Why is Texas producing so many giant bass?

[Catt]

 

[Deleted account]

Why is Texas producing so many giant bass?

 

I'm thinking it's all the people moving in from other states with folks who can fish.....  

[Vilas15]

Related:

And south of the border where it's even warmer can be even better.

[RDB]

4 hours ago, BassWhole! said:

Why is Texas producing so many giant bass?

 

I'm thinking it's all the people moving in from other states with folks who can fish.....  

Lol...could be.  
The fishermen from other states have definitely played a role in the program.  A number of those ShareLunkers he mentioned were from a handful of out-of-state anglers.  This program is a “get your popcorn” topic on many of the Texas forums.

 

Thanks for sharing Catt.

[the reel ess]

Lots of forage?

[TnRiver46]

Why is texas producing big bass? 
 

why is the sky blue? 
 

Why does the sun rise in the East ? 
 

It’s just texas being texas 

[roadwarrior]

Texas devotes significant resources to their fishing programs. Their ShareLunker gets a 

lot of well deserved praise, but Texans are particularly good at handling their bass and

practicing catch and release.  The biggest fish in Texas are still swimming.

 

Water quality is another plus.

 

[Bassin' Brad]

59 minutes ago, RDB said:

Lol...could be.  
The fishermen from other states have definitely played a role in the program.  A number of those ShareLunkers he mentioned were from a handful of out-of-state anglers.  This program is a “get your popcorn” topic on many of the Texas forums.

 

Thanks for sharing Catt.

So are you saying that Texans are very divided on the topic? Why would they be against it? 

[RDB]

45 minutes ago, Bassin' Brad said:

So are you saying that Texans are very divided on the topic? Why would they be against it? 

Some are against it but I’m not in that category.  Some question the survival rates of these big bass which is a current topic on one of the main Texas forums.  That is likely what was being addressed in the video.  Mostly I think it’s just some of the hardcore fishermen that don’t like the publicity and pressure it brings to their lakes.  Catches are publicly viewable and you know how tight lipped fishermen can be.  There are pics posted showing the boat ramp and parking lot after the epic O.H. Ivie week.  I decided to submit a fish several years ago (not a Legacy Class) because I wanted to see what was in the goodie bag they send out.  With some of the guys I run with, you would have thought I shot their dog.  There are a ton of big bass that are never entered into the program.

[WRB]

Texas bass fishing management is outstanding.

California bass fishing management is non existent.

I believe most bass anglers would be shock to know Florida Largemouth transferred to San Diego in 1959 and initially stock in a few city lakes; Lower Otay, El Caption, Hodges, San Vicente and Sutherland were only stocked one time. 

All the FLMB in California came from populations from the initial bass in San Diego city lakes.

California stocks bass one time period, no management other then enforcing regulations. No bass hatchery exist in California, they are transferred from one lake to another.

It’s hard to imagine the bass fishery California could have if managed like Texas does.

Tom

[Bird]

Warmer water = longer growing season = bigger bass. 

[BrianMDTX]

8 hours ago, BassWhole! said:

Why is Texas producing so many giant bass?

And why ain’t they bitin’ this week for me? ?

[CrankFate]

I need to go to Texas. One state I’ve never been to, but always wanted to go to.

[huZZah]

TPWD does a great job across the board with fishing. Limits are enforced, game wardens do their job. I’ve been asked several times to see my fishing license in the past 3 weekends. The wardens also have incredible power to levy fines/confiscate your stuff if you’re breaking laws.  I even “won” a 7ft mh Lews spinning rod simply for being one of 2 people (out of 8-10) with a fishing license at Hubbard creek this past November.  The others got tickets. 

[Catt]

Why is Texas producing so many giant bass?

 

Genetics ?

 

Y'all missed the entire purpose of the ShareLunker program!

 

Not every bass that swims has the genetics neccessary to obtain double digit status regardless of what you feed it.

 

Spawning 13#+ bass in capacity ensures the genetics are present.

 

Every lake in Texas is man made & had a very limited resident bass population.

 

Texas fisheries biologist brought in bass from Florida, California, & Cuba. These fish were bred at the ShareLunker hatchery & their offspring was used in stocking lakes. 

[WRB]

1. The species must be Florida strain Largemouth bass.

2. Selective gene grouping helps, imo no guarantee to produce a giant bass over 17 lbs., Florida strain is a essential element.

Anglers over look habitat and prey sources available as Juvenal  bass, they need a head start to out grow their year class and survive.

Texas is giving the bass a head start with a good gene pool and replenishing that gene pool vigor by stocking annually.

The video asked the question where else has a 16 lb bass been caught the past few years? Answer California still produces a 17 to 19 lb bass annually. The numbers are nowhere near what they where 20 years ago do to nonexistent management.

15.12 lb Bass was caught last week by a 15 year old boy at Santee. 16 ib + bass tipped a recent Delta tournament. Giants still pop up every week during pre spawn.

Tom

PS, any update on Camelot-Bell since Share A Lunker took over the property?

Tom

 

[Koz]

Haven't you heard? Everything's bigger in Texas.

[Basseditor]

The O H Ivie phenomenal fishing is the result of a "not-so-perfect" storm. I knew the fish are there — I wrote about 10 pounders being caught last August in my magazine fishing column.

 

Normally, the winter warms gradually here. A warm stretch followed by cold spells spreads out the big bass coming shallow. Not too warm and not too cold and both are short lived. This year we had almost a week of single digit temperatures — then it warmed quickly in one week. All the big ones turned on at once.

 

IMO

[James Pisano]

1 hour ago, huZZah said:

TPWD does a great job across the board with fishing. Limits are enforced, game wardens do their job. I’ve been asked several times to see my fishing license in the past 3 weekends. The wardens also have incredible power to levy fines/confiscate your stuff if you’re breaking laws.  I even “won” a 7ft mh Lews spinning rod simply for being one of 2 people (out of 8-10) with a fishing license at Hubbard creek this past November.  The others got tickets. 

Let me get this straight the game warden gave you a rod for having your fishing license?!

[huZZah]

Yeah. Apparently it’s a problem at Hubbard. 

Gave the other dude the casting reel.  

[RDB]

1 hour ago, WRB said:

Texas is giving the bass a head start with a good gene pool and replenishing that gene pool vigor by stocking annually.

 

Answer California still produces a 17 to 19 lb bass annually.

I have always felt like your first sentence is the biggest value of the program.  I wouldn’t think you could count on F1 and beyond bass to keep producing trophy’s.  And the other elements needed for trophy growth are not managed through ShareLunker.

 

However, your second sentence kind of calls that in to question.  California doesn’t have a regular Florida restocking program but still produce trophies and your records have continued to stand.

 

And though I may be wrong, I thought Camelot-Bell was still privately owned and managed.

[Catt]

6 hours ago, RDB said:

And the other elements needed for trophy growth are not managed through ShareLunker.

 

But they are managed by TP&W under the supervision of ShareLunker. The whole states fisheries are managed to produce trophy bass.

 

6 hours ago, RDB said:

California doesn’t have a regular Florida restocking program but still produce trophies and your records have continued to stand.

 

California started with a higher precentage of Florida strain in their population. Texas added Florida strain which bred with native bass. ShareLunker is trying to raise the percentage of Florida strain in its lakes.

[RDB]

3 hours ago, Catt said:

 

But they are managed by TP&W under the supervision of ShareLunker. The whole states fisheries are managed to produce trophy bass.

 

 

California started with a higher precentage of Florida strain in their population. Texas added Florida strain which bred with native bass. ShareLunker is trying to raise the percentage of Florida strain in its lakes.

Sorry for the lengthy reply...I don't really want to get into this again.  I'm not looking to argue and I hope you don't take this the wrong way as I feel you're one of the most informative posters on this site, but you seem to grab a sentence to make a point that is unrelated to the point I'm making.

 

ShareLunker is focused on the trophy bass portion of the equation.  Their primary focus has not been to increase the percentage of Florida bass in Texas lakes, nor is it to manage the water bodies.  Lakes were being managed and Florida's were being introduced well before ShareLunker began and are still introduced outside the program today.  Do they all work in some degree of harmony...yes, but each has a primary role.  That's why I said I agreed with WRB's point about getting a head start and replenishing higher potential genes and felt that was a key value of the ShareLunker program.

 

As far as the second point, both California and Texas introduced Florida's and both bred with natives.  After that first native breeding, you no longer have a pure offspring.  Though first gen's. (F1's) maintain that vigor and growth, subsequent generations (F2, F3, etc.) do not.  To WRB's point, California introduced Florida's in the 50's and has not had additional stockings since.  I don't know California's history but WRB seems super knowledgable so I trust his word.  Yet, while Texas continues to introduce pure Florida's and California does not, California still produce monsters (granted smaller numbers) and their records still stand.  I am a supporter of the program but I find that part interesting.  I also find it interesting that while the Texas ShareLunker program started in the mid 80's, there are still few confirmed offspring from ShareLunker parents.  I also acknowledge that my thinking may be flawed...I was just sharing a thought.

 

 

[TOXIC]

Since there seems to be questioning of established norms, what about the theory (and what were told on most every fishing show) that California “Record” bass (largemouth, smallmouth and spots) all come from lakes where trout are stocked.?

[RDB]

6 minutes ago, TOXIC said:

Since there seems to be questioning of established norms, what about the theory (and what were told on most every fishing show) that California “Record” bass (largemouth, smallmouth and spots) all come from lakes where trout are stocked.?

I think you nailed the anti program side of the debate.  The anti side is fine continuing the stocking of Florida’s.  They want to stop taking bigs out of our lakes and allocate additional resources to habitat management.