Get a load of this massive 14.57-pound ShareLunker bass caught in Texas.
The strains of bass that grow in Texas water bodies definitely follow that old adage. You know, the one you've heard a million times?
We'll spare you the cheap and easy use of the phrase, but we will point out that a 14.57-pound largemouth bass was recently caught and submitted to the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department's Toyota ShareLunker program, which helps extend the DNA lifelines of big fish 13 pounds or larger.
Angler Zach Sypert of Bedford was the lucky fisherman who landed 2019's first ShareLunker Legacy Class entry. The bass was pulled out of Marine Creek Lake in Fort Worth Jan. 26.
This marks the second ShareLunker caught from the lake in the last two years. In fact, it outweighs the previous lake record set in 2018 by nearly two pounds.
"Marine Creek Lake is an important fishery for the Toyota ShareLunker program because we have taken several steps to give the largemouth bass in the lake the potential to grow to double digit sizes," said Kyle Brookshear, Toyota ShareLunker Program Coordinator. "We stocked thousands of ShareLunker offspring in 2006 and 2008 as part of a research project to evaluate the growth of these selectively-bred offspring in public reservoirs. Additionally, in 2006 we also changed the minimum length limit on that lake to protect these fish from harvest."
Sypert's fish was transported to the Texas Freshwater Fisheries Center, where staff will monitor and care for her in preparation for spawning at the ShareLunker hatchery. Brookshear said if genetic testing shows the fish is one of the selectively bred bass stocked in the lake, it will be the second selectively-bred Toyota ShareLunker caught in the last two years.
Everyone who catches a bass in Texas that's 13 or more pounds spawning period (Jan. 1 to March 31) receives a Toyota ShareLunker Catch Kit. In the kit is branded merchandise and fishing tackle items, a 13lb+ Legacy decal, VIP access to special events at the Toyota Bassmaster Texas Fest, and an entry into the year-end ShareLunker Prize Drawing to win a $5,000 shopping spree and an annual fishing license. Oh, and of course, a replica of their fish.
Last year, a total of 486 entries from 89 lakes made their way to the ShareLunker program.
The TPWD's ShareLunker Program has been selectively breeding and stocking angler-caught largemouth bass since it started in 1986. The end goal is to not only promote conservation, but to increase the production of trophy-sized fish in Texas reservoirs.
It's a pretty neat way to ensure bass fishing has a future in the Lone Star State.
NEXT: VIDEO: CHECK OUT LAKE FORK GUY'S EPIC PERSONAL-BEST REPLICA BASS MOUNT
WATCH
