Pond Boss Forums FISH & FISHING Sunfish-Including Largemouth and Smallmouth Bass Texas Lunkers March 7

March 7 was a good day for bucketmouths in the Lone Star State:

Per Texas Parks & Wildlife:

March 7, 2015:
ShareLunker #562 caught from Sam Rayburn today by Darrel Pompkins. 14.32 pounds.




March 7, 2015:
Wayman Triana of Nacogdoches caught ShareLunker #561 from
Sam Rayburn fishing Bass Champs tourney. 13.05 pounds



March 7, 2015:
Shannon Elvington, 15.18 pounds, Lake Ray Roberts
ShareLunker ShareLunker #560



https://www.facebook.com/sharelunkerprogram?fref=nf

http://tpwd.texas.gov/newsmedia/releases/?req=20150309b

Brings back old memories!! My partner Randy Burch and I caught what was the lake record at the time a 13.76 largemouth bass on Lake Sam Rayburn. I remember him catching it on his birthday February 2,nd. Can't remember exactly what year. The fish was caught on a black and blue jig in 16 ft. water in the San Augustine park area. We did not have a net and I just lipped it but took both hands to drag it in the boat! Lone Star Lunkers picked her up and released her back to us later. We carried her back to the exact spot we caught her and released her.It was a real big deal back then. The old record was many years old. But Big Sam was about to explode!! We held the record for only about 6 months and a 14 pounder was weighed in.Many more lunkers after that.We visited her at the hatchery once. Great program and glad to have been a part of it.

2 from Big Sam on the same day? Outstanding.

I wonder what time they were all caught. The moon was out yesterday morning, and I'm guessing rising warmer water after all the runoff maybe?

Mark, we went to Quitman for dinner last night, and crossed Lake Fork twice. You could have walked from boat to boat all across the lake. Now's the time for huge egg filled LMB, and guys are sure after them.

No doubt about it, this is the best time of the yr for catching big bass in Texas. If you don't catch your lake record fish, you might catch the heaviest stringer of your life. I kept a fishing journal for at least 12 yrs and the magic dates were Feb 15th through March 15th. I lost the journal when desk tops came out and after I loaded all the information there, only to lose it all a couple of yrs later
Tracy

Tracy, from now until the end of March, I won't leave the house without a rod rigged and ready.

Al, that is a good plan

Al, I didn't see a rod mount on the tractor.....

Post spawn bass on Sam Rayburn are feeding heavily thru April. It is a great time for a 30# sack of 5 fish!! Get out a big 3/4 ounce red Rattle trap and hang on!

Neat video on Facebook showing them caring for the
15.18 pound lunker that just joined the Tx ShareLunker program:

https://www.facebook.com/sharelunkerprogram

sad news



Texas Parks and Wildlife - ShareLunker Program Update

SL 560, caught by Shannon Elvington March 7 from Lake Ray Roberts, 15.18 pounds, died over the weekend.

SL 561, caught by Wayman Triana March 7 from Sam Rayburn Reservoir, 13.05 pounds, died Tuesday night.

SL 562, caught by Darrell Tompkins March 7 from Sam Rayburn Reservoir, 14.32 pounds, has been returned to Sam Rayburn.

SL562 returned to Sam Rayburn probably also died. Big old aged bass are like very old 90+yr grandparents - usually weak and do not tolerate intense exhausting activity, extensive photo ops without adequate oxygen and no careful handling. These big old trophy fish should probably not even be lifted from the water.

Bill I am not disagreeing with you at all, because you know a heck of a lot more about such matters than me...but wouldn't a large bass need large meals or to eat a lot? So how does the "90 year old weak grandma theory" square up with that bass needing to chase either lots of prey or attack large active prey? Again not disagreeing with you, just need to square it in my own head.

I'm guessing the surviving Rayburn fish was determined to be a F1?

Yep, correct as usual Al!
F1s are released back into lake where caught as soon as DNA tested.
Only DNA tested pure Florida LMB are held for brood stock - right?
G/

Well bass of that size don't need to swim real far or fast for their food. They sit and wait behind a stump or a log or a nice big rock and they know where to sit! If they do take off after something it's not more then a few feet and then right back to the log. Another thing is they don't have to go far to get there meal if it gets close! That mouth is so big the suction power when they open their mouth up is like a big ole vacuum. Anything within 12 inches is going to die!!

RC

Oh and one other thing. All I know is if I catch any bass over 10 pounds it's going one place! On the cabin wall!!!! No way it is going back in the water!

RC

Interesting - why would SL 562 be an F-1. If so it is proof F-1s get big. When was the DNA tested on 562 to know its genetics.
Wondering how the process works.

ewest, IIRC 40-45% of the LMB submitted to the Sharelunker program were F1's, and not used as broodstock.

I just checked, and TPWD confirmed that it was a Northern/Florida cross.

Eric not sure if this answers your question:


WHY ARE SOME SHARELUNKERS RETURNED TO THEIR RESERVOIR OF ORIGIN AND NOT SPAWNED?

All donated fish are tested to determine their exact genetic make-up. Only fish that test out to be “pure Florida bass” are accepted into the selective breeding program. While we know bass having a combination of northern and Florida bass genes (intergrades) can reach large size, the majority of the donated ShareLunkers are pure Florida bass. By limiting the selective breeding program to those fish, we are able to cross pure Florida bass females over 13 pounds with pure Florida bass males which are offspring of previous ShareLunkers, increasing the odds of superior genetics and potential for achieving maximum size. All fish that are not accepted into the breeding program are returned to the lake of origin as soon as they have fully recovered from the initial trip, if that is the desire of the angler who donated the fish.

https://tpwd.texas.gov/spdest/visitorcenters/tffc/sharelunker/faq/

There have been many anecdotal reports published from outdoor writers as well as TP&W magazine articles about theTexas Share Lunker program.

Currently the only LMB hatched by TP&W are DNA tested pure Florida LMB. The sucessfdul stocking program in Texas lakes are pure Florida LMB fry. I do not know when the DNA testing became standard procedure.
All Share Lunker LMB that do not test pure Florida are returned to the lake where caught.

The DNA tested Florida LMB are saved for brood stock, one of which has set a record for numbers of offsprings stocked in Texas waters.

Zep, you type faster than I and give better info - guess the Share Lunker program has been around so long we take things for granted.
You too Al!

March 18, 2015

Three of this year's five ShareLunkers have come in with broken jaws.

Two have died. The other has been returned to the lake.

The only explanation we have for the broken jaws is fish being held vertically by the lower jaw.

Broken jaws can kill fish in two ways. An infection can start at the break and invade other organs. Or, the fish may not be able to feed and will starve.

To prevent broken jaws, big fish should always be supported with two wet hands, one gripping the lower jaw and the other under the tail. We recommend that any fish weighing 7 pounds or more be handled with two hands.

Fish should be landed with a net and not lipped.

The lower jaw should never be rolled under so the fish can be held up for pictures.

Fish should be handled as little as possible (no multiple picture-taking sessions) and kept in a well-aerated live well until placed in a minnow tank or picked up by TPWD. Pictures of the angler with the fish can be taken at that time.

To watch video of ShareLunker #561 Necropsy: (that shows broken jaw)

https://www.facebook.com/sharelunkerprogram?fref=nf

Big difference George...you actually know the answers.
I just copy and pasted.

Thank You.

Zep - how many anglers know how to properly handle a trophy? Most are probably so excited when they get a trophy their pants are wet from panic peeing, let alone thinking now I have to be careful how I land and handle this fish.

I have this theory that the biggest bass as RC says do not need to swim fast. I think that often the biggest bass are eating the biggest forage fish that are often sickly or weak with old age, thus they pick the easiest biggest weakest prey to eat. A lot of fish die of old age each year. Few others can eat old age BG or other fish except the biggest predators. Old eating the old type of thing. Does this fit into the optimum foraging theory?

Thanks Bill....makes sense.

And I would be one of the super excited hands shaking
ones if I caught one that big....and now I know better
what not to do if I am ever blessed enough to land one.

It's really sad watching that Facebook video of that
great fish and think it may have been killed because
it was handled wrong.