FRANKENBASS: Love it or Hate It?

March 11, 2009

FRANKENBASS: Love it or Hate It? - 6

Yesterday, I called Larry Hodge, the information specialist at Texas’ Freshwater Fisheries Center, to check some facts on an article I’m editing. The story is about what various states are doing to manage for trophy largemouths. Texas is really pointing at the fence with its “Operation World Record” program, which literally is trying to bring home the bragging rights to the Lone Star State by line-breeding lunker, Florida-strain largemouths. Wouldn’t you know, it’s pre-spawn bass fishing season, and Larry and program director David Campbell were headed out to pick up a lunker from a conscientious Texas bass angler.

These guys are so proud of the program. You can hear the excitement in their voices. They’re literally pioneers in their field.

But as I talked to these pioneers, I realized that an old frontier is bygone. A few weeks back, a Georgia biologist told me that American shad populations have been seriously diminished in Georgia rivers. Without aggressive forage stocking programs, which Georgia is embarking on, it’s doubtful that another world record could come from that state.

Seems that we’ll probably never see another bass that’s purely a great feat of nature. Almost everywhere you can expect to catch a lunker is managed intensively. In one sense, I feel like that fact makes catching a big bass a little less spontaneous and surprising. On the other hand, there’s never been a better time to be a bass angler if you’re into catching trophy fish, whether they are the result of pioneer science or careful management. What do you think?

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from Mike wrote 1 year 24 weeks ago

It's sort of like comparing this to QDM to grow big racked bucks. Trophy fishing is wide open compared to trophy hunting per P&Y or B&C rules. Will probably draw some publicity and revenues into those areas for people looking for a trophy. Does make me wonder if an asterisk should be placed next to trophies in areas like this.

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from elkslayer wrote 1 year 24 weeks ago

I think it wold be a shame it a genetically enhanced or specialty breed bass, deer, or any other species ever broke a standing record of a wild animal that has survived long enough to attain record size. "grown" records should be kept separate from wild records.

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from Yoda wrote 1 year 24 weeks ago

I'd like to hear about any problems that seem to crop up because of these genetic alterations. There are problems that may not have yet been explored. Many species that are genetically altered have more susceptibility to fish, have variable habits that adversley affect other species, etc. There will always be those people that want to catch the big one, but there are going to be those that want to catch natural fish, how will that be distinguished in the wild. It's fascinating stuff, but maybe it should be left for growing larger farm raised fish for consumption.

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from DonkeySlapper wrote 1 year 24 weeks ago

I would think in 20 years there will be some "unforseen" problem. Like all the frankenbass die because of some disease, or they eat all the crayfish. We have killer bees in South American because some well meaning scientist wanted to make more honey- always a bad idea to mess with nature. 100 millions years of evolution vs. some yahoos who want bigger fish.

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from TreeStandBandit wrote 1 year 24 weeks ago

I think nothing good ever comes with messing with nature.

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from elkslayer wrote 1 year 25 weeks ago

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from DonkeySlapper wrote 1 year 24 weeks ago

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from TreeStandBandit wrote 1 year 24 weeks ago

I think nothing good ever comes with messing with nature.

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from Mike wrote 1 year 25 weeks ago

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from Yoda wrote 1 year 24 weeks ago

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