A new Kentucky record! Harlan County man catches 14-pound largemouth bass.

An Evarts man set a record by catching the heaviest lagemouth bass in Kentucky history last week.

Mark Ward went fishing April 19 on Highsplint Lake in Harlan County with his wife and 9-month-old daughter, and he set the record on his first cast of the day, according to the Kentucky Department of Fish and Wildlife.

“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.”

The largemouth bass came in at a whopping 14-pound, 9.5 ounces, according to a release from the fish and wildlife department. The previous record for heaviest largemouth bass caught was set in 1984 in Laurel County, when Dale Wilson of London caught a 13-pound, 10-ouncer.

Ward’s fish was 28.6 inches long with a girth of 22.5 inches. He used a 6-inch Junebung-colored lizard as his bait.

“When I saw it in person, what first caught my eye were the eyes on that fish were huge,” said Kevin Frey, Eastern Fisheries District coordinator for the Kentucky Department of Fish and Wildlife Resources. “It would look like a shark if you saw it swimming in the water. The thickness of the fish was really impressive.”

This story was originally published April 26, 2019 at 1:28 PM with the headline "A new Kentucky record! Harlan County man catches 14-pound largemouth bass.."