And that is a FACT!!!!

The people in the south EAT their bass.No,the south doesn't pump out big ones cause they don't introduce Florida strain bass.And catch and release is almost non-existent.
As for all of the yearly stockings in TX,I really haven't seen the impact that this program was supposed to make on any of the lakes where the fry are being released.

Id turn it in for the free mount and the fact that I think that it would prolong the productivity of that large fish. I see that they stocked some fry in Sommerville, which is one of my lakes. I have seen a dramatic increase in the numbers and size of the fish coming out of that lake.

Side note: I think the reason we see bigger fish on a regular basis in the so texas lakes is the tilapia and the amount of bait they produce.

Texas was pumping out BIG bass (bigger than most other states) LONG before the SAL program came into existence, and it was because they introduced the Florida strain bass. Lake Monticello was a perfect example in the 80s - well before the SAL program was in place.

Where does the money for this program come from? Somebody has to be ponying up the dough for the mounts, the research, the fish care, the scientists that do the breeding, etc.

I have been told by some good sources that the reason Monticello doesn't produce the size of bass it once did is when that stack fell 15 or more years ago and they rebuilt it they made it more powerful and the water temperature now averages so much warmer throughout the year that the bass just don't live as long as they did when the water stayed cooler.

It gives the lake that is producing the SALs a lot of publicity and hype...or not. Which is probably why we are having this discussion right now...

Note the SALS from Conroe years ago, coming on strong, grass removal and the dead sea was born. Grass was allowed to come back with help, and they started showing up again, big girls that is.. Habitat, lake levels all play major factors in TExas.

Put some grass in CC a SAL will show up in a few years. Grass equal bass in TEXAS.

The comment abvout Tilapia and trout. Crappie go high on the protien list as well. Just saying, and texas has some crappie in alot of lakes.

Too bad we can't set thoermostats on our lakes to keep them from going below 55, you know that temp that don't allow the fish to grow much, they don't have that problem in Southern Cali, cold temps is a rareity. 365 days is not the same growing conditions versus the stress winter places on them here in Texas

Interestingly, of the Lake Fork-portion of the Top 50 all-time bass in Texas, here is the chronological breakdown:

-80's - 8 bass on the Top 50 List
-90-94 - 19 bass on the Top 50 List
-95-99 - 3 bass on the Top 50 List
-2000's - 4 bass on the Top 50 List

And yes LMBV hit Lake Fork in 1998 which affected the numbers somewhat. Still, anyone can look at this and see that the decline in elite-sized fish at Fork is likely due to fishing pressure and the natural life cycle of any lake. If SAL were working, wouldn't we have seen at least a leveling off, not a drastic decline in elite fish?

It was the introduction of the Florida strain, not the SAL Program, that began producing Elite sized fish at lakes all across Texas. It was 37 years until a 14er was caught out of Lake Monticello in 1980 - a Florida-strain fish.

When people continue to take 13+ lb fish out of lakes, how do we ever expect to catch an 18+? The issue is not about the eggs from a SAL. It's about taking an enormous fish out of it's home waters and eliminating the possiblity of ever catching that fish again at a heavier weight. The 25er caught in Lake Dixon had been caught previously. Would that fish have been caught again if there was a SAL Program in Cali. Probably not.

Ithought SAL's were returned to their home lake after spawning?

The angler can release them anywhere they'd like.

The new sponsor is Toyota, hence the name change from Budweiser ShareLunker to Toyota ShareLunker.

Check out the ShareLunker website:
http://www.tpwd.state.tx.us/spdest/visitorcenters/tffc/sharelunker/accomplishments/

There was a Sal caught years ago that was caught a second time from private water near Fork.

Guess where that fish was caught the first time, Fork.

Don't help when they are taken to private lakes either. Too many of those in DFW area to think these fish aren't being toted off to other waters.

By the way, if it wasn't for the tag, who'd known the fish was already in the program.

jjcady, I couldn't agree with you more.

Thanks for the link. Sounds like a good program in theory but it seems to not really work based on the evidence produced in this thread and it also wreaks of the same kind of fleecing that was involved with all the global warming hoopla. By that I mean, people in general will do anything for money. With major corporations lining up to fund it, there is no need for SAL to prove that it works.