3 of 5 Sharalunkers with broken bottom jaws

https://www.facebook.com/thad.rains.7

Come on guys, we have talked about it LOTS before. DO NOT HOL A TROPHY LARGEMOUTH BY THE BOTTOM JAW!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! IT BREAKS IT!!!!!!!!!!! SUPPORT IT WITH BOTH HANDS!!!!!!!!!!!!! This is the top post I shared on FB from Connie Kilpatrick, from TPWD!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Go read the article.

Tight lines, keep safe and good luck.

Thad Rains

This was last year.

Yep, only 1 submitted so far this year. Don't know how it I faring, though.

Tight lines, keep safe and good luck.

Thad Rains

It was released 4 days after submitted according to the TPWD site

Funny how the broken jaw excuse just came up after all these years and only when the fish died and TP&W needed a excuse to the fishes death. I agree to help support the big fishes weight but in my opinion it does not kill them. Best thing to do is just kill the program. Just my 2 cents.

Looks like it is headed that way.

If no one participates then it will go away

I agree it was awful funny how they had broke jaw syndrome last year, The Ray Roberts bass was caught with a long time guide and you know he made sure the fish was taken well care of.........

Thanks for the sermon, at least you're up to date on the situation.

Program needs to end anyway this year shows it there has been more caught then turned in. Nobody can say that it wouldnt be better for her to spawn in her water instead taking rides in a tank truck getting handled every day.

Yep! Not to mention the rule about being 100% Florida Strain which basically excludes all entrants. So they go through the stress just to be returned back to the lake a week later.

How do you people know that everyone who catches a share a lunker is on this forum and reading these threads?

Didn't the founder of SAL David Campbell retire recently. I thought I had read he stocked his own private pond with SAL stock.

I mean Jesus, everyone who is ever been on this forum knows it. It's even a punchline for all of our jokes when we take pics of fish. "you broke that fish's jaw by not holding it right, I'm going to post this picture on the TFF so everyone will grill you - lol!"

Was working out of Longview,Texas when the share a lunker program first started and went by the Tyler hatchery and met Dave Campbell and he was showing me a 13 plus in a holding tank that came out of Fork. He said he was going to do surgery on her jaw because the ligaments were popped out of place and the fish could not eat properly. I'am not a biologist but it stands to reason that it was caused by lifting her up and taking a bunch of pictures and he said it would be the same as someone holding a person off of the ground by their lower jaw.Since then I haven't caught a SAL but a few heavy tens and I make it a point to handle them with care. And I agree the SAL should be done away with because of the stress the fish go through and can see why they loose some of them because of all of the handling before tpwd gets to the lake like I witnessed with the 16.02 that was caught out of PK that was kept in a igloo cooler for a long time and never made it to Tyler.

Bass fishing is probably the best in tx vs all the other states. It just baffles me how so many people want to up and scrap the programs that appear to be working quite well.

That's nonsense. Hold it however you want. When a big bass bites a Jig on 65lb braid flipped into Tree, the entire tree shakes. The fish bashes off every limb... If that don't hurt him. Then holding him by the lip isn't. TP&W just needs an excuse when one of them dies. That's nonsense and I don't need anybody telling me how to handle my fish;)

This study says otherwise: http://www.thefishingwire.com/story/366849

"Research at the Florida Bass Conservation Center is comparing handling approaches for big bass to see how different methods affect them. Whether held vertically by the jaw, or cradled in two hands horizontally, there were no notable problems with dislocated jaws or reduced survival. Attaining more genetic samples from TrophyCatch bass, along with a tagging study, will help document future recapture of individual fish to prove survival".

I agree:)

Here's the rest of the story on the one share linked turned in this year. I personally talked to the TP&W employee that took the fish back to Mr. Euper. I also spoke with a guy that was at the ramp and witnessed the fish being handed over to Mr Euper. Both said the fish was in very good shape and was upright when it was put into a cooler full of water in Mr Euper's boat. He was going to back down the ramp and release the fish right then out of the cooler.

http://m.itemonline.com/sports/outdoors-...b.html?mode=jqm

Seems awfully convenient huh. Wasn't even a problem before last year. . .and all of the sudden. . .

I've read the same in multiple places. He better be careful or he'll end up being investigated for misappropriation of funds like this other jackwagon who's been going to Oklahoma to get "jesus shots" for his chronic pain.

3 of 5 Sharalunkers with broken bottom jaws


Sucker punched????

I can't believe a Lake Fork guide would openly criticize a program that is the reason for his living. Lake Fork didn't happen by accident. With out the Share-a-Lunker program and the funding from many major corporations that paid for the pure Strain Flordia bass that started the program; Lake Fork would be nothing but another Lewisville. Go ahead, kill the program and in 10 yrs. let me know how many 10 lbs. are going to be coming out of Fork, Palestine or anywhere else. I don't think it is an accident the number of Share-a-Lunker bass caught each year is declining at exactly the same rate as the program funding. Don't be naïve enough to believe the pure strain bass who become the biggest fish get into the lakes by themselves. They have a finite life, when they are gone, the size of the bass will start to diminish. And just FYI any lake or private lake could request to have Fingerlings from the state hatchery put in their waters.

This is America. We are free to speak our mind based on our opinions. And by the way, Lake fork today isn't the Lakefork that benefited from the share a lunker program. It's just a 27,000 acre grassless lake with a bunch of skinny white fish in it

I completely respect your right to voice your opinion. I was just astounded to hear it. Everyone in this state and most states around knows Lake Fork was the playground for TPW fisheries before it was dammed. And once dammed received the lions share of the Florida strain bass the state was importing from Florida. The roots for the fish hatchery was to stop relying on transporting Fl. strain bass. The Share A lunker program was Campbell's continuation of that idea. Take the best of the best and make it better. I just personally fail to see why people have a problem with a program that has shown such great rewards statewide. From the Mexican border to the Oklahoma border to the Louisiana border numerous lakes have benefitted from this program. Double digit fish are turning up everywhere. I remember the days when a 10 fish limit in a tournament rarely made 20 lbs. Now DD fish are being caught in lakes where 5lbs use to make the sports page. Of all Taxpayers money Texas has wasted this is one of the few I have seen rewards from. Just my opinion.

The fish that started share lunker came from Fork so how can you say that Fork is what it is because of sharelunker?

TPWD puts 500,000 fry in Fork every year and those are not sharelunker fry. That is why fork is fork.

I keep hearing people talk about how Lakefork the majority of this and the majority of that but that lake isn't kicking out any bigger fish than any other lake.

Those Sandbass are getting nice and fat on all of those share a lunker fry

You just said it yourself. Where do the 500,000 pure strain fingerlings that gets put in Fork come from? I am sure not all are coming from the Share Lunker bass because fewer and fewer are being turned in. But do you believe these fingerlings are still be brought from Fla.

They come from TPWD hatcheries. Those hatcheries produce fish that do have nothing to do with the sharelunker program.

We are blessed to live in the great state of Texas and to have such a great parks and wildlife department managing our fisheries. IMO they do a phenomenal job!

If you think about it, either the big fish aren't being caught or turned over to the TP&W. So it looks kind of bad for the 2016 spring fling share a lunker program.. Isn't it over in April, I know they have extended it a few times. But man, where are the SAL's ??? looks bad for the whole state imo... Might just be an off year, but it seems to decline a little every year..jm2c's

+1 Mother Nature rules, the genetics are there, lack of cover and poor water quality hurt many, many lakes. TPWD is not the end all, be all, for bass fishing.

Must need more crappie fisherman to catch the big ones.

No [censored].....check the stocking history.... They won't stop stocking because SAL goes away, that is ignorant...... That's almost as silly as saying some old pro winning a fishing tournament was comparable to Nickolas' last Masters Championship .....sorry Mr Fouz, JK!

The program has not done anything IMO for Lake Fork but take out all our genetics. Here is the deal.How many fish in the Texas top 50 are from SAL program off spring ?
Not even 1 percent my guess.

The Fish that made Fork Famous were bought $$$ as pure Florida Strain. NOT fish from a SAL program !

Second thing is this What lake has produced the most SAL. Fork ! Ok now you take lets say 10 fish from Fork over 13 lbs. Lets say in one year which I think it did back in the days. Now lets say they have 10,000,000 off spring.

One million per fish ? Their numbers are not that high but using this as a example. No matter how many fish Fork puts in the program or how many fry the program has from those fish Lake Fork will only get back 500,000 to 692,250 even if the Lake Fork entries produced 10 million a year.

Now you call that even ! Nope.So we lost 9.5 million that should have stayed in Lake Fork not spread all over TX. TP&W will only stock for 25 fish per acre for Lake Fork. Now we have water turkeys,white bass eating up all the fry and even if the 1 percent survive we are going backwards in the stocking program due to preditor threat alone.

Back 35 years ago there was not many white bass and water turkeys like there is today. Now back to the program. If you keep dipping into your genetic pool sooner or later you will have nothing to dip into.

If you had a Trophy Ranch and were raising 200 class deer would you loan them to all the other ranchers in TX ? Not if you are smart. Keep your genetics to your self and keep producing giants.

I know enough about the program that there is no way I would put a fish in it nor would I recommend my customer to do so. They have had 30 years to make Fork better and I can tell you it is not better because of the program but much worse and the numbers dont lie.

Let nature run its course and it will be better if man dont mess with it. All the fish that died from the start of the program to now should not have had to die for the glory of a fisherman or for a program that dont work for the better of a Trophy Lake or World Class Fisheries. IMO

One last thing if this was such a great program then why are California and Florida not doing it ? Or other states. They produce bigger fish than we do ! It is cause they do not mess with it other than limits.

Wasn't the whole point of Sharealunker to break the world record? Or was "operation world record" a different program? Either way, we are no closer to that happening; but hey, the experts say "it's all paid for by Toyota".

Yes it was to increase our chances at the World Record or a DREAM anyhow ! If Toyota was not funding it I do not think the TP&W would waist their money on it. Good Tax write off for Toyota. IMO

Way to stand up for your opinion Marc. I agree with every thing you said. There is not proof that SAL has helped the lake one bit. But there is proof that many giant bass have been removed or killed. It would be great if Lake Fork could start a program like Toledo Bend does with its lunkers. There have been 13 pounders turned into the Toledo program that weren't given to SAL this year and I don't blame them. I personally think the program has run its course.

There's been 3 certified over 13 this year on Toledo. One of those was over 14lbs. People just aren't turning them in.

There was also a 13 caught on Rayburn during practice for the Platinum that was released.

Congrats to the anglers for not turning them into the program. Let the fish live and breed in its home lake with the male that she chooses not picked by some man ! LOL

You don't take in account that Fork received far more than its share of funding that came from statewide sources. The stocking levels eclipse many other real solid bass lakes in the state. Yet they shouldn't share their genetics?

I am not sure we can really know what numbers of fingerling would have live or died if all of the sal's would have stayed in lake Fork. I think some of the other lakes have some better fish because of it. I think the lack of grass and sandbass have taken its toll on Fork more then the Sal program, just look at the number of small bass being caught on Fork after just one good year of spawn. I wonder what the lake would look like right now if we would have had the last number of years with grass and good spawns. Every year we have big bass dyeing off due to old age and we haven't had spawns to replace. Lakes have cycles and Fork has gone through a long one that has hurt the lake. I don't really know if the Sal program has help or hurt the lake but the lack of grass has defiantly hurt the lake. The spawns just can not live if we have no where for the fingerlings to hide to live. I can not believe without the grass even if we still had all of those sal back it really would have helped Lake Fork. I do believe if any of those Sal fingerlings made it to other lakes with grass that they did make it.

just my .02

Thad, have you ever thought that the jaw could have been broken of the hook set?

Let some one pick up up by your lower jaw.

Fork does stock Share Lunker as well, albeit not at the rate they stock Florida strains. They have done so since 2006, sans 2007 and 2015.

Sharelunker stockings sans 2007/2015 average 10,408.

Avg Florida's stocked from 1995-2015 is 584,511 per year. There were stockings every year during this timeline.

2015 = 317,924 The lowest during that time sans 2001 when they stocked 218,240.

Who knows what actually caused the decline in SAL entries from Fork, assuming the same percentage of qualifying fish have been recorded since it started?
[list]
[*]Has the lake declined in nutrient value? [*]How about the sand bass that were not initially introduced to the lake? [*]Are there more bass in Fork than the forage population can support to grow them? [*]What about the slot? Should it be changed now? [*]Who knows what percent of legal fish are retained and not released?

Wow.. Surprised at the number of people that Bash SAL and TPWD in general. I fished Florida for 8 years in the 90's and early 2000's. Stick Marsh, Kissimmee, walk in water, Toho, Big O, Seminole, tarpon, hydrilla lake, and Texas in general has them beat. Texas took Florida strain bass and turned 80% (or better) of its waters into world class fisheries, and do it better than Florida does IMHO. I have caught more over 10 in Texas in 3 years than I caught in Florida in 8. Florida has the 4-8 pound class locked up, but monster bass live in Texas (or Cali).

You guys have a world class fishery and some of you moan and complain about the very organization that put it on the map.

Some of you are ungrateful and spoiled. Go try to scratch out a living guiding in Kansas and let me know how that suits you.

[quote=Let nature run its course and it will be better if man dont mess with it. All the fish that died from the start of the program to now should not have had to die for the glory of a fisherman or for a program that dont work for the better of a Trophy Lake or World Class Fisheries. IMO

One last thing if this was such a great program then why are California and Florida not doing it ? Or other states. They produce bigger fish than we do ! It is cause they do not mess with it other than limits. [/quote]

Man shouldn't mess with it? Man messed around and made it. Your right Florida does very little to manage their fisheries and they are in a tailspin, tournament results have been declining year after year for a long time. California imports Florida strain bass and then practically injects them with protein in lakes smaller than La Perla. I'd hardly say man isn't intervening.

I do agree mother nature is number one. Habit and forage is difficult to control on our enormous reservoirs. The one variable we can most easily influence is genetics. I for one would like to see us try. I think it does very little harm, likely a lot of good, and if nothing else it provides and pool of information on big bass that would otherwise not be available.

Those fish grew without the help of sharelunker. They were stocked Florida most likely. TPWD and sharelunker operate "separately". I used to think sharelunker was a good thing but not anymore. I agree with Marc, there's no proof the program has done anything except take productive spawners out of lakes. They could have grown some pure f1 giants and spawned those fish. I'm glad people are paying attention and not donating. The lakes will be better for it.

I know TPWD and SAL are seperate, just stating that they both get a lot complaints from some folks.

Here is how bad it has got here at Fork. Do we all agree Florida Strain made us Famous ? Well at a meeting 2 years ago with the TP&W they said 80 percent of the fish in Lake Fork are 50/50 half native and have Florida strain. I was blown away by that statement alone. Only one of the top 10 is a F1 cross.

Now just think if all the SAL that came out of Fork just stayed in Fork to spawn instead of a concrete tank on a piece of carpet. Un-natural setting for sure. It is a wonder that even one will breed under that circumstances.

Everyone talks about stocking Lake Fork.If all the fish would have just stayed in Fork to spawn we would still have some of those genetics. Lake Fork has stocked most of the lakes in TX. With what 247 + entries into this program.

I am telling you the survival rate in a natural setting is way better than in a pond out back with no preditor threat.

The fry when released into a lake have no idea what is about to happen cause they were taken away from the parents right a away.

Put in a pond with all fry. Now we all no the male watches and teaches them for several weeks to insure survival. In a pond out back they have no teachers from either side.

Now I can tell you that is like raising a wild animal then just one day turning it loose in hopes to survive.Chance are it cannot fend for itself and ends up going down a dark highway.

If you do the math there is no way Fork got the best end of the deal. To see the light you have to open your eyes. The reason why I speak out against the program is cause it does not work for Lake Fork or any Lake that produces giants.


I remember back in the days a 13 lb fish would not draw much attention cause 14-16 lb fish were being caught. Some of the original stockings that were reaching their mature age. Notice not much has happen since all of them have passed.

I understand about the low water conditions and all but I am telling you this goes way back before that. I am passionate about what I do for a living and I do not want it to ever go away but I do want it to get better or as good as it once was. Proper tactics can go a long ways. IMO.

Simply killing the SAL program and funding growing pure F1" s to 12" prior to releasing will change everything.....

Deep Donkey,

To answer your question, I refer back to my 5 biggest fish, and only one was hooked near the bottom jaw, in the side, the others were caught in the side or top of the mouth. I have not caught a 13 lber, so they might bite differently than all the other fish I have caught. But, that could happen, but the way lures are designed today, most are trying to get the roof of the mouth as the anchor point for the hook. My top 5 are 11-8, 10.48,10.12, 9.18 and 9.17, all on CB's, except the 10.48 on a scum frog. I have hooked big fish, but lost them, so I do not know how big they were or if they were hung on the bottom lip. Who knows, in other words. Thanks for suggesting it, though. Tight lines, keep safe and good luck.

Thad Rains

So you say end the program and see what happens nothing will happen the lake will get better. Look at Toledo hasnt put alot in the SAL program but look at how well that lake is doing. The program in my opinion is what happened to Fork.

Marc Mitchell,
The lake was made by man, and it was heavily stocked by man.
If man just let Mother Nature run its course, you wouldn't be able to make a living fishing on a man made lake... How do you justify trying to pick and choose which actions should remain "natural" when the lake isn't natural...
Just be happy that dam was built so you can make a living catching fish that man put there.
And if he wants to spread a little throughout the state , so be it . Hopefully they bring some of those mutant little fork bass to canyon lake for a change.

Why do you want them in Canyon, the filet boys will just eat them. Also you don't seem to quite understand what Marc is saying.


And Canyon was stocked with bass from TPWD last year.

Great post. The lakes in southern OK and Louisiana don't have the benefit of the TPWD programs but basically the same growing seasons and similar habitat compositions to the TX lakes and they don't kick out the same amount of big fish that TX does. Go spend a year fishing table rock, hartwell, grand, LOZ and you'll appreciate what TPWD has done and continues to do.

Why does Japan have 2 bass on the top 25 ever caught, and Texas has zero. Texas is twice as big as Japan, and most parts of Texas are warmer than Japan.

California is a beast producer.

Good point if SAL is go great why is Texas the only state doing it. I say if Toyota stops funding it then it goes away.

It was good run for SAL and it was worth a shot, but now it needs to go away.......

How do you explain Mexico lakes having so many big fish in them? Lack of pressure?

I think there has been 254 or so SALs donated from Fork.
Keep in mind, that back during that time frame, Fork had millions of Fish.
Let's just use 1 million for a number of females in Fork at any given time. (back in the day)
Let's use 1/8 of 1% as having the genes to achieve 13 lbs. (.0125 %)I think.
That's 1250 potential SALs at any given time. (this does not even factor in the male influence)
I'm pretty sure that there are many other factors that contribute to the demise of most of those potential SALs, than the SAL program.
On a side note, many of the SALs donated from Fork were returned for release back into Fork.
I know that all 3 of mine were released alive and healthy.
I think it is and has been a great program, and completely disagree with Marc.

You guys that are saying it killed Fork aren't taking into consideration all the factors. Fork may have been on a downward swing no matter what. Increased fishing pressure, drastic fluctuating water levels, lack of grass, etc probably has more negative influence on the fish that taking out a fish or two a year.

If everybody agrees that grass in a lake helps it, why is TPWD the one that destroys it?

Codybphillips, Yes man made it our tax dollars helped it but here is what I mean so dont twist it into something else. The breeding of the fish is what this issue is about that I had mentioned.

Not who built the lake or made it possible for me to make a living doing something I love. The program is about trying to create a better bass which it has not done period.

If it were my tax dollars and others I am sure we all would complain about the wasted money. In one of my last post I said you cant see the light with your eyes closed. That is a true statement.

Not everything the TP&W does is correct nor perfect but they do a lot of good for TX. As a guide here on Lake Fork for now my 34 th year I have seen changes in the lake.

I record my daily trips as well as I have tagged several bass to follow movements. I can honestly tell you that numbers per acre are down and I do have records from the TP&W to prove it.

The days of the 15-17 lb fish are over here at Fork. May not ever be another one caught in my lifetime. IMO Poor management or bad decisions can cripple a fisheries or a game ranch.

My biggest complaint is all those fish should have stayed where they were at Lake Fork to breed with the male they choose. Each fishes off spring would stay in the lake.

The fish would have a higher survival rate to be just put back in and not be thrown into a back of a tank truck and hauled to Athens to try and breed in a concrete tank.

How can anyone think this is good for the fish. It is crazy to do such a thing. If you just let nature runs its course we will be better. That does not mean man cannot have some assistants but leave the fish in the lake and just control the limits.

Everyone for this program is because they are only looking at one side and not both sides. What happens to the lake,fish,fry.Here is something to chew on.

TP&W spend 1.4 million on trout for the city park ponds for our kids to catch them. Now to me that is a big waist of money and we are teaching our kids to catch a species not even a native species.

Take that money and buy Florida Strain like you did in the late 70's and 80's that put TX on the map. Easy fix. TP&W just need to quit playing GOD with the fish and let them do what they do in nature.

For those of you that dont know. Mark Stevenson's Ethel in 1986 was the first fish into the program and the one that started the program itself. So again Lake Fork made the SAL program it did not make Fork !!!!!

That fish and others that followed were pure Florida Strain fish stocked in Fork back in the late 70's. Again way before any program. Lots of fish have died in this program.Lots of fish have made the ride and did not spawn under unnatural settings. In fact I know one fish from Fork that was full of eggs in late March went to Athens and stayed there for 18 months and never dropped a egg.

If that fish would have stayed in Fork we probably would have received two spawns and about 160,000 fry. WE GOT NOTHING !!!!! This has happened more than just once. You can see how that would effect a lake right there if you open your eyes.

KILL THE PROGRAM ! IMO Let Lake Fork Become A Trophy Lake Again.

I also disagree with Richard on this issue cause he is not looking at the fry count that would have stayed in the lake. Numbers again dont lie. If all the fry would be in the lake from 254 SAL that could be over 20 million more bass out there.

KILL THE PROGRAM ! IMO Let Lake Fork Become A Trophy Lake Again.

Marc, I think the anglers are going that route on their own.

Reservoirs go through a natural decline in productivity with age. As mentioned, lack of grass, dramatically increased pressure, the rise of "Mega tournaments," drought, etc all are likely exasperating factors. If a Fork fish died in the SAL program there is a good chance it would have died if released anyway. It's not like it had a 12 hour truck ride. In fact an argument could be made many SAL's probably live because of the care they get in the program whereas they would have died if released. A few big fish missing a spawn season over the course of 20+ years is not why Fork is in a tough spot right now. Let's not forget that even if you stretch and draw the conclusion the SAL program is bad for Fork, it's good for a whole bunch of other fisheries that would have never had the genetics. Fishing in Texas is more than just one lake.

I often wonder how much damage sand & white bass do to the bass population. Those vicious little things are hungry little pigs.

TP&W have said they would give us a permit to purchase pure Florida Strain fish to be released into Lake Fork. I will be looking into this more now.

I may figure a way to take money from my trips to put back into Lake Fork. I said at the meeting two years ago I would like to see 3-4 inch fry put in and the TP&W said they were to expensive to get to that size.

The survival rate of a 3-4 inch fish is way better than a 1 inch fry. If anyone knows where they can be bought that size PM me so I can look into it more.

Common sense tells us they have a better chance of surviving in a natural setting with cover.

Since the lake has flooded bushes last years spawn has done well. No one has probably notice less water turkey's the last two years. Still around but not as many.

There's no guarantee a fish spawning in the wild has any kind of survival rate for their fry. It's just impossible to predict. What we do know is that adequate stockings combined with full lakes and plenty of cover creates an ideal situation. Falcon and Toledo are great examples of this. Medina and Travis are 2 lakes to watch progress into fantastic fisheries because of this "ideal" situation.

It wasn't stocked with SAL fingerling , never has been to my knowledge.
You wont see me crying to the fillet boys , if they catch em , thy can eat em, I don't play God or try and tell people what to do with their lives. I just hope there is enough people who catch and release to balance everything out .
Also , I don't really understand what he was saying , that was the point of my post ...

We need to stop stocking share lunker offspring and start stocking hydrilla.

Not sure share lunker has done much for making big bass. Cali stocked Florida's way back in the day and really never managed them and look what they got.

Check the top 25 bass of all time....where are they from?

Sure forage (trout) accounted for many of those, but some came from lakes that never got trout.

Share a lunker my foot.

^^^^^^^^^

Broken jaw threads should automatically be routed to the bunker... Just my opinion.

Marc, maybe you're on to something with managing the lake yourself. A group at Toledo formed the Toledo Bend Lunker Association and look what it's done for the notoriety of the lake. Of course, the fish have to be there in order to show them off, but my point being is that area realized by putting money into an effort to bring attention to the lake it will pay off for them financially.

This same thing could be done at Fork. Establish an organization that "manages" the bass population on Fork (I use the term manage loosely). Every business around Lake Fork knows where their revenue comes from. Without trophy bass you don't have people driving in from ten-buck-two to try to catch that fish of a lifetime. Without people driving in, businesses suffer and eventually dry up. An organized effort with a structured plan to not only improve the quality of the fishery but to also market the successes of Lake Fork. Social media is a crazy thing nowadays, and it's FREE. With these outlets, show off the fish that's being caught on Fork (not the guides - it's about the FISH).

It would take effort, planning and lots of leg work, but I really think something can be formed up there that would be supported by everyone in the area. It's not rocket science. Everyone up there better start giving back to what has given to them for so long or it's going to disappear as we all know it.

From what I understand only lakes that producer share a lunkers are able to receive fry from the program.

You can stock all the special fry and fingerlings you want but if there isn't adequate cover for them and the forage base, you are just feeding the white bass, crappie, perch etc.

Marc, this buy your own fingerling program... Do you have to pay the state to do the stocking & purchasing? I think many people would be interested in this.

First thing I got to say is.....I know ALL SAL offspring have a "genetic tag" that allows researchers to delineate those from other fish. My question is, "How many of these fish have actually been caught?" I got no official numbers, but unofficially, not many.

Next thing, there was a time when fishing clubs and interested parties were allowed to buy and stock fish in state waters, I myself provided over 9 million bass fingerlings in three years to lakes such as Tawakoni, Toledo Bend, Conroe, and others when I managed Danbury Fish Farms/Lakes of Danbury.

To help raise funds to pay for the fish I gave away weekend fishing trips to LOD for up to eight people in a group for clubs to raffle, sell, whatever to raise funds to buy my fish. We raised and sold $30 K worth the first year. 1.5-2.5 inch long genetically pure florida bass (some were actually from Cuban stock). We'd deliver to the lake by putting 500 to 1000 bass in a bag so boaters could release them into weed beds and good spots, not a TPWD boat ramp dump.

We did it again the next year. THEN, TPWD stepped in and told these clubs that IF they'd give the oney they raised to TPWD they'd get matching Federal funds and twice the fish. I started getting calls. "Not just NO, HELL NO!" I'm not helping you raise money to give to TPWD." And then I did my research.

At the time I charged ten cents a fish. The published cost then for the same fish at TPWD was 48 cents, so even with matching funds I was still supplying more than twice the fish for the same money, and helping raise the money. We did it another year.

Then it became illegal to stock public waters from private sources. Folks, the VERY LAST VESTIGE of actual government production is fish hatcheries and they do not wont to give them up. Everything state and federal hatcheries do could be done cheaper and better by private enterprise.

TPWD has a history of using politics over biology to stay in power. Yes, they do a great job across a diverse area. Our state parks are beyond awesome, we got fishing the envy of everybody...BUT, TPWD has no business being involved with business. Period.

Try and get a permit, I bet it comes with so much red tape as to be an impossibility to achieve.

I have stocked bass for the sate of Arizona (you catch a bass around Phoenix it came from me or on offspring of my fish) state of Idaho, Kentucky, Colorado, New Mexico, etc. but can no longer stock public waters in Texas. Go figure.

A big reason the ShareLunker program exists is because it produces fry with great genetics far cheaper than the state could buy them through other means. At least that is what they have stated previously in news releases.

The 250+ SALs from from Fork over 30 years had each spawned many times and passed on their genetics before they were caught and put in the program. They were also nearing the end of their life cycle and reproductive capabilities.

Some of the SALs died in the program and many were released and most likely spawned again in the lake. The number of SALs caught and their remaining potential contribution to Forks genetics if they had been released on the spot without ever being put in the program is minuscule at best. Saying that those fish would have accounted for 20 million more bass in Fork now is wishful thinking.

Many harming factors are contributing to Lake Forks present condition but the SAL program is not and has not been one of them.

Yes, fully supported. I proposed a SAH (share a hydrilla) program a few years back. (it is currently illegal to transplant hydrilla in Texas)

OK I have a serious question? Has it been proven anywhere that genetics plays into the size of a bass? I'm not talking Florida vs northern strain. I'm talking one Florida strain LMB vs another. Does it matter that the spawning female was 10lb or 5lb? I always thought that the size/weight of the fish was related to the age of the fish.

The man trying to hold down our bass fishing success.

The more healthy the hyrilla the bigger the bass.

I have as much science to support that as TDPW has to prove that SAL has done much to grow bigger bass than would have been here anyways after the initial stockings of none SAL Florida's.

Why do they stock trout in Texas? They spend money on thousands and thousands fish that won't live one month....then gripe about bass broken jaws.

Does anything they do make sense?

If that long.

Dang cormorants eat most of them within 24 hours.

Of course the reason why is to provide put and take fishing opportunities in urban areas for folks who might not be able to make it out to one of the big lakes or know how to catch a fish once there.... Stocked trout are pretty easy to catch if you can get to them before the birds.

What about some big ole slab bream that live for years? Seems logical to me....plus taste way better than a Purina Pellet Fed Trout....plus the bream spawn and create more babies....ALL for FREE!!

I know I'm going out on a limb now, but what about a southern catfish? They love city mud holes.....they spawn too. Genius!!

Just like any other gubermant run group....wasted money.

BTW the trout they stock lately aren't even eatable....they are maybe 8" long....you have to be a sushi chef to clean one of them. And boney!!! Not the best table fare for kiddos.

They just started a catfish program. They are stocking more and more catfish in urban ponds. It's all a part of the Neighborhood Fishing program. The more anglers they can create, the more certain their revenue stream is for the future. Plus it ensures our sport lives on.

I am so glad you posted this.
I'm very appreciative of TPWD and the SAL program for trying to improve the quality of bass throughout the State.
The SAL program may not have been a significant factor compared to the introduction of Florida Largemouth, but at least we have a department that is willing to try and improve the fisheries throughout the State.
I can't agree with the negativity for the SAL program.

Catching the old bass from the lake probably doesn't harm it that much. There is no doubt the SAL program has been a resounding public relations success, which is likely as important, if not more so than biology. What I would like to see is some sound documentation (not a press release) showing how many of the offspring have actually been caught and some proof of genuine impact to Texas public (not private fisheries where SAL are given as political favors) fish populations that would not otherwise have been possible without the SAL program.

Brett Rowley
Fisheries Biologist
Brett's Fish Farm/The Good Luck Fishing and Hunting Club

Lost faith in the SAL program after TPWD killed the hydrilla in Lake Austin then dumped SAL frye into a vegetationess lake

End the program, let nature do it's thing.

Want to make Fork a trophy lake again, get rid of the guides and close the lake for a few years.lol

They were a lot of other Texas lakes that benefited from the SAL program. Look at Allan Henry,Ivie,Hubbard creek and PK. Every one on here is concerned about Lake fork. Lakes go through cycles and it's apparently it's Forks turn. I think the TPWD is doing a good job but believe they can afford to purchase pure strain Florida for their spawning program. Odds are that Ethel was one of the Florida fish that were put into the brood ponds while the lake was being built. And as for as ragging on Dave Campbell I don't go along with it, He was very nice when I stopped in at Tyler years ago and he didn't know me from Adams off ox. If it wasn't for the TPWD Fork would suck worse than it does.Maybe they need to put a limit on the huge tournaments on the lake because pressure can even make a dumb bass smart after a while.