The Toyota ShareLunker Program in Texas, along with the state’s Parks and Wildlife Department (TPWD), has partnered with AFTCO to present a new award each year to a fishing guide who contributes to conservation and the enhancement of largemouth bass in Texas, with the first being given out in 2025.
The new AFTCO Guide of the Year Award is open to guides during the entire ShareLunker season, according to the release, which runs from Jan. 1 to Dec. 31. The winner of this new award will be announced on the Toyota ShareLunker social media channels by April of the following year. The award comes with a $500 AFTCO fishing gear shopping spree, a $500 cash prize, and recognition at the Toyota ShareLunker VIP Banquet in the fall, according to a release from the TPWD.
“With a chance to win $500 worth of AFTCO gear of their choosing and $500 cash prize, this promotion underscores the importance of conservation, and the invaluable role that guides can play in preserving Texas’s bass populations,” said Natalie Goldstrohm, the Toyota ShareLunker program coordinator, in a release. “Fishing guides can play a pivotal role in the Toyota ShareLunker Program’s mission to engage the public in the promotion and enhancement of Lunker bass fishing in Texas public waters.”
“We have had a great relationship with TPWD to this point and look forward to expanding our relationship with them in 2025 and beyond,” said Casey Shedd, the president of AFTCO. “Conservation is a core principle of AFTCO and it’s great to build on that with a great partner like TPWD.”
So what does a guide have to do to be in the running?
A guide’s clients who catch a ShareLunker-eligible largemouth bass (weighing over 8 pounds and/or measuring 24 inches in length) on a guided trip have to enter their catch into the ShareLunker database according to submission rules and submit the catch data. The client must indicate the fish was caught during a guided trip and enter the guide’s name.
At the time of the catch, the guide must have a valid fishing license (unless they are exempt), a valid fishing guide license in Texas, and must not have any current or pending fish and wildlife violations. If those qualifications are met, the guide will be considered for the AFTCO Texas Bass Guide of the year award.
“The number of ShareLunker-sized bass that guides encounter is considerable,” Goldstrohm said. “By having clients reporting these catches and providing the much-needed DNA samples, TPWD biologists can better manage Lunker populations, better understand bass populations and evaluate Lone Star bass stockings.”
All eligible guides from 2024 submissions will be contacted by the end of January and will be sent an application form to complete. The form must be returned by Feb. 28, 2025. Afterward, a review committee will use a system to evaluate guides based on established criteria to choose a winner, the release says.
For more information on the Toyota ShareLunker program in Texas, go here.
