Tracy, I've been trying to figure whose post yours is in response to but since I'm the only one to typed "public" I wonder if it were mine. Just to be sure, I wouldn't disagree with anything you said.
My post dealt with catch and release philosophy and whether it without harvest is enough to keep large bass growing.
*bump*
I found out a few things. To qualify as a ShareLunker it must weigh a minimum of 13 lbs. Or at least 70% the weight of the existing state record. Makes more sense now. By the time they achieve this weight they are nearing their maximum weight simply from lake conditions and are growing slowly or could be declining already. If weakened by capture and the hatchery handling, I could see them never recover if released back to the original waters.
Still have questions whether they are released back to the wild or if the remain at the hatchery indefinitely. I guess that's up to TPWD but it was not clear at the website. Just covered what you do so the fish can be picked up by TPWD and how to ensure the fish survives.
Whether these findings are applicable to pond owner aren't clear but I would think that provided the fish growth still remains good when caught (good RW) then one should be able to handle the fish well and release it expecting more growth (whatever its weight).
Last edited by jpsdad; 10/23/18 06:02 PM.
