The Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency has confirmed that a new State Record Spotted Bass has been certified from Parksville Lake in Polk County, Tenn. This breaks the previous record that has stood for nearly 20 years.

Jack Watson from Tellico Plains caught the 5 lb. 14 oz. bass on December 31, 2008.

TWRA Reservoir Fisheries Biologist Mike Jolley confirms that following DNA testing, the Agency officially confirmed the new record today.

"I feel great," said Watson. "It's a good feeling. I thought I had something special. I'm just a little overwhelmed by it right now. I'm just tickled to death I've got a new state record."

Watson, who declined to say what lure he used to catch the fish, said he has fished Parksville once or twice a month for three years. He was using 6-pound test line and said, "It was quite a fight."

The previous state record spotted bass weighed 5 lbs. 8 oz. and was caught in Center Hill Reservoir on Feb. 4, 1989.

Spotted bass are one of the four species of black bass found in Tennessee (largemouth, smallmouth, spotted and Coosa bass). Spotted bass are commonly referred to by fishermen simply as "spots."

Jolley said he wasn't really surprised to see a new state record spot, however he was surprised to see it come from Parksville Lake.

"Parksville has low productivity," said Jolley, "but spotted bass have been able to thrive. It's a fishery we've seen growing the last few years."

TWRA may be able to claim some credit for the new record. In 2007 the Agency began stocking bluegill and redear sunfish specifically to provide additional forage for the larger game fish such as bass and crappie.

"We've stocked over 300,000 bluegill and redear in Parksville since 2007," said Jolley..

TWRA has received several submissions for state record spots in recent years. However the Agency must always run sophisticated DNA analysis because spotted bass sometimes hybridize with the bigger largemouth bass. TWRA will not certify a new state record spot without confirming it is genetically pure.

"We've seen a lot of close calls," said Jolley. "Hybridization between spots and largemouth is rare, but happens. In recent years we' ve probably had at least two or three submissions that turned out to be hybrids."

Ironically the announcement of a new state record spot comes on the heels of a huge sedimentation spill on the Ocoee River which feeds Parksville Lake. In a recently-announced remediation plan, TVA says it intends to wash excess spilled sedimentation downstream into Parksville Lake.

Jolley says, "It concerns me. Sediment fills in and covers up potential spawning habitat. It also affects water clarity which can impact sunlight penetration and productivity in any fishery."

Watson, who works for Denso Manufacturing in Athens, says he will be getting his new state record spotted bass mounted.

As for Parksville Lake he says, "I'd say I'll be fishing it a lot more now."

You can CLICK HERE to learn more about state record fish in Tennessee.