Researcher is holding a lunker bass

A lunker bass weighing 11.7 pounds was captured at Lake Fork reservoir in Texas by a collaborating angler. USGS researchers at the Mississippi Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Unit are leading ongoing research with Texas Parks & Wildlife Department (TPWD) and volunteer anglers to explore a one-of-a-kind fisheries database. TPWD manages an online tool that collects statistics on large black bass that weigh over 8 pounds. The first steps in this partnership have focused on estimating the habitat needs and recruitment rates of large black bass, herein “lunker” bass.