ATHENS -- John True of Dallas kicked off the 2008-2009 Budweiser ShareLunker season October 3 with a 13.38-pound largemouth bass from a private lake in Rusk County.

True was fishing with his three-year-old son, Jack, when the fish took a Senko in 10 feet of water. The fish was 26.75 inches long and 20 inches in girth.

Only five other fish have been entered into the ShareLunker Program in October. The first was Scott Tongate’s 16.02-pounder from Possum Kingdom Lake caught October 13, 1989. The latest was Danny McBride’s 13.16-pound Lake Fork lunker, caught October 29, 2004.
True’s fish is the earliest October entry, but other fish have been entered earlier in the year. One fish was entered in July, two in August and one in September because of special circumstances. Normally fish are accepted into the Budweiser ShareLunker Program only from October 1 through April 30.

Any angler legally catching a largemouth bass weighing 13 pounds or more may enter it into the Budweiser ShareLunker Program by calling program manager David Campbell at (903) 681-0550 or paging him at (888) 784-0600 and leaving an area code and number.
Anglers entering fish into the program receive ShareLunker clothing, a fiberglass replica of their catch, and recognition at a banquet at the Texas Freshwater Fisheries Center in Athens following the close of the season.

The Budweiser ShareLunker program is made possible through support from Anheuser-Busch, Inc. Since 1991, Anheuser-Busch, in partnership with the Texas Parks and Wildlife Foundation, has contributed millions of dollars in funding to support conservation causes and fishing, hunting and outdoor recreation programs in Texas.