In just four times, O. H. Ivie resurrected its hot run with four more sizable Legacy Class ShareLunkers. O. H. Ivie has now produced 10 Legacy Class entries, and this trio of fish bumped the state total to 17 during the 2024 Toyota ShareLunker set period.
On March 17, Kyle Hall of Granbury boated 15.82- ounce ShareLunker 665 for Larry Walker of Irving, who caught 13.62- pound ShareLunker 666 on March 20, caught 13.22- pound ShareLunker 667 on Wednesday. Bud Robey of New Carlisle, Ohio, caught 13.22- pound ShareLunker 667.
The 37th heaviest largemouth bass in Texas history and the largest this time is Hall’s ShareLunker 665. Hall is the only fish to get a Legacy Class Lunker in three sequential conditions. The top 50 of Texas currently includes two of Hall’s seafood. On March 1, 2022, Hall caught his second major 50 bass, and he reeled in 16.10 lb ShareLunker 624 on January 29, 2023, for 13.58 lb ShareLunker 635. All three of Hall’s Legacy Class lunkers were caught at O. H. Ivie.
TPWD biologists discovered that Mechelda Criswell, an angler, had submitted a copy of Walker’s ShareLunker 666, which was a recapture of the 14.08-pound ShareLunker 646 that was actually submitted on February 27, 2023.
” O. H. Ivie continues to draw fish, and the work of Legacy Class ShareLunkers continues,” said Natalie Goldstrohm, system planner for Toyota ShareLunkers. ” This tank has established itself as a top destination for some prize largemouth bass fishermen and it is no wonder that Kyle Hall and another target these companies at O. H. Ivie year after year”.
Robey nearly missed the trip due to a canceled flight, but he was able to change his plans and make his arrival in Texas soon. After a few hours of sleep, Robey awoke to fish with his companion Phil and link Josh Jones.
” We got out on the water, and it was hard fish because the fish were shut down due to the cold before that came through”, said Robey. I did succeed in a few things earlier in the day. I was fortunate enough to land a 12- ounce bass, which was by far my private best largemouth bass to date. My buddy Phil had caught a 12.7- lb the day before, so we were extremely happy. In our minds, the excursion paid off with each of us catching a significant bass that we had come here to get.
Around 12:30 or 1 p.m., a significant wind with lightning caused the fish to head to Elm Creek Marina to waited it out. The wind hit tough and first they had decided to call it a day, but it started to light up a little after lunch. Robey and his companion Phil made the decision to change direction and leave.
Let’s try it again, Robey said,” Phil looked at me and said we may not or might not be here again for a while.” ” But, we said to Josh we’d like to go back outside and he said positive. I’m so happy that we caught the ShareLunker after making that choice. I was fortunate that it was actually my move. Josh said begin casting out in this particular way which was in five to six feet of water. I roughly five throws, but I finally sensed the pull and slammed the wire. ShareLunker was Josh’s first thoughts when he netted the fish and put it in the ship. I was very happy, and it was an incredible time for me to take these two fish out of the lake”.
Robey’s companion Phil, who had an invitation to him on this journey, made him aware of the ShareLunker software.
” The ShareLunker system up front are great people and an awesome program,” Robey said. ” The entire process was pretty easy, and Josh knew exactly what to do so that was great also. Although I was informed of the program, I did not realize how significant it was. Somebody I spoke to at Elm Creek was aware of the program and was incredibly excited to be a part of it. All was great, TPWD workers, Josh, the folks at Elm Creek and I loved anyone I met. I feel incredibly fortunate to have caught this fish, have the opportunity to fish at O. H. Ivie, and be a part of the ShareLunker program.
Hall is a fishing guide, and the client he had scheduled for the day had to have cancelled at the last minute. Hall said he does n’t have many days on the water by himself, so he took the opportunity to target a ShareLunker.
” I really did n’t catch much until around 4 p.m. when I got on the water,” said Hall, “around 8 or 8: 30 a.m. I caught an 11-pounder after reeling in a 10.20-pound fish, and then, at random, I ran up the river to catch another. I then ran back down the lake and by the dam I came across this fish. She was about to eat when I casted at her. People were asking me if she jumped out of the water because it all happened so quickly. She ended up not coming up out of the water, but she about ripped the rod out of my hand”.
The catch on Monday night was significant for Hall and the ShareLunker program. He is the first angler to successfully catch a Legacy Class fish in three years.
” The first year I just wanted to go to the banquet and be the cool kid with a ShareLunker”, added Hall. The first one was a 16.10-pounder, which is unbelievable, and I only attempted to catch one more the following year. I’ve only been fishing on O. H. Ivie alone since January 1 for two days. After having two Legacy Class fish in a row, I knew time was closing in on me to get a third. When I caught her around 7 p.m., I spent daylight to dark on Saturday and daylight to almost dark on Monday.
Hall’s third participation in the ShareLunker program was once more exceptional.
” It was pretty late in the evening and TPWD staff did a great job with the process”, said Hall. ” Hopefully she produces a lot of offspring at O. H. Ivie,” she said.
On Wednesday, Walker returned to the lake to fish with his good friend Josh Jones. Walker, who caught ShareLunker 663 just nine days earlier, was targeting another and planned his trip to O. H. Ivie hoping to fish during the prime spawning season on the lake.
We went out on the water and searched for a good spot where they might be spawning, according to Walker. ” We did n’t eat until about 12 p.m.,” but I did eventually get the bite I needed. The fish put up a good fight and ran us all over the boat, but everything worked out perfectly. Josh hooked her up in the net, and the boat’s initial weight was over 13 pounds. It weighed 13.62 pounds when we went to Elm Creek Marina to get it on the certified scale.
Walker made the call to submit his ShareLunker.
Walker praised TPWD and the ShareLunker program staff for being so knowledgeable and thorough. I’ve been telling everyone how impressed I am with the program. Texas is the best place in the world to catch massive largemouth bass and that’s because of the ShareLunker program”.
In search of the fish of the lifetime, Hines and his friend Brad traveled from Oklahoma. In 2023, six anglers from other states traveled to Texas on their quest for a Legacy Class ShareLunker, and anglers from seven other states were able to catch one in Texas.
” We had searched around the lake several different places, but we were n’t catching a lot of fish”, said Hines. We decided to go to some main lake points and throw some big swim baits because we were only catching a few smaller ones here and there. We did n’t do anything fancy, instead we kind of stumbled on to a big one. She was only about 20- feet from the boat when I set the hook, and she made a couple of turns. It was heading for the boat when Brad made the second turn with the net ready. I’d never put a fish that big in a boat, and he got her in pretty quickly. We danced around, high fived and had a good time. It was something else.
Hines was enthralled by both the experience and the ShareLunker program.
” Everyone we talked to with the ShareLunker program was very helpful and it was a wonderful experience”, added Hines. We ca n’t thank TPWD enough for your efforts, nor can we express our gratitude to ShareLunker. Although we are from Oklahoma, we are aware of how excellent this program is and how fortunate we are to have visited Texas Lakes.
O. H. Ivie has produced an unprecedented run of ShareLunkers during the last four seasons, accounting for the final ShareLunker of the 2020 collection and then exploding for 12 Legacy Class Lunkers in both the 2021 and 2022 seasons. It then proceeded to break the 15 ShareLunker’s single-season collection record for that waterbody in 2023.
In 2024, O. H. Ivie is outperforming the field in terms of both legacy class fish and other catch classes. The lake has yielded 11 Strike King Elite Class entries and three Bass Pro Shops Lunker Class entries since Jan. 1. Over the past four collections seasons, these four fish added to the total number of combined Legacy Lunkers and multiple Legend Class entries.
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 anglers can call the ShareLunker hotline at (903 ) 681- 0550 to report their catch 24/7 through March 31.
Anglers must use a certified scale to weigh potential Legacy Class fish. On the ShareLunker Official Weigh and Holding Stations website, you can find a list of official weigh stations.
Anglers who catch and loan one of these 13- plus pound lunkers earn Legacy Class status, receive a catch kit filled with merchandise, a 13lb+ Legacy decal for their vehicle or boat, VIP access to the Toyota ShareLunker Annual Awards event, a high- quality replica mount of their fish from Lake Fork Taxidermy, and Bass University will provide a swag pack and annual subscription. These anglers will also be entered into the year-end Grand Prize Drawing and the Legacy Class Drawing, two separate drawings. The winner will receive a$ 5, 000 shopping spree from Bass Pro Shops through both drawings.
The year- round Toyota ShareLunker program offers four levels of participation for catching bass over eight pounds or 24 inches in Texas. These four anglers weighed their ShareLunkers using the certified scale at Elm Creek Marina.
Anglers who enter information for any lunker they catch in excess of eight pounds or 24 inches during the year of 2024 will also receive a catch kit, a decal for their boat, a one-month Bass University subscription, and a chance to win a$ 5, 000 Bass Pro Shops shopping spree. ShareLunker entry classes include the Bass Pro Shops Lunker Class ( 8 lb. + ), Strike King Elite Class ( 10 lb. + ), and Lew’s Legend Class ( 13 lb. ). + ).
Anglers must enter the catch information on the Toyota ShareLunker mobile app, which is free to download from the Apple App Store and Google Play, or on the Texas ShareLunker.com website.
Anglers can send a DNA scale sample of their lunker bass to TPWD researchers for genetic analysis in addition to providing basic catch information. Anglers who contribute a sample to the program in 2024 will receive a Lew’s baitcast reel valued at up to$ 200 while supplies last, with a limit of one reel per angler. A three-month subscription to Bass University will also be provided to anglers who send in a genetic sample. On the Toyota ShareLunker website, instructions for submitting DNA samples are available.
The Toyota ShareLunker Program is made possible in part by the generous sponsorship of Toyota. 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, American Fishing Tackle Co., Bass Forecast, Bass University, Lake Fork Taxidermy, and 6th Sense Fishing all provide additional vital program support. For updates on the Toyota ShareLunker Program, visit facebook .com/sharelunkerprogram/, https ://www.instagram.com/TexasShareLunker/ or Texas Sharelunker.com.
