June 30, 2003

Texas Bass Production for 2003 Looking Good

AUSTIN, Texas — With bass fishing and Texas, bigger is better. The state holds bragging rights to some impressive largemouth bass. In 1992, a record fish caught in Lake Fork weighed 18.18 pounds and was more than 25 inches long. What's most impressive about the bass in Texas, however, is how they get here and what they go through to reach those large sizes.

First off, that 13-pound lunker over the mantle may not be a northern-strain largemouth bass native to Texas. Since the 1970s, the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department has been stocking the Florida strain of largemouth bass into Texas waters. This year, for instance, TPWD will stock about 7 million of the fingerlings in bodies of water around the state. Fisheries biologists are calling this a 'good year' compared to the normal 6 million fingerlings produced annually. "The last couple of years we've been a bit lower," said Gary Saul, TPWD hatcheries chief. The Florida largemouth bass will be stocked in 33 reservoirs.

On the outside, Florida and northern largemouth bass look the same. Dark green splotches form horizontal stripes along the middle of the fish and their jaw line reaches beyond their eye sockets, hence the name largemouth bass. The difference between the two fish is in the genetics: the Florida bass can grow to 18 pounds or more as opposed to the northern fish that tops out at about 13 pounds. "The Florida strain provides a trophy potential for fishermen that the native fish here in Texas didn't have," Saul said.

So how do the bass, the most popular fish for anglers in Texas, get that big? It all starts in nature; with a little help from A.E. Wood Fish Hatchery in San Marcos, Jasper State Fish Hatchery and Texas Freshwater Fisheries Center in Athens that produce the bass. Even with these superior fish, TPWD biologists are hard at work figuring out how to improve the total bass community. It's up to researchers to improve the effectiveness of the bass production and develop strategies improving survival and "getting the biggest bang for the buck," said Dick Luebke, research program director at Heart of the Hills Research Station.

The fish are hatched in two spawning cycles beginning in early April and finishing in May or June, and then they are stocked in various Texas reservoirs. One of the biggest challenges for managers is improving initial survival upon release. As with most species, mortality is highest at youngest ages. "Evenly distributing the fish helps their survival. TPWD does not stock more than 10,000 fingerlings in any one area so that the fish have a chance to survive and not compete for food and space," Luebke said.

Since 1986, the bass stocking program has received valuable help from the Budweiser ShareLunker Program. From Oct. 1 to April 30, anglers can donate exceptionally large largemouth bass to TPWD. Bass weighing 13 pounds or more are sent to the Texas Freshwater Fisheries Center. Anglers receive a fiberglass replica of the bass, and recognition at the awards banquet at TFFC. The Texas resident lucky enough to catch the largest bass also wins a lifetime fishing license. So far, 352 bass have been donated to the program. This year, 10 bass were donated, all of which survived and four of which spawned.

With extensive research, progressive management, time and some luck, some of those 7 million fingerlings will hopefully make their way back to a hatchery as ShareLunkers and the cycle will start all over again.

Additional information about the Budweiser ShareLunker Program, rules and regulations, and previous entries is available online at (http://www.tpwd.state.tx.us/fish/infish/hatchery/tffc/).

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