I don't care much for the SAL program. I believe any fish over 5lbs should be released!! That way it gives others a chance to catch big fish. Especially young kids.

Good program supporting and promoting Texas bass fishing. However, 551 bass in 16 years is a drop in the bucket compared to the power of nature and natural selection.

Was BBBMc Bored?? LoL

It was honestly a slow day in real estate yesterday..... 80 replies later LOL

Pretty sure that fish was a male.

If you want fish in the lake then protect them by killing the gar and let the grass grow. Ever see the gar by the hundreds sitting on top of the water in spawing areas waiting for fry to hatch.

I'm glad they do something for us bass fisherman !!!...other states take the money and spend it in the general fund never to see a lake...right or wrong at least they are doing something for us !!!

Rob Baloney hasn't managed too many bass lakes if he thinks fish population doesn't have anything to do with growth.

One of the 13 lbers out of Alan Henry was caught 3 times by 3 different anglers. All who turned it in. It made the trip down to Athens and back each time.

That is amazing !

I think another thing to think about this program that I am not sure anyone has mentioned yet.

If it was a great program and such a success then why are other states not using it and following Texas ?

I think Catch & Release is one on the best things to come along in my life time. IMO

In these economic times I doubt most states have the money or the sponsorship to do it like the SAL. I have lived in more than a couple of states and one thing is very clear. We have the best fisheries department anywhere I have been. Most states don't care or put enough emphasis on bass fishing where they would take on such a huge project. They are not gonna allocate the resources to it.
Heck we all know that Georgia is where the recognized world record bass is from but go there and see if they take it as seriously as Texas, Bama, Cali and Florida. Being a guide I would imagine you have fished with literally hundreds of out of staters and I bet a fair number all said they dreamed of coming to Fork to catch the fish of a lifetime.

I would say that is correct in some sense, but most people are from up north that ask or say that !

They are not from Alabama,Florida,California,or Georgia. Seems anywhere they grow big they don't come here.Which none of these states have a SAL program either.That I am aware of.

The states that have or grow small bass are the people that come here more often and want to catch a 10 pounder.

Texas is located in the middle so it does get lots of attention in that sense.

I did a post on the Share a lunker program months ago. The numbers essentially reflect that the SAL program has reduced the number of SAL fish caught and reduced the size of the entrants. This comes with much better technology and more SAL hunters.....IMO the SAL program ruined Fork and other lakes. The stats listed below are all taken off of the SAL website and TPW stocking reports.

Take Fork as our sample lake. From 1979 to 1987 Fork was stocked with 700,000 fingerlings and 49 adult fish. In a 14 year span from 1979 to 1993: 25 of the top 50 bass or 50% of the top 50 bass all out of Fork in a 14 year span. 12 of the bass were over 16 lbs. Or almost 50% of the Fork fish taken over 16 lbs. Were taken between 1979 and 1993 and were over 16 lbs. This year a fish over 16 lbs was caught from fork for the first time since 2002.

Now looking at the stocking report since the magical 14 year run from 79' to 93'.....starting in 1995 fork was stocked with with almost 10,000,000 thats 10 million florida bass fingerling. Since 2006 Fork has been stocked with almost 65,000 share a lunker fingerling.

Could this massive amount of Florida bass fingerlings the last 18 years have over populated our sample lake? Or is it the technolgy, pressure, better fisherman, pressure, droughts, white bass....that has essentially lead to only 4 of the top 50 since the year 2000? Fork was stock from 79' to 93' with the same quantity they stocked in 1999 alone yet in that timespan it produced 31 of the top 50 bass from 1979 to 1999?

ok, enough numbers, good luck on catching a SAL..