Bois d'Arc Lake – The Toyota ShareLunker Program, The Inland Fisheries Denison District - Texas Parks and Wildlife, and North Texas Municipal Water District came to the footprint of Bois d'Arc Lake on Tuesday, October 29 to help improve the fishery even before the lake is impounded.
2,000 selectively bred bass were placed in several ponds that will be inundated when the lake fills. The six- to nine-inch fingerling bass, which came from ShareLunker 581, are expected to grow quickly to two- to three-pounds each in only a couple of years, and be capable of spawning themselves by the time the reservoir fills and inundates the stocked ponds. This process will allow the fingerlings to maximize their genetic influence within the future lake’s bass population.
Brad Scott of Gun Barrel City caught ShareLunker 581 on a plastic worm in 4 feet of water at Lake Leon near Abilene.
The Inland Fisheries Denison District - Texas Parks and Wildlife arrived early. They collected and transferred 150 to 200 12 to16-inch fish from the pond before the fingerlings were released to reduce competition for the fingerlings. Some other ponds were cleared of competition. Blue gill, fathead minnows, and other bait fish were put into the ponds for food for the young bass.
That was not the only news of the day, as the Lone Star Law crew was in town to film the fish release. Texas Game Wardens, Captain Steve Stapleton and Randolph McGee, released many of the fish into the pond for the show.