The Budweiser ShareLunker season ended April 30 with a total of 13 fish entered into the program. 

    While this is below the long-term average of 20 fish per season, the number of spawns was above average. Two fish spawned a total of six times, producing 110,148 eggs. The average number of spawns each season is four.  

    ShareLunker 446, caught from Richland-Chambers Reservoir by Jeremy Bruton of Blooming Grove, was particularly prolific, spawning four times and producing 78,834 eggs. ShareLunker 450, caught from Tyler State Park Lake by Brett Harris of Tyler, spawned twice and produced 31,314 eggs.

    Fish from these spawns will be grown to six inches before being stocked as part of the Operation World Record research study.

    Operation World Record is an attempt to produce the next world record largemouth bass through a program of selective breeding using Budweiser ShareLunkers with pure Florida largemouth genes. Research to evaluate the growth rates of these selectively bred fish is ongoing.

    ShareLunkers caught this season were new lake records for Lake Waco and Tyler State Park Lake. The latter fish weighed 14.5 pounds and was the largest entered into the program this season. A fish from Lake Casa Blanca was caught and entered into the program for the second time.

    Following is a chronological summary of the catches.

    January 13, 2008. Tyler Goetzman of Willis kicked off the action with a 13.06-pound largemouth bass from Lake Conroe. The fifteen-year-old was fishing a tournament when the fish took a Rat-L-Trap in six feet of water. The fish was 24 inches long and 20.25 inches in girth.

    February 24, 2008. James Manasco of Hemphill was catching a lot of small fish in four feet of water in a shallow creek in the back of a cove when a 13.75-pound largemouth took his green six-inch ZOOM stick worm. 

The big female became the fourth Budweiser ShareLunker to come from Toledo Bend Reservoir and number 443 in the program.

    March 9, 2008. Three lakes produced Budweiser ShareLunkers: Lakes Amistad, Richland-Chambers and Waco.

    The Lake Waco fish was the first ShareLunker from that lake and a new lake record. Caught by Ricky Culverhouse of Waco while fishing in a Robinson Bass Club tournament, the fish weighed 13.87 pounds and was 25.5 inches long and 21.5 inches in girth. Culverhouse caught the fish on a black-and-red flake Baby Brushhog in about six feet of water.

    Chris McEntyre of Devine landed a 13.39-pounder from Lake Amistad about 10:30 a.m. McEntyre’s fish was 26 inches long and 20 inches in girth. It bit a perch swim bait in 15 feet of water.

    Shortly after noon Jeremy Bruton of Blooming Grove landed a 13.05-pounder from Richland-Chambers Reservoir. The fish was 25.25 inches long and 22 inches in girth. Bruton was using a Stanley Wedge spinner bait in three to four feet of water. He was fishing in a Richland-Chambers Bass Club tournament.

    March 10, 2008. Lake Fork sent its first fish of the season to Athens Monday night. Cal Lamb of Forney pulled a 13.02-pounder from Lake Fork, the 237th Budweiser ShareLunker from that lake. Lamb was fishing about 8 feet deep among stumps when the fish took his jig. The fish was 25 inches long and 21 inches in girth.