Guys this seems like something we should all get on board with.

How is there a sharelunker caught out of Monticello on Novermber 28th I thought that lake was closed.

Kayak probably

Latta how many 8+ did you catch this year?

Not many

Catch ID for my only entry is 1306. A 12.01# caught in Feb. 19. Haven't caught an 8+ since.

TPWD should just go shock up a bunch of 13+ fish and breed them.

probably be more productive lol

I totally forgot about this program. My fishing buddy had an 8.8 we should have reported.

Yep, I think a lot of people forgot about the 8 plus change.

lconn caught an 11.xx out of his yak!

I'm kinda a newbie on this subject..

And I've got a few questions..

What does the slogan mean; "Bigger Better Bass." ?

We know they're bass.. What makes them better? When are they gonna get bigger?

The question of our times..

Fact is that Sharelunker bass are no different than Florida bass.. And keeping track of the fish caught and giving you a ribbon is not going to grow bigger better bass..

Keeping track of the fish caught and passing out ribbons does not change the DNA of the fish. It is not gonna make them grow bigger.. Or better..

When that freak show of a fish is hatched, and it grows up in an environment that is loaded with easy prey, great habitat, and consistent water levels, for say ten to twelve years, it is possible, if it doesn't get eaten on it's way up the food chain, that it could grow to record size..

And when it happens, it happens.. But this is Texas and we have been known to have some issues with water levels, and on many occasions those talking about growing bigger better bass are killing off the vegetation so necessary to growing bigger better bass..

You can't take Post Toasties out of one box, and put em' in a Froot Loop box, and tell me you have changed the DNA of the original cereal..

And you can't do it with fish either..

About five years ago, when I actually gave a [censored] about educating people about the non difference of the fish, I was promised a comparison of two batches of fish. Two ponds, one stocked with SL babies.. And another stocked with pure Florida babies..

And this was gonna prove that SL babies grow faster than Florida Babies..

Yeah..

When that happens I will parade in my parking lot wearing ladies panties and a sandwich sign declaring "Sharelunker Works!"

But for now, the SL program is about as stale as them Post Toasties..

There is simply no doubt that we can take bass with superior traits, size in this case, and breed them to produce offspring that exhibit those same traits. That is simple intro genetics. It's not magical DNA fusion that is creating a "different creature". It's just selective breeding. We have been doing it with livestock, food crops, ornamental plants, etc since the beginning of time. The question that needs to be asked about this program is if the breeding side of this program can ever be done on a scale that can make a meaningful impact on the fisheries of the state. And if so, can it be done in a cost effective way? As far as the data side of this program it's easy to see how the data could help our biologists make management decisions.

The sad reality of this program is that somewhere along the way the people that this program should benefit the most (bass fishermen) seem to have grown to hate it. It can never be a success if bass fishermen don't support it. My guess is that if you did a vote on the question "Do you think TPWD should continue the Sharelunker program?" among bass fishermen that 60%+ would say no. Personally I will support it, but I do think TPWD needs to do a much better job of being transparent about the program and publishing all of the data, positive or negative, in a timely manner.