Livesay hits for the cycle

There was certainly nothing remarkable about the weight of Lee Livesay’s Day 1 catch in the NOCO Bassmaster Elite at Lake Guntersville, but it was no doubt one he’ll remember.

Because it may never happen again.

A five-bass limit that weighed 12 pounds, 11 ounces and landed him in 31st place included a largemouth bass, a smallmouth bass, a spotted bass and a meanmouth bass.

There’s nothing all that unusual about catching those first three species on the Tennessee River. Largemouth, smallmouth and spots all show up in tournament bags on a fairly regular basis.

But a meanmouth — which is a hybrid mix of either a largemouth and a smallmouth or a spot and a smallmouth — is rare enough that the Alabama Department of Wildlife and Freshwater Fisheries doesn’t even list a state record for the fish.

What’s rarer still is having all four species in one tournament bag.

“I’ll probably never do that again,” Livesay said. “If I do, I hope they’re all four a lot bigger.”