SHARELUNKER 2016-17: Tis the season for catching and 
sharing your big bass—we explain on Passport to Texas.

This is Passport to Texas

The Toyota Sharelunker program is in full swing.

04—It’s an angler recognition program and it’s a selective 
breeding program.

Kyle Brookshear coordinates the program for Texas Parks 
and Wildlife. For the past 30 years, anglers who reeled in 
13-pound or bigger largemouth bass, caught legally in 
Texas waters, could donate their fish to the program. 

17— We bring that fish back to the TFFC in Athens and then 
attempt to spawn that fish. Once the fish is successfully 
spawned, we return the fish to the angler. The angler releases 
the fish back to the lake [where it was caught]. We will raise 
those fry up, and then stock them back into the public waters of 
Texas.

By breeding the big bass TPW creates a better bass 
fishery in Texas with more potential for trophy fish. New 
this season, only largemouth bass caught between 
January and March may be entered into the breeding 
program.

08—Through our analysis, we’ve determined that not only do we 
get more candidates during that time, but those candidates 
actually do spawn successfully.

Brookshear says fish caught outside this window may 
still be certified as a sharelunker, and then released back 
into the lake. Anglers who have lunkers accepted into the 
Toyota Sharelunker program receive a fiberglass replica 
of their fish.

The Sport Fish Restoration program supports our series 
and helps fund the operation of the TFFC in Athens.

For Texas Parks and Wildlife…I’m Cecilia Nasti. 



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