Everything is bigger in Texas!

The Toyota ShareLunker Program has geared up to deliver pure Florida strain largemouth bass to the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department “TPWD” through the month of July. The bass that will be delivered to help populate Texas fisheries are what are now known as the “Lone Star Bass”. They have been produced from what the Toyota ShareLunker Program consider “Legacy Class” which are over 13-pound bass.

The Toyota ShareLunker Program which was launched in 1986 is a unique program that has participants that catch bass over 13 pounds and loan the bass to the Texas ShareLunker Program during the spawning season of January – March. These bass are then part of the selective breeding program to restock other fisheries. The TPWD has been raising the brood fish in hatcheries since 2018 from the Florida strain initiative. The program has stocked 53 bodies of water with more than 6 million Lone Star Bass since inception.

This program is helping stock Texas fisheries to improve the bass fishing catches on some of the many lakes that they have been able to stock. The pure strain Florida largemouth bass stocking has been in the making for many years going back to 2018. The success of the program has allowed for this first spawning and statewide stocking from the Florida largemouth spawns.

The program has participants that “share” their lunker. These giant bass have proven they have what it takes to survive to trophy class standards. Then they are bred to pass on their resilient genetics, ensuring that the bass being stocked have exactly what it takes to grow to epic proportions.

The program is offered year-round and offers differing levels of participation: Lunker Class (8 pounds plus), Elite Class (10 pounds plus), and Legend Class (13 pounds plus). Providing an entry and participating in the program also enters participants into some drawings with prizes sponsored by Toyota, AFTCO, Bass Pro Shops, and 6th Sense to name a few.

If you visit the texassharelunker.com site you will find which lakes are the best producers and on that list in the top 10 you will find some lakes regularly visited by Major League Fishing and BASS, Lake Fork and Sam Rayburn are 2 that stand out. Lake Fork has produced 16 Lunker Class submissions and 1 Elite Class submission. Sam Rayburn has produced 7 Lunker Class, 4 Elite Class, and 2 Legacy Class submissions. That’s world class fishing at its finest.

With my recent MLF Pro Circuit qualification this news gets me excited for the 2023 season where I will likely get an opportunity to fish one of these mega bass fisheries. Texas here I come!

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