Sports Update
New junior record set for Lewisville Lake
Alesa Salinas, of The Colony, set a new junior record for Lewisville Lake when she reeled in this 6.43 pound largemouth bass the evening of March 16./Submitted photo
By Blaine Crimmins, bcrimmins@starlocalnews.com
Eleven-year-old The Colony resident Alesa Salinas and her father, Daniel, make frequent fishing trips to Lewisville Lake. More than a hobby they share, it’s an opportunity to share quality time together.
“Me and my dad always go out fishing,” Alesa said. “He’s always working so it’s a time we can catch up on what we’re doing and what’s happening.”
The afternoon of March 16 started out like any other fishing trip. Daniel, Alesa and a family friend, Patrick Murphy, also of The Colony, hit the lake around 3 p.m. for a pre-tournament fishing trip in Patrick’s new boat.
As the trip wound down, no one was catching much fish, especially Alesa, Daniel said, and much of their time was spent trying out the bells and whistles on Patrick’s new boat.
“Usually she catches more than us,” Daniel said. “We went through that whole day, and she was getting frustrated because she hadn’t caught a fish yet.”
Her luck appeared to change when she hooked a sizeable bass with a large, distinguishing spot on its head. But as her father ran to the front of the boat to help her pull it in, the fish slipped off the hook.
Daniel said he liked their chances of reeling that fish in a second time.
“If that fish was on the bed, give it some time, and we can possibly catch it again,” he said.
So the trio returned to that spot about an hour later for their last casts of the day. Daniel and Patrick both got hung up and broke off. It looked as if Alesa would suffer the same fate.
“She made her last cast in the same spot,” Daniel said. “‘I got one,’ she yelled, but I said, ‘No, I think you’re hung.’ But then that same fish comes out of the water.”
After reeling the fish into the boat, Alesa started yelling, screaming and jumping up and down – and for good reason. She’d just caught a 6.43-pound largemouth bass, setting a new junior record for Lewisville Lake.
Before releasing it, they took several pictures of Alesa with the fish, showing its weight and comparative size. The only problem was they forgot to take one of the fish alongside a measuring board.
Still excited, they got home and checked the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department (TPWD) website for information on the standards for a legal catch, which includes a photo with a measuring board.
“She was heartbroken and miserable. It was my mistake,” Daniel said. “We went from being on top of a mountain to the bottom of the sea.”
“I was pretty sad,” Alesa said. “I was devastated, but I couldn’t be mad at my dad.”
Undeterred, Daniel later reached out to officials with TPWD in the hopes of still certifying the catch. He was told not to worry about the board but to get his scale certified instead so they could still list the record-breaking fish by its weight.
Certifying the scale ended up costing more than $100, but it was money well spent as it provided Daniel an opportunity to make good on the measuring board error and surprise his daughter.
“Now I get to do something she doesn’t know,” he said.
Daniel put all the paperwork together and sent it off to TPWD, which certified the catch and sent back documentation awarding the record to Alesa. He also wrote to Buckeye Lures, makers of the hook she used, and Zoom Lures, which made the lure, informing them of their products usage in the record. Each company sent back stickers in return.
Daniel and Alesa’s mother, Shelly, then put all of the materials into a shadowbox and called Patrick over to the house the morning of April 29 for the unveiling.
“I was so surprised. They were all standing there, and I was wondering, what’s going on,” Alesa said. “I was so excited. My mom worked really hard on that box. It was so beautiful.”
Then they all went out to eat at one of Alesa’s favorite restaurants, capping off what amounted to a special day, Daniel said.
“It was just a really fun day, and so surprising,” Alesa said. “I was screaming so loud. I’ll never forget that day.”
She later enjoyed sharing the box with her classmates at Peters Colony Elementary School, where she is in the fifth grade.
Daniel said he’s been fishing in Lewisville Lake more than a decade and his biggest catch weighed in at 6.2 pounds.
“She’s done something I haven’t ever done. It’s really something special, especially for someone that’s 11 years old,” he said, adding that he believed the previous junior record was set by Jack York with a 3.88-pound catch. “She smashed it.”
For her part, Alesa said she always fishes with the intention of breaking records. The afternoon of March 16 was no different.
“Please let me break the record today,” she said, reflecting on the start of the day’s trip. “All day I’m just hoping. Even if I was frustrated, I kept trying.”
“Me and my dad always go out fishing,” Alesa said. “He’s always working so it’s a time we can catch up on what we’re doing and what’s happening.”
The afternoon of March 16 started out like any other fishing trip. Daniel, Alesa and a family friend, Patrick Murphy, also of The Colony, hit the lake around 3 p.m. for a pre-tournament fishing trip in Patrick’s new boat.
As the trip wound down, no one was catching much fish, especially Alesa, Daniel said, and much of their time was spent trying out the bells and whistles on Patrick’s new boat.
“Usually she catches more than us,” Daniel said. “We went through that whole day, and she was getting frustrated because she hadn’t caught a fish yet.”
Her luck appeared to change when she hooked a sizeable bass with a large, distinguishing spot on its head. But as her father ran to the front of the boat to help her pull it in, the fish slipped off the hook.
Daniel said he liked their chances of reeling that fish in a second time.
“If that fish was on the bed, give it some time, and we can possibly catch it again,” he said.
So the trio returned to that spot about an hour later for their last casts of the day. Daniel and Patrick both got hung up and broke off. It looked as if Alesa would suffer the same fate.
“She made her last cast in the same spot,” Daniel said. “‘I got one,’ she yelled, but I said, ‘No, I think you’re hung.’ But then that same fish comes out of the water.”
After reeling the fish into the boat, Alesa started yelling, screaming and jumping up and down – and for good reason. She’d just caught a 6.43-pound largemouth bass, setting a new junior record for Lewisville Lake.
Before releasing it, they took several pictures of Alesa with the fish, showing its weight and comparative size. The only problem was they forgot to take one of the fish alongside a measuring board.
Still excited, they got home and checked the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department (TPWD) website for information on the standards for a legal catch, which includes a photo with a measuring board.
“She was heartbroken and miserable. It was my mistake,” Daniel said. “We went from being on top of a mountain to the bottom of the sea.”
“I was pretty sad,” Alesa said. “I was devastated, but I couldn’t be mad at my dad.”
Undeterred, Daniel later reached out to officials with TPWD in the hopes of still certifying the catch. He was told not to worry about the board but to get his scale certified instead so they could still list the record-breaking fish by its weight.
Certifying the scale ended up costing more than $100, but it was money well spent as it provided Daniel an opportunity to make good on the measuring board error and surprise his daughter.
“Now I get to do something she doesn’t know,” he said.
Daniel put all the paperwork together and sent it off to TPWD, which certified the catch and sent back documentation awarding the record to Alesa. He also wrote to Buckeye Lures, makers of the hook she used, and Zoom Lures, which made the lure, informing them of their products usage in the record. Each company sent back stickers in return.
Daniel and Alesa’s mother, Shelly, then put all of the materials into a shadowbox and called Patrick over to the house the morning of April 29 for the unveiling.
“I was so surprised. They were all standing there, and I was wondering, what’s going on,” Alesa said. “I was so excited. My mom worked really hard on that box. It was so beautiful.”
Then they all went out to eat at one of Alesa’s favorite restaurants, capping off what amounted to a special day, Daniel said.
“It was just a really fun day, and so surprising,” Alesa said. “I was screaming so loud. I’ll never forget that day.”
She later enjoyed sharing the box with her classmates at Peters Colony Elementary School, where she is in the fifth grade.
Daniel said he’s been fishing in Lewisville Lake more than a decade and his biggest catch weighed in at 6.2 pounds.
“She’s done something I haven’t ever done. It’s really something special, especially for someone that’s 11 years old,” he said, adding that he believed the previous junior record was set by Jack York with a 3.88-pound catch. “She smashed it.”
For her part, Alesa said she always fishes with the intention of breaking records. The afternoon of March 16 was no different.
“Please let me break the record today,” she said, reflecting on the start of the day’s trip. “All day I’m just hoping. Even if I was frustrated, I kept trying.”
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