This Fort Worth angler keeps pulling record fish from the Trinity River. Here’s his secret

Many folks spend a lifetime trying to earn a spot in the record book of their favorite activity. Hunter Ward might be on his way to having his own chapter in the book after only one year.

The 26-year-old Fort Worth fisherman landed three verified records in the Trinity River in 2023, along with three more that are still being verified.

His Trinity River records that have been verified by the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department are:

▪ Clear Fork, freshwater drum (catch-and-release record), caught on April 28, length of 25 inches.

▪ Clear Fork, largemouth bass, caught on June 3, weighing 5.44 pounds.

▪ West Fork, white bass, caught on Sept. 12, 1.44 pounds, 15 inches long.

Undergoing verification are:

▪ Clear Fork, white bass, caught on Nov. 29, 1.8 pounds, 15.5 inches long.

▪ West Fork, largemouth bass, caught on Dec. 10, 3 pounds, 9 ounces.

▪ Clear Fork, rainbow trout, caught on Dec. 18, 1 pound, 15 ounces, with a length of 15.5 inches.

“Honestly, I think the only way I’ve had such success with these records would be persistence,” said Ward, who fishes in the city along the trail system. “I’ve been fishing the Trinity for years, with some success, but I was really just exploring and trying new spots and lures.”

After catching a few consistently, he figured out the main food forage for fish in the Trinity River is shad.

“The river is full of shad. After finding what the fish mainly eat, I’ve found where they hold during each season change,” he said.

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Starting fishing young

Ward has been fishing since he was very young. His grandparents had a pond on their property in West Texas and used to take him fishing frequently.

“I have a family full of fishermen. My grandparents were hardcore fisherman, where I think I got my fishing itch from,” he said. “Now that they have passed, my aunts and cousins still fish, but not as often as me. Most of my family fish for catfish, but I love fishing for game fish.”

Ward was born in Lubbock and moved with his family to Fort Worth when was in kindergarten. He said he later learned of the great fishing here.

“I definitely call Fort Worth my home. I started seriously fishing in Fort Worth as we have so many amazing opportunities,” he said. “With fish-filled ponds, lakes, rivers, and creeks all around Fort Worth, there are endless opportunities.”

But the place he loves to plant his fishing pole the most is in the Trinity.

“I used to fish anywhere and everywhere, ponds, creeks, rivers and lakes. Now that I’ve had such success in the Trinity River, that’s about all I ever fish now,” Ward said. “Although I mainly fish the Trinity, I’m a fisherman at heart, so I’ll never turn down an opportunity. I also love to go to Lake Texoma to chase striped bass and smallmouth bass.”

Grace Simmis, the Parks and Wildlife Department’s Angler Recognition coordinator, called Ward a passionate fisherman.

“After closely observing and fishing the waters of the Trinity for years, Hunter’s knowledge of the river and tenacity contributes to his success as an angler,” Simms said.

Becoming a passion

However, he said the sport didn’t become a passion of his until about five years ago.

“I started logging my catches on the FishAngler app and that really drove me to keep going because of the attraction I was getting from the community,” he said. “I’ve fished almost every day for about five years, even if it’s 10, 15 minutes.

“Even if it’s a short time, I love to give it a shot any chance I get because you never know what could happen.”

Ward joined Tiktok and said he has shared his fishing success with around 88,000 followers, seeing steady growth over the past five years. He said he’s had multiple videos reach over a million people on Tiktok and Instagram, with his most watched video receiving 30 million views. His username on both platforms is @hunterdubs.fwtx.

He noted that his 13,700 followers on FishAngler are the most on the app.

“One of my favorite parts of fishing is being able to share my experiences with others so that they might be encouraged to go out and do the same thing,” he said. “Fishing is such great therapy and can be very rewarding.

“Not to mention the adrenaline rush you get when you finally hook up with a fish. Even the small ones are fun.”

Ward has not fished professionaly — yet. He has multiple sponsors from posting on Tiktok and Instagram, and said the folks at the FishAngler app have offered to pay for the entry fee for his first tournament, should he decide to compete professionally.

“I just haven’t got around to it yet. I mainly fish for recreation and enjoy sharing with others,” he said.

Some folks have it

Ward loves fishing so much that he even works in the atmosphere at Karl’s Fishing and Outdoors in Fort Worth. His manager, good friend and regular fishing buddy Jerry Ramirez has been there for most of the record catches and said Ward has that something special that sets him apart from other folks who fish.

“Hunter has got ‘it,’ a natural talent, a natural talent, and he’s paid his dues with blood, sweat and tears on that river,” Ramirez said. “He’s studied the Trinity River and has built up enough knowledge and personal data to know where the fish will be and at what time of the year.”

He compared Ward to a musician with a natural talent that can’t be taught. He also praised Ward for not being stingy with his knowledge.

“He’s a rare one that will be humble, always tell you his spots, what he’s using and how he caught it,” Ramirez said.

Encouraging others

Ward said his main mission in sharing his fishing success with everyone is to encourage more people to get out and fish.

“Not only is it rewarding, but it can be so great for your mental health,” he said. “I hope that others can see my success and are encouraged to do the same — or maybe, if they can’t fish, due to weather or health reasons, they can live vicariously through me.”

But, he said, if at all possible pick up a pole and toss a line in the water. And if you’re looking for a suggestion, he knows just the place.

Oh, and if you don’t get a bite right away, be patient, he added.

“Never give up,” he said. “Because you never know what you could catch in the Trinity River.”