After the arrest of Ben Milliken that many believe should have been no more than a ticket for no fishing license - How many of you will no longer be willing to donate a fish to the Sharelunker program? If what could be an honest mistake can result in criminal charges and a criminal record I bet many anglers in Texas are going to think twice about donating.

Buy and keep a license on your person. Challenge solved.

Well I seem to be stuck at 10.5 and doubt I will ever catch bigger but if I do I'll dump it right back where I caught it. It's a PR stunt anyway. Just stock Florida's

It could be many more things than that - such as a violation of a city ordinance on a city lake. You could go to a lake like Lake Gladewater and catch one and then find out you needed a yearly city pass to fish it and therefore it was an illegally caught fish. There are small lakes that have rules on them that many non locals do not know about.

I don't have enough information on the Milliken situation to form an opinion on what happened or what is going on with that situation to form an opinion yet. I'm gonna wait for more facts to come out. Far too much contradicting information is floating around on it to be able to really know what the truth is. I want to hear Milliken address it more in depth first and I want to hear more clear explanation of the charges from the state attorneys. Iam sure both thi gs will happen soon.

In regards to myself catching a SAL, if I I ever that lucky it will be a personal decision based on the moment and conditions such as as lake, health of fish etc. What happens in the Milliken deal probably would have little to no effect on my own decision.

The booking doesn’t change my preference to keep big bass catch locations off the internet.
….if at the most famous big bass lake in Texas…I would consider it as that lake’s surrounding businesses could probably benefit from recent big catch publicity without contributing to the negative effects of increased fishing pressure.

I’ll fillet one before donating after seeing this go down.

Well said

I won’t ever have the problem, so no need to worry about it.

It's a dangerous precedent to set if he's convicted. It would leave it open to prosecute anyone who fishes one of the big bass tournaments and accidentally brings in a slot fish or forgets to renew their license under the same statute.

Similar for me, if I'm in my Kayak or on a small lake and not sure I could get it in to survive properly then I would not hesitate to put it back, but i if I was in my Boat and close to some marina where they could hold it in a big tank then I might donate it.
Depends on the situation of when, or if, I ever catch a SAL.

Yup that's a spot on post.

never say never.

It’s the beginning to an end for monetizing bass fishing.

Same. I will obviously buy my license like I have always done, but I'm done supporting any TPWD program. They are clearly out of touch with hunters and fishermen in the State of Texas. This is just the latest in a massive list of stupid things TPWD is doing.

Unless there was something really bad going on, it seems like a publicity grab for TPWD. Kind of like the IRS would arrest a big celebrity every year to remind people they have the power....

I'd donate the fish. Personally I could care less about Ben Milliken or whatever his name is. I don't know him but why would he be fishing without a license? Especially if he makes his living fishing.

Exactly, why would he? Hard for me to believe it was his INTENT to fraud TPWD over a $40.00 fishing license.

Nope.

Fry distribution is too focused on mother Fork and East Texas.

Fresh water stamp. Was supposed to pay for the new hatchery in Athens years ago. Austin spent the money elsewhere and had to pass a bond to pay for the hatchery. Where does that money go today?

Lake X is nothing more than a fishing vacation for state employees stocked with the public's fish. It is BS that a lake is stocked and fished by employees of the state and guests and paid for by taxpayers. Open it up to Texas Residents.

La Perla was the same thing. La Perla was stocked with share a lunkers. Anyone can now fish there for Share A Lunker's for $4,000 per day. http://www.laperlaranchresort.com/fishing1.html
La Perla signed a 15 year deal with TP&W for stockings. https://www.bdoutdoors.com/fishing/freshwater-fishing/growing-world-record-bass/

My understanding is that La Perla's contract with PAW had been terminated..

As long as my fishing license is valid I would 100% donate fish to the SAL program. I would not however try to knowingly deceive TPWD and submit an illegal catch.

Will see what’s actually the truth when it goes to court, till then nobody really knows what’s real and what’s gas lighting for clicks. I’ve heard it both ways, one that makes TPWD look awful and one that puts it all on Ben, from different people that claim to be in the “know”. So who really knows. Lol.

James,

Even if it was, it was still a BS deal. They (La Perla) are still charging $4,000 to catch share a lunker fish that are states property (yours and mine). You probably know more about the issue than I do. I thought you were involved in them taking a bunch of fish from there and releasing them in Falcon but I may be mistaken.

Good God. I'm not a fan of the guy but he fishes for a living. I have forgotten to renew my license (especially at the beginning of dove season) occasionally and I have lived in the state for my whole life. I can honestly say that I wasn't trying to deceive the state. The guy didn't murder someone for Christ sake, he didn't renew a fishing license. I think TP&W are way out on a limb here and unless there is something worth millions of dollars involved that we are not aware of, this will be dismissed. From what I read, he was not fishing a tournament either. To issue a warrant because he submitted a bass to, in the states view, help future fish populations with an expired license is a little extreme.

So….if you drove yourself to the lake, caught the fish with a valid fishing license, but your DL had expired, then entered the fish into the contest….is that a felony too?

Only if you left your headlights on while going down the ramp and while launching the boat. Penalty should be loss of fishing license.

… there should be a super combo license to cover that

Pretty sure the rules of the program don’t specifically say you must drive to the lake with a valid DL, lol, they do cover what’s a legal catch and that a valid license is needed to enter a fish. We all know he’s not getting a felony out of this. When it’s all said and done dude will get an extra 10 million clicks and cash in on all of it. Bottom line, if u don’t catch it by the rules don’t enter it or you risk all this bs.

If it’s 13 lbs. I’ll donate. Other than that No. In my book, anything under 13 is not a sharelunker.
I could give a rats a$$ about getting a decal for a 8 lber.

Headlight on is a misdemeanor, driving a Tundra should be a felony

forget about the decal, what about helping TPWD with their research?

I concur on the 13lb part of it. A SAL will.always be a 13lb or bigger to me.

That’s kinda like driving an AT4 😎

I will. Just so I can win the contest and tournament…… oh wait. It really isn’t one.

I’m not a fan of the whole program, I’m in the just stock Florida’s crowd. I had a chance last year to fill the paperwork out for a 10.09 and felt no need to advertise where I caught it.

or if you caught it? just kidding... I think everyone is in a better attitude when fishing a lake knowing some big fish have recently been caught there... but NOOO...I dont want to share my good fortune, dont want anyone to know what I caught it on, where I caught it or what time of day.. nothing... I just take info, I dont share my secrets

Did you catch yours at JB Thomas?

WHAT?!!!!!!

We drive our Tundras there in case you break down….we can give ya a ride!

I'll stick with my Gay Man Cruiser, er I mean GMC

Until your lifter gets stuck and your push rod is touching tips with the cam

i don’t mind sharing now and probably shouldn’t have the because it was in a club tournament and 20 other people were there, but that was when the circus guides were going anywhere and everywhere. Oak Creek

Not near as prevalent as Fords cam phaser issues. Not worried about it in the least. The way people blow it out of proportion you'd think every highway in america would be littered with broken down Chevys / GMC.

Regardless the 5.7 V8s in the Tundras were bullet proof

And I drive a 23 Chevy

The circus beat the hell out of it last winter. Good thing is now the ramps are high and dry and bank is steep. This may give it a break this winter

That’s the sad part and the good part all rolled into one.

Any data that helps our fisheries I will comply. Hate em’ or love em’ they do a good job for our fisheries across the whole state of Texas, this is why other states use our model.

Not a good idea. FL are too fickle in the colder months. If we were to stock more TX based strain our lakes would be in great shape.

Are you referring to TPWD or the SL program? Because TPWD only helps the Northern to Eastern areas, they don’t do diddly squat for the rest of the state.

Thankfully we don't have grass filled lakes or we'd be getting all the unwanted attention the rest of the state gets.

They need to research how to not kill all the grass in the lakes with sprsyboats

Grass killing drives me crazy.

Maybe, since it is close to the end of the year, tpwd did the raffle and he was a preliminary winner.

This^^

That’s about as good of a guess as anything else is.

His fish was removed from the program.

That is a whole different topic that could probably go a lot of pages on the TFF.

Probably should wait until all the info comes out before the knee jerking really hurts someone.

I’m in! Thanks Ben! I got one less person to worry about winning the drawing.

Better have had that kill switch hooked up and a working horn or they’re gonna stuff and cuff you.

I know. I had to replay that whole day in my head to make sure I was in the clear. lol.

I am in favor of pure Florida's.

I like pure Florida bass, too. Northern Strain fish native to Texas are easy to catch. But they’re long and skinny and seldom exceed 7 pounds. F1’s have thrived here in Texas and represent about 94% of really big fish we catch.

TPWD seems to only want to stock lakes that they feel could produce a state record and neglect the other lakes. It would be nice if they would stock northern strain in the lakes they are not stocking to make them fun lakes to fish.

great idea

The same people not gonna turn in a SAL are the same people who thought protesting Nike years ago would do something.

Unless on the largest big bass lakes in Texas; I’m not Internet posting or uploading locations of 8+ lbrs and DDs.
Fishing pressure kills smaller lakes.

I think you missed the point of the original question. It is not asking about doing anything as a form of a protest.

I wouldn't enter a 13lb plus in SAL program. Not because of the recent incident, just not my thing. I'm not standing around for hours with a fish that big in a live well waiting for the truck.

A few glory pictures then back to the wild for the next person to enjoy.

I have caught one fish over 13lb back in 1992, its on the wall. That fish was caught in a private lake.

So you have caught one….and mounted it. Then say you wouldn’t want to wait with a fish for 30 minutes if you caught one again?


I caught one last month, it wouldn’t fit in my livewell, so I shoved that fat green ball into the livewell sideways….for 6 hours.

Yes I mounted one over 30 years ago. No need to kill another big fish.

Doesn't matter to me if you treat your catch like that, as long as its a legal catch its yours. So after the 6 hour ride, did the catch grill up or was it fried?

I've caught a crappie that was over 5 pounds. No one but me saw me catch it. It was deep fried. Had no idea there a was record to break.

The F1 bass that get so big are a mix of northern and FL strains. Produce big fish in a hurry. 2lbs a year . small heads and big fat bodies make them look a bit strange

I agree we need more stock of native bass. With some FL mixed in for a F1 lake factory.

It was weighed in, photographed, and released. It was a tournament. I haven’t harvested a fish since the mid 80’s.

Unfortunately; an F1 lake only lasts a generation…..then the genetics will get farther away from F1.

Fork and the southern California lakes were essentially F1 lakes until the end of the 90s.

This is in part why the state of Florida LMB record is “only” 17.27lbs. F1 50/50 pure Florida/ pure northerns if lucky can get gluttonously obese.

If I catch an over 13, it's defiantly going to the SAL program. Texas is one of the only states that is trying to grow big fish.

No program is perfect, but they are trying..

you weighed in a 13+ pound tournament fish recently! lets hear this story, do you have any pics?

It was a Lews Elite class fish. Caught two more today….a 10+ and an 8+. So I entered two more fish today.

How many have ya caught?
November’s 10.46

Todays 10.36


And todays 8.10


Just smile. You know you wish you caught em.

Here is my hot take on getting more big bass in Texas... Yall start keeping a few bass.

Catch and release, as a must, for all LMB has done more to reduce the max size of LMB in Texas than anything else.

When we see these bass with "8lb heads", but they are actually a skinny 5lb, that is lack of prey. All those 15inch fish are taking resources out of the population. Sure sandies etc. are part of that math as well. however they tend set up on different spots for the most part and if you catch them, take them out too. Both make excellent table fare.

Remember your Dad, Grandpa and maybe even your Great Grandpa and how they all knew how to clean a fish, and would do so often? A bass was not on any pedestal. Also remember how they told you how many bigger bass were around back then?

Could the two things be related!?

Stocking more fish is seldom the answer. Its prey, habitat, predator populations and the balance between those. Florida, Lone Star, Share Lunker, F1, etc. is important but behind those other factors.

Some of us, me included, just don’t like cleaning and eating most fish. It’s a messy job and I’m tired by the time I’m done fishing. I’m doing good to clean up the boat and plug it in when I get home.

Steez, Nice fish. I've never entered anything in to Sharelunker. Ive only caught one over 13, and there is no way I was interested in drawing attention to the lake.

I caught one over 13 at Waco several years ago. I didn’t donate it either. The warden came and out and we had it weighed, but decided it might not survive the trip. It was in rough shape. So….i took it back to the island and let it go. Lots of pictures.

I only registered these three fish the past few days because people are talking smack about the program. I kinda do stuff to get a grind outta dudes. I catch fish worthy of registering with Toyota Sharlunker a dozen times (or more) a year…..if I had pictures, weights, and measurements of every one of them, I would have registered at least 10.

The two today are just regular old Northern Strain Texas bass. The lake I fished today gets ZERO help from any stocking programs. It’s just a crappy little lake with a boat ramp close to home.

I think sharelunker is more of a feel good story and a ploy to engage fisherman in the goal of growing bigger fish, which isn't a bad thing. I personally don't want my mug shot on a sharelunker page with anything to do with a fish I caught.

The bottom line, stock a bunch of florida strain bass and quit spraying Then, you have big fish, and lots of them.

if you keep catching those giants, you're going to need to get out of that little skeeter and into a boat that has real livewells

I'm putting it back if its a true SAL 13#er. Let her spawn in the lake that will for sure get her offspring.

TPWD has done a lot of good things for most all lakes in Texas . You even have a chance of catching a double digit fish out of Lavon .
Yes I would donate one over 13

Not acceptable.

Now you are going to eat your bass and like it!

Summer bass tournament mortality likely makes up for the lack of those in Texas taking keepers back home to the table.

Yeah, to some degree. You are right those bass are cooked.

That is less targeted though. They kill big and small fish doing that.

I am team just keep those 14-16 inch fish. Hell get rid of the min. length on some of these lakes. Let guys who want to keep 12 inch fish take em. Most Texas lakes do not have a recruitment issue... that is why "stock more fish" is not the answer in most cases and is really just used to influence genetics.

To the OP , answer has nothing to do with the Milliken issue but no I would not. Not that I am worth a damn at Bass fishing and have never even caught a 10 let alone a teener.


But it is my opinion that just the DNA from OH Ivie alone is enough for the state to depend on in perpetuity.

The collection program could be shuttered IMO

Nice fish.

Agree; most lakes would benefit from double gilling 14” and under bass turning them into easy meals for the bigger bass.

So how many people will be arrested at the Fork Events from now on since they tried to weigh a slot fish and apparently that’s fraud also but no big front news paper adds on it….

This depends on your social media presence. If your last name is Zaldain, Maybe. If your name is Terkla, Yes.

Been saying that from the get go of this. Its the absolute PERFECT analogy. Be the easiest case in the world to get dismissed IMO.

I have had many over 8 lbs and 6 over 10 but have never even thought to put a one on the lunker program

You should. Now that Ben’s outta the way!