iStockphoto / Sablin
It would be downright impossible to pinpoint the single best largemouth bass fishing day in Texas history because the data only goes back so far and the overwhelming number of anglers never submit their catches to be recorded but Texas is a LOT better than most states at capturing that data due to their Lunkershare program.
The Texas Lunkershare program dates back to 1986 and it’s a program used by Texas Parks and Wildlife to promote bass fishing by offering anglers the chance at everlasting glory (aka, awards and free stuff). The minimum requirement to get into the Texas Lunkershare program is 8 pounds or 24 inches for the Lunker category. From there it goes up to 10+ pounds for Elite and 13+ pounds for Legend.
On Monday, the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department announced a Triple Legacy Class Lunker day, marking what is possibly the best largemouth bass fishing day in Texas history.
Aaron Seuss caught a 13.87-pound largemouth, Alec Morrison caught a 13.82-pounder, and Ben Milliken landed the third Legacy Class Lunker of the day weighing 13.15-pounds.
A Triple Lunker Day! Legacy Class ShareLunkers were caught in West and East Texas! Angler Aaron Suess (top) caught 13.87-lb ShareLunker 654, Alec Morrison (bottom) weighed in ShareLunker 655 at 13.82 lbs, and Ben Milliken reeled in ShareLunker 656 at 13.15 lbs! Congratulations! pic.twitter.com/aZZRKlqAZI
— TPWD Fishing (@TPWDfish) February 5, 2024
Scroll through to the right here for larger images of each 13+ pound largemouth bass caught across the Lonestar State:
In Texas, the annual Sharelunker program runs from January 1st to December 31st giving anglers a full calendar year to try and catch a qualifying fish (or several).
The main prize package in the Toyota ShareLunker Prize Drawing is a $5,000 shopping spree. In order to enter, anglers must submit a series of photographs and they must weigh the fish on a certified scale. Full details on how to enter can be found here. Anglers can also provide genetic samples of their largemouth bass which help the state learn more about this species and what makes them grow.
At each class of Lunkershare (Lunker, Elite, and Legend), anyone who enters the Texas bass fishing program will receive a CatchKit from the state. Those CatchKits correspond to the class of the fish caught and get better the bigger the largemouth bass is.
Everyone who enters the Lunkershare program is entered into the drawing for the $5,000 shopping spree. However, ‘Legend’ bass fishing anglers in Texas who donate their 13+ pound largemouth will receive an entry into a separate $5,000 drawing. They will also receive VIP invitations to the annual awards show.
Why the state of Florida where I live hasn’t adopted something similar to this is beyond me because they’re doing bass fishing right in Texas and helping scientists gain a greater understanding of the largemouth bass species along the way.
And for those curious, the Texas state fishing record for Largemouth Bass is an 18.18-pound fish caught by angler Barry St. Clair on Lake Fork on January 24, 1992. The state of Texas has a LOT of bass fishing records are there are a lot of different bass species in the state. Furthermore, the IGFA fishing world record for largemouth bass is 22 pounds, 4 ounces. It’s a tie with one fish caught in Shiga, Japan (2009) and the original record caught in Georgia (1932).