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Time to reel in 13-pound largemouth bass: ShareLunker season begins Oct. 1 in Texas

SPECIAL TO THE PICAYUNE

ATHENS — The 28th season of the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department’s Toyota ShareLunker program begins Oct. 1.

Anyone legally catching a 13-pound or bigger largemouth bass from public or private Texas waters between Oct. 1 and April 30 may submit the fish to the Toyota ShareLunker program. Fish will be picked up by TPWD personnel within 12 hours.

Anglers entering fish into the Toyota ShareLunker program receive a free replica of their fish, a certificate and ShareLunker clothing and are recognized at a banquet at the Texas Freshwater Fisheries Center in Athens. The person who catches the season’s largest entry will be named Angler of the Year. If the Angler of the Year is a Texas resident, that person also receives a lifetime fishing license.

Prizes and funding for the banquet are provided by Toyota.

To report a ShareLunker catch, call (903) 681-0550 or (888) 784-0600.

Go to www.tpwd.state.tx.us/sharelunker for more information and rules of the ShareLunker program, tips on caring for big bass, a list of official Toyota ShareLunker weigh and holding stations and a recap of last year’s season,

ShareLunker entries are used in a selective breeding program at the Texas Freshwater Fisheries Center in Athens. Some of the offspring from these fish are restocked into the water body from which they were caught. Other ShareLunker offspring are stocked in public waters across the state in an attempt to increase the overall size and growth rate of largemouth bass in Texas.