Activist Angler Robert Montgomery Report 1st: Ronnie Arnold earned himself a unique place in Texas’ Toyota ShareLunker program recently, when he landed a 15.7-pound largemouth bass in Caddo Lake, a fishery on the border with Louisiana.
In donating the fish to the trophy bass spawning program managed by the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department (TPWD), Arnold became the first angler to enter two fish of 15 pounds or more. In 2009, he caught a 15.1-pound fish, also at Caddo.
Seventeen anglers have multiple entries, including five with three fish. Bill Reed’s two were the heaviest pair collectively, with one weighing 16.54 pounds and the other 14.91.
Arnold’s catch was the ninth from Caddo donated to the program begun in 1986. The lake record, 16.17, was entered by Keith Burns in 2010. Then, Sean Swank caught the same fish in 2011, when its weigh had dropped slightly to 16.07.
The latest Caddo entry was the third of the spring statewide for ShareLunker and No. 568 since the program began in 1986. It also was the largest since Swank’s catch.
With a minimum weight requirement of 13 pounds, the program was established “to promote catch-and-release of large fish and to selectively breed trophy largemouth bass,” TPWD said. “The first fish entered into the program was also a new state record, a 17.67-pounder caught from Lake Fork in November (1986).” Complete story link – http://www.activistangler.com/journal/2017/5/15/caddo-angler-catches-second-15-pounder-for-sharelunker-progr.html