, the racks of rods scare me a little still.

So you can use this post to adjust your sarcasm meters, and I guess I'll have to give a big congrats to Jeff, er Jerry on the fish of a liftime. But the next time I fish with him I'm wearing a helmet and two pair of drawers just in case.........Way to go Jeff, great trip and a great fish.