Tennessee Angler Darren Nunley Sets New State Record for Largemouth Bass

A Tennessee angler has set a new state record for largemouth bass.

The Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency confirmed this week that Darren Nunley landed a fish weighing 15 pounds, 7 1/2 ounces and measuring 27 7/8 inches long. The Whitwell resident caught the bass on Feb. 28 in Nickajack Reservoir, using a jackhammer chatterbait lure, 17-pound fluorocarbon line and Shimano reel. He hooked it around 8 a.m.

Agency officials weighed the fish on a certified scale and conducted genetic testing before certifying the record on May 9. The catch broke the previous mark of 15 pounds, 3 ounces set by Gabe Keen in 2015.

Hensley Powell, a longtime bass guide, fished with Nunley that day. "I gave Darren a Z-Man JackHammer Chatterbait to tie on that morning," Powell told Outdoor Life. "It was a half-ounce, colored green-pumpkin with a Hog Farmer Spunk Shad plastic trailer on the lure."

Powell first thought Nunley had snagged grass. "He was just swimming the lure along and had a strike," Powell said. "I thought he was hung on grass when his rod bowed and he started cranking. I saw it boil the surface. It never jumped, but when it turned sideways, I told Darren that was a good one."

"I told him, ‘Now that’s a fish,’" Powell recalled. "Darren was shocked when he saw how big it was."

The record comes as Tennessee prepares to host a major bass fishing tournament this fall. The Champions will bring top anglers from the Bassmaster Elite Series and Major League Fishing’s Bass Pro Tour to Old Hickory Lake in Hendersonville for competition Oct. 28 to Nov. 1. The event offers a $3.25 million purse.