With its next Legacy Class entry into the 2026 Toyota ShareLunker plan set time, Toledo Bend Reservoir in East Texas was once more in the spotlight. The Texas Parks and Wildlife Department’s ( TPWD ) efforts to grow bigger, better bass are anchored in the Toyota ShareLunker program.
On a hunting trip on Wednesday evening, Jim Franklin of Hemphill reeled in a 14.23-pound ShareLunker 695. Toledo Bend collected the next Legacy Class fish this year, and it was also the 12th overall through March 31. The 13.10-pound ShareLunker 687 caught on Saturday, February 7, was the waterbody’s second Legacy Lunker this month, produced by Drake Wadsworth of Stonewall, Louisiana.
11 Legacy Class ShareLunker submissions, as well as several Lew’s Legend Class ( 13 kgs. ), have been produced in Toledo Bend. + comments for April through December. With his 15.32-pound get on July 3, 2000, Eric Weems set the current river record for largemouth bass.
For most anglers, purchasing a Legacy Class ShareLunker is really the fish of their lives, according to Natalie Goldstrohm, TPWD planner for the Toyota ShareLunker system. ” Seeing another bass of this caliber come from Toledo Bend great
lights the amazing opportunities that anglers have when they venture out on this reservoir.
Franklin had spent a lot of time on the water over the course of a few days, but he had not yet landed a significant largemouth bass. On his Wednesday journey to Toledo Bend, all of that changed.
” I was really disgusted a little bit that I hadn’t caught a ten- or nine-pounder this time,” Franklin said.” I decided to do something totally different.” I visited pond areas that hadn’t been there in the past two or three years. I was about to give up, and the day had not been really good for me, so I made one last turn. When a friend called me, I caught a 3. 5-pound guitar, cast it once more, and had a 5-pounder slam the wrong way. I told my friend that I had to let you go because I believed I was on some fish, and I did just that. I finished two more throws and finally caught the bass.
The fight broke out once the fish was on the hook, according to Franklin, who caught it on a Carolina equipment approximately 25 to 30 feet away from his boat.
” I was by myself, and it was full chaos,” Franklin exclaimed. My ship was surrounded by my net about three times, but she managed to keep up the show the entire day. She finally gave up, and I eventually caught her. When I put her in the ship, I was trembling like a leaf and getting my size out. I zeroed it out and assumed I had absolutely raised her off the board, but it turns out that I didn’t because my scale indicated 13.57 lbs. I had a dream come true when I discovered a Legacy Class ShareLunker, and this has been a long time coming.
Franklin requested the fish be submitted and the confirmed bodyweight, which came in at 14.23 pounds, be obtained through the ShareLunker program. The capture even proved to be Franklin’s fresh personal best.
The ShareLunker system, in Franklin’s opinion, is the best thing anglers may have. There isn’t a better plan, in my opinion, because they take these fish, let them reproduce, produce fingerlings, and then transfer the seedlings along with the ShareLunker back into the river after they’ve been released. Different says have applications that don’t exist, and I’ve spent a lot of time with them because they want to do something like what we do in Texas. I can’t thank Toyota and the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department much for their support of bass fishing in our state.
About the ShareLunker Software
Anglers who reel in a 13-plus-pound bass can loan it to TPWD for the ShareLunker selective breeding and stocking program during the first three months of the season ( Jan. 1 through March 31 ). These fish can call TPWD on the ShareLunker hotline at (903 ) 681-0550 to report their catch 24/7 through March 31, 2026.
Fishermen may use a digital scale to obtain the original weight in order to notify the ShareLunker reaction team, but all Legacy Class ShareLunker weights are verified using a certified level. When the TPWD team arrives, they can load the equipment on site with a qualified weight.
The ShareLunker Official Weigh and Holding Stations site contains a list of official weigh facilities.
Anglers who catch and loan a 13-plus-pound lunker earn Legacy Group position, receive a capture equipment stocked with items donated by plan sponsors, a car or boat with a 13-pound + Legacy emblem, VIP access to the Toyota ShareLunker Annual Awards event, and a high-quality replica mount of their fish made of Lake Fork Taxidermy and ShareLunker branded clothing provided by AFTCO. Additionally, fans of the year-end Grand Prize Drawing and the Legacy Class Drawing are entered into two distinct designs. The winner will receive a$ 5, 000 Bass Pro Shops shopping spree in the middle of the drawing.
Fishermen can participate in three more levels of the Toyota ShareLunker Program, which is offered year-round for guitar over eight pounds or 24 inches in Texas open waters. These levels help TPWD fisheries biologists better control guitar in Texas because they can obtain crucial information from each of them.
Anglers who enter information for a lunker greater than eight pounds or 24 inches will also be entered into the Grand Prize Drawing for the year-end Grand Prize Drawing to win a$ 5, 000 Bass Pro Shops shopping spree. The Bass Pro Shops Lunker School ( 8 lb. ) is included in ShareLunker’s access courses. + ), 10 lb. Strike King Elite Class. + ) and Lew’s Legend Class ( 13 lb. + ).
Fish must enter the get information on the Toyota ShareLunker mobile app, which is free to download from the Apple App Store and Google Play, or at Texas Sharelunker.com.
Anglers have the option of sending a DNA size sample from their lunker guitar to TPWD scientists for genomic analysis in addition to providing basic get information. As long as supplies next, anglers who provide a sample to the system will get a Lew’s baitcasting reel, with a maximum of one clip per angler. The Toyota ShareLunker webpage has instructions for submitting DNA tests.
Once more, TPWD and the Toyota ShareLunker system work together to win the 2026 AFTCO Guide of the Year award.
Winter of ShareLunker. A fishing guide who makes a significant contribution to the protection and development of largemouth bass in Texas is honored with the AFTCO Guide of the Year award.
The generous title sponsorship of Toyota makes the Toyota ShareLunker Program possible in large part. Toyota has long supported the Texas Parks and Wildlife Foundation and TPWD, providing significant funding for a range of fisheries, state parks, and wildlife projects.
Legend Class category prize sponsor Lew’s, Elite Class category prize sponsor Strike King, Lunker Class category prize sponsor Bass Pro Shops, AFTCO, Bass Forecast, Bass University, and Lake Fork Taxidermy also provide vital program support.
Visit facebook .com/sharelunkerprogram/, Instagram.com/TexasShareLunker/, or Texas Sharelunker.com for updates on the Toyota ShareLunker Program.
