By Lynn Burkhead
OSG Senior Digital Editor
It’s been quite an exciting few days for Bass Pro Tour veteran Randy Howell and his family as the 2022 fishing season ramps up here in early February.
How so? Well, on Tuesday morning, the Guntersville, Ala. resident moved to the top of the Bass Pro Tour record book when he landed a 10-pound, 11-ounce largemouth bass while fishing in the BPT event at Louisiana’s Caney Creek.
Howell’s big bass, caught in the Knockout Round’s first period, vaulted the 49-year old angling pro, 2014 Bassmaster Classic champ and five-time professional winner up the ScoreTracker leaderboard. He concluded the day in 5th place and advanced to the Championship Round.
Laker Howell caught this 11 1/2-pound monster from Lake Okeechobee on Sunday.
Howell’s double-digit largemouth broke the previous BPT big record, a 10-08 largemouth caught by Justin Atkins at the event at East Texas’ famed Lake Fork back in the spring of 2020.
Atkins, who caught his big record-breaker just as the COVID-19 pandemic was starting to alter fishing tournaments and major sports schedules around the world, beat Jason Christie’s day-old mark of 10-04, also from Fork.
Howell's heroics will fall just short in his own household he doesn't own the family bragging rights for the week. He'll have to take a backseat to his son Laker, a rising college bass angler with his own knack for catching big bass.
Fishing with a buddy after a Toyota Series event at Florida's Lake Okeechobee in which he finished 11th, Laker landed the biggest bass of his young career.
“The amount of excitement coming through the phone yesterday when Laker Howell called me was seriously the best!,” said Randy’s wife and Laker’s mom Robin in a Facebook post. “He finally got that over 10 – 11.50 to be exact. His buddy Andrew Nordbye ... got his over 10 as well."
What does all of that mean? That the Howell family is a pretty tough crowd to fish in – or a pretty good one, depending on how you look at it. After all, how’d you like to be Randy Howell, world famous angler, former Classic champ, and not be able to grab the family’s big-bass honors in a week in which you land a 10-11 record-breaking bass!
Actually, knowing Howell and his deep Christian faith and strong commitment to his family, he’ll be more excited for Laker’s bucketmouth than he will be for his own.
