Nickajack Lake, TN — A single solid on a cold morning has rewritten the Tennessee file books. On February 28, longtime Nickajack angler Darren Nunley caught an enormous 15.75‑pound largemouth bass on a ½‑ounce Inexperienced Pumpkin Z‑Man®/EverGreen ChatterBait® JackHammer™, pending DNA testing and remaining certification by the Tennessee Wildlife Assets Company (TWRA) as the brand new state file.
For Z-Man and Japanese luremaker EverGreen Worldwide, the catch provides one other chapter to the JackHammer’s rising legacy because the bladed jig behind a few of the largest event wins and largest bass caught in America.
One Solid, One Big
Nunley was fishing with shut good friend and information Hensley Powell, who had been on a exceptional run of huge fish in the identical space. The pair launched into 38 diploma air temps and 53 diploma water, concentrating on a hydrilla flat in 4–5 ft, basic early spring ChatterBait water.
Powell had been there the day earlier than with one other consumer, boating two 8 pounders and dropping a large. When he idled up that morning with Nunley, he didn’t hesitate.
“Throw proper there on an extended solid,” Powell informed him. “That’s the place the large ones have been yesterday.”
One completely positioned solid with the ½-ounce Inexperienced Pumpkin JackHammer was all it took.
“I Thought I Was Hung within the Grass…”
Nunley initially believed he’d buried the JackHammer in hydrilla.
“I believed I used to be hung within the grass and tried to pop it via,” he stated. “Then I noticed it was truly a fish. I didn’t understand simply how large it was till I bought it to the boat and it went ape. Nevertheless it was too large to truly leap.”
Powell wasn’t even wanting when Nunley set the hook.
“I believed he’d hooked grass till I noticed the road operating sideways,” Powell recalled. “The fish got here to the floor, and I netted it straightforward. As quickly because it hit the deck, Darren stated, ‘That’s the largest bass I’ve ever caught,’ and I stated, ‘That’s the state file.’”
Their scale learn 15.8 kilos, and Hensley instantly headed again to the ramp and known as TWRA. TWRA directed them to a licensed scale the place the fish formally registered 15.75 kilos.
A Fish 15 Years within the Making
TWRA biologists performed a full examination and decided the fish had by no means been caught earlier than.
“This fish swam round for 15 years and by no means bought caught,” Nunley stated. “My hook was the one mark in its mouth.”
DNA outcomes required for remaining certification as a state file because of the presence of hybrid bass in Tennessee waters are anticipated inside two weeks. Powell, who has guided on Nickajack for years, wasn’t shocked the lake produced the brand new file.
“I’ve been saying for years the following state file would come out of Nickajack,” he stated. “The celebs aligned for Darren. That fish was meant for him.”
The JackHammer Strikes Once more
The catch provides to an extended checklist of large bass and event wins credited to the ChatterBait JackHammer, a lure that continues to dominate regardless of a wave of imitators coming into the bladed jig class.
“The JackHammer simply will get large bites,” stated skilled angler Brett Hite, who helped design the lure and has constructed his profession round fishing it on the highest stage. “That tough thump, the way in which it comes via grass clear, and the way in which it hunts are what set off these true giants. Catches like this are precisely why we constructed it the way in which we did.”
Engineered to carry out when it issues most, the JackHammer’s fast startup, aggressive vibration, and premium componentry have made it a staple on Tennessee River fisheries and throughout the nation.
For Nunley, a lifelong Nickajack angler, the second nonetheless feels surreal.
“This complete expertise is simply thoughts boggling,” he stated. “You by no means know what all goes on when a lot of these file fish get caught, however there’s loads that goes into it behind the scenes.”
The Tennessee state file largemouth quickly will belong to Darren Nunley, and the solid that modified all the pieces was made with Z-Man/EverGreen ChatterBait JackHammer.
About Z-Man Fishing Merchandise: A dynamic Charleston, South Carolina primarily based firm, Z-Man Fishing Merchandise has melded vanguard fishing deal with with expertise for almost three many years. Z-Man has lengthy been among the many trade’s largest suppliers of silicone skirt materials utilized in jigs, spinnerbaits and different lures. Creator of the Authentic ChatterBait®, Z-Man can also be the famend innovators of 10X Robust ElaZtech® softbaits, among the many most coveted baits in fresh- and saltwater. Z-Man is likely one of the fastest-growing lure manufacturers worldwide.
