Pictured at right, Trace Loe, of Waldo, caught this 11.16-pound largemouth at DeGray Lake Feb. 1, recording Arkansas Legacy Lunker Number Five for the new program. Levi Loe, left, bested his brother’s big fish of the day with a 12.63-pound beast as they waited for the Legacy Lunker Truck to transport Trace’s fish. | AGFC photo edited in Canva
By RANDY ZELLERS | Arkansas Game & Fish Commission
ARKADELPHIA, Arkansas — It took a little longer than Arkansas Game and Fish Commission Fisheries biologists predicted, but DeGray Lake turned in its first entry into the Legacy Lunker books, quickly followed by its second. Twin brothers Trace and Levi Loe from south Arkansas were practicing Sunday for an upcoming tournament at DeGray when lightning (and double-digit bass) struck twice.
“We never really fish DeGray until the summer, but we have the tournament coming up and needed to prepare,” Trace said. “When I caught the first fish, we weren’t sure at first if she was big enough for the program while she was in the net, but once we got her in the boat, she was definitely over 10.”
Trace called the Legacy Lunker hotline (833-948-2277) and reported the catch, but the brothers decided to do a little more fishing while they waited for the Legacy Lunker transport vehicle to arrive. About 20 minutes later, Levi set the hook into their second lunker of the day.
“It’s the first fish over 10 I’ve ever caught,” Levi said. “Trace has caught a couple of 11s at our home lake, but I finally caught one for myself.”
The brothers then took the fish to the boat ramp, where the Legacy Lunker truck arrived within 20 minutes of the second catch.
Both fish were weighed, with Trace’s registering 11.16 pounds and Levi’s tipping the scales at 12.63 pounds, both well above the minimum weight to be entered into the program. Unfortunately, the second fish was in very poor condition when the anglers caught it and was not donated for spawning purposes.
Will Lancett, Legacy Lunker Program Coordinator, said the second fish showed signs of poor health, and the brothers were concerned. It had many spots of fungus that had penetrated the slime coat and caused sores before the catch.
“I explained that the fish would not be transported to the hatchery for spawning purposes, given its condition,” Lancett said. “We immediately shifted to reviving it for release back into the lake. Unfortunately, shortly after our efforts were completed, the fish died.”
Both brothers said they knew something was likely wrong with the fish when they caught it.
“She hit at Levi’s bait on five different casts,” Trace said. “Big fish like that are normally pretty smart and don’t give you that many chances. And she didn’t really put up much of a fight. She sort of just flounced in the water once.”
Lancett stresses that both anglers did an outstanding job of notifying him and doing what they could to help the larger fish survive. Bass must be alive when the Legacy Lunker transport arrives to be eligible for prizes associated with the contest, and the brothers will both be recognized for their catches, even though one of the fish was not donated for spawning.
“They put fin clips on her while she was in their livewell and did everything they could,” Lancett said. “It’s unfortunate that only one of the two trophy-class fish was able to come back for spawning purposes. Both brothers are going in the books as having donated Legacy Lunkers five and six to the program, and both will receive reproduction mounts. They’ll also both be invited to our end-of-the-year banquet, where they may walk away with a brand new Xpress boat.”
The Loes also donated the deceased fish to the AGFC, so program staff can complete a full examination and age the fish.
“We don’t run across fish this large in our standard electrofishing samples often, and when we do, we don’t sacrifice them to determine their age when they reach trophy sizes,” Lancett said. “The data we get from this fish is extremely valuable; we can determine age, growth rate, pre-catch condition, and other factors that can help the AGFC continue to manage DeGray Lake to its fullest potential.
“In the condition it was in, there was a good chance this fish would have died from natural causes before it could have spawned in the lake, even if it hadn’t been caught,” Lancett said. “But it was still an amazing catch, and an amazing story for the brothers to share. I’d watch out for them at their upcoming tournament.”