OPERATION WORLD RECORD, 1: Growing world record bass 
for Texas anglers ... we'll tell you how on Passport to 
Texas ... 
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Passport to Texas from Texas Parks and Wildlife

In 1992, Barry St. Clair, fishing in Lake Fork, landed an 
18.18-pound largemouth bass securing the Texas record. 
But a 22-pound 4-ounce largemouth caught more than 70 
years ago in Georgia still holds the world record. 

"We hope one day to move our state record up over twenty 
pounds and then possibly larger than the world record, just so 
that Texas does provide the best fishing in the world"

Allen Forshage, Director of the Freshwater Fisheries 
Center in Athens, says Operation World Record, a 
program that breeds lunkers donated by anglers, is the 
key to achieving this goal.

"Each year with our sharelunkers, we're breeding them with 
males that are also offspring of lunkers. And so we are hoping 
to concentrate the genes in these fish that produce larger or 
faster growing fish."

A lunker is a largemouth, 13-pounds or heavier. Although 
the focus of the program is on bass 20+ pounds ... 

"An offshoot of the program is also to produce more eight 
pounders. By increasing the growth rate and maximum size of 
bass, we're hoping to increase the number of eight pounders 
that are caught by Texas anglers as well."

If bass grow to eight pounds, they have the potential to 
grow even larger - provided anglers catch and release.

"The trophy fish have a great value, and that's recreational 
fishing. So we like to see the larger fish, if possible, returned, 
and they can get replicas made by taking the measurements of 
these bigger fish."

That's our show ... made possible by a grant from the 
Sport Fish and Wildlife Restoration Program ... For Texas 
Parks and Wildlife ... I'm Cecilia Nasti.