Mark Ward spent part of his Good Friday pitching a 6-inch soft plastic lizard around a small Kentucky Lake and let’s just say it paid off. Big time.

“I pitched a lizard in there and the 4-pounder showed interest,” Ward said. “Then, another came in and looked like a big log. The 4-pound fish triggered her to pick it up. I set the hook and it was on. Good Friday turned into a great Friday for me.”

Mark Ward

The record-setting fish hit the scales at 14 pounds and nine ounces and measured out to 26.8 inches long. The big bass was enticed by a 6-inch soft plastic lizard in a Junebug pattern. Mark was fishing a baitcasting rod spooled up with 14-pound test monofilament line. The previous record weighed 13 pounds and ten ounces and was caught from Wood Creek Lake in 1984.