Bud's ShareLunker Program and Official Rules

March 15, 2004

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

For more information contact Larry Hodge at (903) 670-2255.
Reyes Honored as Budweiser ShareLunker Angler of the Year

ATHENS, Texas—Jason Reyes of Humble, Texas, was honored for having caught the largest Budweiser ShareLunker of the 2004 season at a banquet May 29 at the Texas Freshwater Fisheries Center.
A total of 14 anglers entered 15 largemouth bass weighing 13 pounds or more in the program. Richard Mims of Laredo caught two big bass from Lake Casa Blanca in January.
Each angler received ShareLunker clothing, a certificate and a fiberglass replica of their trophy made by Lake Fork Taxidermy. Reyes also received a lifetime fishing license for being the Texas resident entering the largest fish in the program.
Joining the anglers and their guests were TFFC staff members as well as Phil Durocher of Austin, head of Texas Parks and Wildlife Department’s Inland Fisheries Division. ShareLunker program director David Campbell expressed TPWD’s thanks for anglers’ support for the program and called them “the finest conservationists in the state.”
Also honored during the evening was Michael (“Shorty”) Powers of Terrell, who was inducted into the Texas Freshwater Fishing Hall of Fame in recognition of his work involving physically challenged people in outdoor activities.

Photographs of the evening’s events, including all the honorees, may be viewed and downloaded from the Budweiser ShareLunker Web site at http://www.tpwd.state.tx.us/fish/infish/hatchery/tffc/banquetphotos/.

The first 2004 ShareLunker from Lake Fork January 14, 2004 Frank Hardy of Mineola, TX caught the first of the 2004 Share A Lunker weighing 13.32 lbs. The bass measured 24" and had a girth of 22.13". Frank Hardy was crappie fishing under Hwy 154 bridge in 40' of water. The bass went for a handmade crappie jig.	Frank Hardy from Mineola, Texas A 13.32 lb. Largemouth Bass
The second 2004 ShareLunker from Lake Fork February 20th, 2004 On Friday, February 20th at 12 noon, Leroy Crawley Sr. of Forsyth, Missouri caught Budweiser ShareLunker # 5 from Lake Fork. It weighed 13.11 lbs. and measured 24.25" in length with a 22.75" girth. Mr. Crawley was fishing in 10 feet of water near the dam with a green pumpkin colored Jig & Crawdaddy trailer.	Leroy Crawley Sr. from Forsyth, Missouri 13.11 lb. Largemouth Bass
The third 2004 ShareLunker from Lake Fork February 21, 2004 On Saturday, February 21st at 6:00 pm, Alvin (Sonny) Helms of Wills Point, Texas caught Budweiser ShareLunker # 6 from Lake Fork. It weighed 13.02 and measured 24.5" in length with a 21.5" girth. Mr. Helms was fishing in 4 feet of water in Pension Creek with a Carolina Rigged watermelon colored French fry.	Alvin (Sonny) Helms from Wills Point, Texas A 13.02 lb. Largemouth Bass
The fourth 2004 ShareLunker from Lake Fork March 2, 2004 Budweiser ShareLunker # 7 was caught from Lake Fork at 11 am on Tuesday, March 2, 2004 by Ross Allcorn of Burleson, Texas. The Lunker weighed 13.41 lbs. and measured 25 ¾ inches in length with a 20 ¾ inch girth. Mr. Allcorn was fishing on the edge of a creek channel in eight feet of water with a 3/8 oz. black blue Realistic Jig.	Ross Allcorn of Burleson, Texas The Lunker weighed 13.41 lbs.
The fifth 2004 ShareLunker from Lake Fork March 16, 2004 Jeff Bassinger of Alvarado, TX caught ShareLunker # 8 of the 2004 Season on March 16th from Lake Fork. Bassinger caught the bass in 6' deep with a black blue Lake Fork Top Dog Lizard. The lunker weighed 13.125 lbs and measured 25.5" length with a 21.5" girth.	Jeff Bassinger of Alvarado, Texas The lunker weighed 13.125 lbs
The sixth 2004 ShareLunker from Lake Fork March 22, 2004 Tony Hill of Murfreesboro, Tennessee, caught this 13.08-pound largemouth bass from Lake Fork at 6:30 p.m. March 22. Hill was fishing in 61-degree water at a depth of 20 feet using a six-inch plastic lizard when he hooked the bass. The lunker measures 25 inches long and 21.5 inches in girth. The bass is #10 in the ShareLunker Program for 2004. Photo Courtesy Texas Parks and Wildlife Department	Tony Hill of Murfreesboro, Tennessee The lunker weighed 13.08 lbs
The seventh 2004 ShareLunker from Lake Fork April 3, 2004 Jeffrey Erpelding of Plainview, Texas caught Budweiser ShareLunker # 7 from Lake Fork on Saturday April 3^rd. The fish weighs 13.19 lbs and measured 25.5" in length with a 21" girth, she was caught on a Wiggle Wort in 3 to 4 feet of water in Little Caney. Photo Courtesy Texas Parks and Wildlife Department	Jeffrey Erpelding of Plainview, Texas The bass weighed 13.19 lbs
The eighth 2004 ShareLunker from Lake Fork April 8, 2004 Roy Greer of Alba, Texas caught ShareLunker # 14 of the 2004 season from a private lake on (Lake Fork) April 8, 2004. Lunker # 14 weighs 13.43 lbs and measures 26.25" in length with a 20.63" girth.	Roy Greer of Alba, Texas The lunker weighed 13.43 lbs

ShareLunker Program
Program Description
Bud's ShareLunker Program is a tripartite venture among businesses, state government, and anglers to preserve and enhance Texas largemouth bass fisheries. Through the Program, anglers may loan largemouth bass weighing 13 pounds or more to the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department for spawning and research purposes which include evaluating relationships between genetics and early life history, growth, performance, behavior, and competition. After spawning, TPWD personnel will contact the angler and arrange a date at which the fish can be released back into the waters from which it was caught. In return for their cooperation, participating anglers receive a free fiberglass replica of their catch, ShareLunker clothing, and recognition at the awards banquet at Texas Freshwater Fisheries Center. In addition, the Texas resident catching the largest ShareLunker entry of the season will be awarded a lifetime fishing license
Anyone catching a 13-pound-plus largemouth bass is eligible to participate by calling (903) 670-2226 weekdays or by paging (888) 784-0600 weekends and evenings.

Since the start of the Program in 1986, 333 largemouth bass from 58 public reservoirs have been donated.
For more information about the program, call 903-670-2226.

Official Rules for ShareLunker

1. The Program is limited to largemouth bass weighing 13 pounds or greater.
2. The Program is in effect from December 1 - April 30.
3. The fish must be legally caught in Texas waters.
4. A Texas Parks & Wildlife employee will be solely responsible for accepting a fish into the program, based on the expectation that the fish will be able to survive and spawn.
5. Possession of the fish must be transferred to a designated Texas Parks & Wildlife representative within 12 hours after capture. The angler must sign a release absolving all sponsors, Texas Parks & Wildlife Department, and Texas Parks & Wildlife Department employees of any liability resulting from the loss or death of their fish.
6. Employees and families of program sponsors are not eligible for participation in the program.
Traditionally, anglers who donate live bass to the ShareLunker program for use in fish production and research efforts have been rewarded with a free fiberglass replica of their catch and an invitation to the annual awards banquet. Now, participants will also receive a three-in-one parka, a ShareLunker shirt and an opportunity to win a $1,000 cash prize through a random drawing during the annual banquet.
Each year, the program accepts live 13-pound-plus "lunker" bass from anglers. Bass loaned or donated through the program are used by TPW's hatchery staff in research to produce potentially trophy-sized bass for stocking in Texas public waters. In this way, the best, big-fish genes will be captured and passed on to improve bass fishing in Texas.