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Interesting article about record bass and adding in new genetics.

New record LMB

I sure do wish genetic testing was easy and cheap.

Would be very interesting to see if the record LMB in the SE over the next 25 years will be pure Florida strain, or if hybrids will be the ultimate record hogs!

Info from TPWD indicates that a substantial % of the Share a Lunker LMB are not pure Fla but are Fx LMB with a high % of Fla genetics. Below is one example.

O.H. Ivie Reservoir 2021 Fisheries Management Survey Report

Largemouth Bass: O.H. Ivie has developed into the most productive trophy bass fishery in the country over the past few years. The reservoir produced 30 trophy bass over 13 lbs. in 2021 and 2022 combined. Angler effort for Largemouth Bass was very high as directed effort for Largemouth Bass in spring 2022 was nearly double the long-term average. Growth was adequate with bass reaching 18 inches in 4.2 years in 2020. Size structure showed improvement as the strong year-class from 2019 continues to grow into larger size classes. The genetic composition was 84% Florida bass alleles, while 27% of bass sampled were pure Florida strain Largemouth Bass.

The majority of Florida Largemouth Bass stockings were conducted between 1989 and 2001 and between 2010 and 2021 (Table 4). ShareLunker Largemouth Bass fingerlings were stocked from 2010 to 2012 and 2020 to 2022.

Florida Largemouth Bass influence has remained relatively constant over the past three surveys as Florida alleles have ranged from 76 to 86% and Florida genotype has ranged from 17 to 27% (Table 12).


Over the past two years, no other reservoir has produced more Legacy-Class ShareLunkers (13lb or larger) than O.H. Ivie Reservoir (15 each in 2021 and 2022). Since the ShareLunker program was expanded in 2018, O.H. Ivie has accounted for 6.8% of all ShareLunker entries over 8 lb. and 40.0% of all ShareLunker entries over 13 lb. statewide. Over the past 5 years the three biggest ShareLunker entries have all come from O.H. Ivie Reservoir: 17.06 lb. (Brody Davis 2/24/2022, #7 all-time largest Largemouth Bass in Texas), 16.4 lb. (Joe McKay 2/19/2021, #17 all-time largest Largemouth Bass in Texas), and 16.1 lb. (Kyle Hall 3/1/2022, #21 all-time largest Largemouth Bass in Texas). Since O.H. Ivie Reservoir was impounded in 1990, a total of 57 Largemouth Bass over 13 lb. from the reservoir have been submitted to the ShareLunker Program, which accounts for 8.9% of all-time entries over 13 lb.

Thanks for all of that info, ewest!

I thought that was the case, but wanted to leave the answer to people with more expertise.

Hybrid vigor is a real thing.

For example, the Hybrid BG record in Kansas is larger than the State Record for BG and larger than the record for Green Sunfish. The sum of the parts is truly greater than the whole!

The good part about that is with high % Fla Fx fish the poor catchability of Fla LMB is reduced.