SAN ANGELO, TX – New Year’s Day represents new beginnings, and for the Toyota ShareLunker Program, it’s the launch of the program’s 39th season.
Anglers from across Texas and the nation will visit the world class fisheries across the state and cast their lines in hopes of landing a Legacy Class largemouth bass of 13 pounds or more.
During the first three months of the season (Jan. 1 through March 31), anglers who reel in a 13-plus pound bass can loan it to TPWD for the ShareLunker selective breeding and stocking program.
The Toyota ShareLunker program has played an integral part in making Texas a destination for hundreds of thousands of anglers in search of this prized sport fish. Grabbing a pole, hitting the water and hauling in a 13-pound largemouth bass would be a great way to kick off the new year. The cast of the line, the lure landing just right on the water and a strike from a possible fish of a lifetime is what many anglers strive to experience.
“The start of a new Toyota ShareLunker season is always full of excitement and possibility,” said Natalie Goldstrohm, Toyota ShareLunker program coordinator. “A new Toyota ShareLunker season means new opportunities to partner with anglers and industry supporters, advance bass genetics, and create a future filled with more trophy-sized fish in Texas public waters.”
The 2024 season was another banner year for the program. Together, Texas Parks and Wildlife Department (TPWD) Inland Fisheries Division staff and participating anglers made the program a success by reaching multiple milestones and making irreplaceable memories.
Key highlights from the 2024 Toyota ShareLunker collection season include:
- Six reservoirs delivered Legacy Class Lunkers (Fort Phantom Hill, Inks Lake, J.B. Thomas, O.H. Ivie, Sam Rayburn, Toledo Bend)
- Three new reservoirs with Legacy Class ShareLunkers (Fort Phantom Hill, Inks Lake, J.B. Thomas)
- Three new waterbody records (J.B. Thomas, Inks Lake, Fort Phantom Hill) and one new junior waterbody record (J.B. Thomas)
- Angler Kyle Hall’s ShareLunker 665 (15.82-pounds) made the Texas Top 50 as the 37th heaviest all-time Texas largemouth bass
- Angler Kyle Hall recorded a Legacy Lunker in three consecutive seasons
- Six out-of-state anglers etched their name into the program’s record book. The anglers hailed from Kansas, New York, Ohio, Oklahoma and Washington.
- Angler Larry R. Walker reeled in two Legacy Class Lunkers in 2024
- Anglers submitted more than 600 ShareLunker entries during the year-round program, including 12 Lew’s Legend Class (13+ pounds)
Anglers who catch a qualifying fish can call the ShareLunker hotline at (903) 681-0550 to report their catch 24/7 through March 31, 2025.
Anglers that catch and loan a 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, ShareLunker branded apparel provided by AFTCO, and Bass University will provide a swag pack and annual subscription. Anglers also receive entries into two separate drawings – a Legacy Class Drawing and the year-end Grand Prize Drawing. Both drawings will award the winner a $5,000 Bass Pro Shops shopping spree.
The year-round Toyota ShareLunker program offers anglers three additional levels of participation for catching bass over eight pounds or 24 inches in Texas public waters. Each of these levels provide vital data to TPWD fisheries biologists, helping them continue to create bigger, better bass in Texas.
Anglers who enter data for any lunker they catch greater than eight pounds or 24 inches also receive a catch kit, a decal for their vehicle or boat, a one-month subscription to Bass University and an entry into the year-end Grand Prize Drawing 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.+).
Once a lunker is reeled in, anglers need to enter the catch data on the Toyota ShareLunker mobile app – available for free from the Apple App Store and Google Play – or at TexasSharelunker.com.
In addition to providing basic catch information, anglers have the option to send a DNA scale sample from their lunker bass to TPWD researchers for genetic analysis. Anglers who contribute a sample to the program will receive a Lew’s baitcast reel valued at up to $200 while supplies last, with a limit of one reel per angler. Anglers who send in a genetic sample will also get a three-month subscription to Bass University. Instructions for submitting DNA samples are located on the Toyota ShareLunker website.
In addition, TPWD and the Toyota ShareLunker Program are partnering with AFTCO on a new promotion for the 2025 ShareLunker season. The AFTCO Guide of the Year award will recognize a fishing guide who contributes to conservation and enhancement of largemouth bass in Texas.
The Toyota ShareLunker Program is made possible in part by the generous sponsorship of Toyota. Toyota is a longtime supporter of the Texas Parks and Wildlife Foundation and TPWD, providing major funding for a wide variety of fisheries, state parks and wildlife projects.
Additional vital program support comes from 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.
For updates on the Toyota ShareLunker Program, visit facebook.com/
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