Decades Later, Barry St. Clair Reflects on the Day That Changed Texas Fishing
71 year old, Barry St. Clair is still has crystal clear memory of the day he caught the state record largemouth bass.
Photo by Gayle St. Clair
It’s been more than three decades since Barry St. Clair made history at Lake Fork, yet the Texas record largemouth bass he landed on January 24, 1992 remains unbeaten.
St. Clair, an avid angler from Athens, Texas, reeled in the 18.18-pound bass while crappie fishing at the famed 27,000-acre reservoir in northeast Texas. His catch shattered the previous record of 17.67 pounds, set in 1986 by fishing guide Mark Stevenson—also at Lake Fork.
An Accidental Record-Breaker
What makes St. Clair’s achievement even more remarkable is that he wasn’t even targeting bass that day. At the time, the then 38-year-old cattle rancher had initially planned to stay home and tend to farm chores near Klondike, Texas. But after some convincing from his friends, Bruce Switzer and Macy Inmon, he changed his mind and joined them for an afternoon of crappie fishing—a decision that would etch his name into Texas fishing history.
The trio anchored among a cluster of boats at Little Caney Creek, dropping lines into 42 feet of water. St. Clair, fishing from a 1972 Larson fish-and-ski boat, had no livewell on board and only a basic De-Liar scale, which maxed out at 10 pounds—far too small to register the true size of what he was about to catch.
A Legendary Bite
Even after 33 years, St. Clair remembers the moment with striking clarity.
“We had fished a couple of other spots without much luck,” he recalled. “I had just dropped that shiner to the bottom and reeled up one crank when she hit. My rod bowed over double.”
At first, he assumed he’d hooked a catfish or even a submerged log—until the “log” began fighting back.
“I saw a flash in the water, and it looked like a 35-pound drum,” St. Clair said.
Reeling in Texas Fishing History
As the battle unfolded, Inmon and Switzer watched in disbelief.
“I remember Barry saying he needed some help,” Inmon, a dentist from Cooper, Texas, recalled. “At first, I didn’t pay much attention because I was getting a bite myself. But then he said it again, and when I looked up, I could tell he wasn’t joking—he had something big.”
Switzer eventually managed to net the fish, bending the aluminum handle as he hoisted it over the side of the boat. Nearby anglers, witnessing the scene from their own boats, were equally stunned.
One of them, Barry Yates, initially thought St. Clair had landed a large carp. But when he got a closer look, he realized the truth.
“He asked if I’d caught a big carp,” St. Clair chuckled. “I told him no—it was the biggest bass I’d ever seen.”
Yates had a digital scale on board and offered to transport the fish to Oak Ridge Marina in his boat’s livewell for an official weigh-in. St. Clair rode along, while Switzer and Inmon took their boat back to the ramp.
When the numbers came in—18.18 pounds—it was official. Texas had a new state record.
Life After the Catch
Without the reach of social media, news of the record-breaking bass still spread like wildfire. St. Clair found himself fielding calls from newspaper reporters, radio stations, and magazine editors eager to hear his story.
Dubbed “Marie”, the fish was transferred to the Tyler Fish Hatchery, where Texas Parks and Wildlife Department (TPWD) biologist David Campbell worked to ensure its survival. The bass initially struggled with barotrauma from being pulled from deep water but recovered after Campbell relieved the pressure in its air bladder.
Marie later went on public display at Irving Marine before moving to the Children’s Aquarium Dallas at Fair Park, where she remained until her death two years later.
The catch also brought St. Clair unexpected perks—a free aluminum boat, $1,000 in cash, and plenty of memorable experiences.
“I met a lot of people and had a great time because of that fish,” St. Clair said. “It was a really neat experience—one I’ll never forget.”
When Will the Record Fall?
More than three decades later, St. Clair’s record still stands. The big question: For how much longer?
With Texas fisheries producing bigger bass than ever, the possibility of a new state record seems inevitable. But where will it happen?
According to Jake Norman, TPWD’s largemouth bass coordinator, several public reservoirs hold the potential to produce the next Texas record.
Stay tuned for next week’s feature, where Norman shares his top picks for where the next legendary bass might be caught.