A bass that could rewrite the Tennessee fishing record books is currently under review. The potential Tennessee State Record Largemouth was caught on Nickajack Lake by an angler named Darren Nunley on Feb. 28, 2026. The fish was a fatty, measuring in at 15.75 pounds on certified scales. If officially confirmed, it will surpass the current Tennessee state record, which is held by Gabe Keen for a 15.2-pound largemouth bass caught in 2015, by roughly half a pound. The previous Tennessee largemouth record had stood since 1954 before it was broke by Keen.
The Fight
About an hour after launching that Saturday morning, Powell handed Nunley a half-ounce Z-Man JackHammer Chatterbait in green pumpkin paired it with a Hog Farmer tail.
Nunley told News Channel 9 in Marion County, Tennessee that despite the fish’s large size, the fight was quite controlled.
“It felt like it ran straight toward me,” Nunley said. “I thought I missed it and then finally caught up with it. It was a pretty good fight, but it wasn’t jumping or anything. I guess it was too big to jump. I didn’t think it was as big as it was in the water. Then we got it in the boat and I thought, ‘My God, what have I done?’”
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The Verification Process
The bass measured 29.5 inches and was weighed at a Save A Lot grocery store on scales certified just a month prior. Sequatchie County Wildlife Officer Shawn Edgmon assisted Nunley with the process, working alongside TWRA biologist Mike Jolley to begin official record documentation.
The fish must still undergo species verification, including a likely DNA sample. If it matches the makeup of Keen’s previous record, it will likely be an F1 hybrid, which is the offspring of a Florida-strain largemouth crossed with a native northern largemouth. That genetic pairing is known for what biologists call “hybrid vigor,” producing faster growth rates and bigger fish. F1 hybrids are not exclusive to Tennessee, they are popping up across several southern states, including Virginia and North Carolina.
Previous TWRA research has shown that the majority of bass exceeding eight pounds in nearby Chickamauga Lake have been F1 hybrids. Stocking of the Florida strain in Chickamauga Lake started around 2000, which was earlier than in Nickajack Lake, which started in 2015, so the F1 hybrids have taken a firm hold there. It takes roughly a decade before the larger fish populations get established.
Nickajack Lake’s Time to Shine
Nunley, 54, was fishing with professional guide Hensley Powell, who regularly runs trips on Nickajack Lake. The guide believes Nickajack Lake is now entering its moment.
“Just since last Saturday, I know of ten bass over eight pounds caught by people I personally know and three of them came from my boat,” Powell said. “Yesterday we caught an 8-4 and lost another one that looked like a twin.”
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In other words, the lake is producing big bass now.
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