The fish may be donated to the department in exchange for a free replica of the fish and a certificate of appreciation. The donated fish will be maintained by LDWF, and spawning will be attempted at Booker Fowler Fish Hatchery in Forest Hill.

The fish given to the department are an important part of LDWF's on-going efforts to increase the distribution of larger genes and hopefully increase the overall average size of bass in the state. In 2002, LDWF Inland Fisheries Division stocked 53 waterbodies with bass fingerlings.

These efforts are showing their fruits all over the state. Paul Whitehead, an LDWF biologist, said they are consistently seeing fish that approach the state record. The current Louisiana record for largemouth bass was set at Caney Lake in 1995, with a whopper weighing in at 15.97 pounds. Whitehead said they had a brush with a potential record breaker just two years ago at Lake D'Arbonne. A female bass was caught that weighed 15.31 pounds when she was submitted to the program. According to Whitehead, the fish was without eggs, which could have easily put her over the record. LDWF biologists internally tagged the fish and released it back to Lake D'Arbonne. "She's out there, and if she's caught she will more than likely break the record," said Whitehead. "But she's not alone. There are fish like that one all over the state."

Fishermen who would like to participate are asked to call their local LDWF office when the fish is caught. LDWF personnel are available to pick up the fish at any time. Anglers may also call the Operation Game Thief hotline at 1-800-442-2511 to report their lunker. Fish will be accepted from now until April 30.