SAN ANGELO, TX – O.H. Ivie stepped back on stage Saturday morning with its second Legacy Class largemouth bass of the 2025 Toyota ShareLunker collection season.
Nicholas Guthrie of Livingston reeled in a 13.35-pound ShareLunker 675 on Feb. 15. O.H. Ivie boasts an incredible 55 Legacy Class ShareLunker’s over the past five collection seasons.
"It’s no surprise that big bass continue to be caught at O.H. Ivie, as it remains a top destination for anglers from Texas and beyond,” said Natalie Goldstrohm, Toyota ShareLunker program coordinator. “However, Legacy Cass ShareLunkers have been caught across the state this season. We’re eager to see where the next one will be caught."
O.H. Ivie kicked the year off with the first Legacy Class fish on Jan. 2. It was caught by Millersview’s Brady Stanford.
Guthrie traveled to O.H. Ivie to specifically target a big largemouth bass.
“About 20 minutes before 10 a.m., we were sitting above a river channel and fishing on the edge of it in roughly 40 feet of water,” said Guthrie. “I casted a hair jig out there, and the fish slammed it pretty good. From there, it was just a race to the surface where we netted the fish and got her into the boat. We quickly put her in the livewell and booked it back to land to get her weighed.”
Guthrie was optimistic he had a Legacy Class Lunker, but only the scale would clearly indicate it.
“Looking at it on the boat, I was a little nervous about whether or not it was going to be 13 pounds,” said Guthrie. “I could tell it was close to 13 pounds, but the question was whether or not it was going to be just under or just over. Once we got to the weigh station and got her on the scale, it was perfect.”
ShareLunker 675 eclipsed Guthrie’s personal best for a largemouth bass by about eight pounds, and he did it on his first trip to O.H. Ivie. Guthrie also had a great first experience with the ShareLunker program.
“I only learned about the ShareLunker program within the last 12 months or so, and ever since then I’ve wanted to get into it somehow, even if just submitting an 8-pounder,” added Guthrie. “Coming to O.H. Ivie and catching a Legacy Class ShareLunker was a little more than I expected to get for sure. The Texas Parks and Wildlife Department does a great job with the ShareLunker program, and it’s the gold standard.”
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 Texas Parks and Wildlife Department for the ShareLunker selective breeding and stocking program. These anglers can call the ShareLunker hotline at 903-681-0550 to report their catch 24/7 through March 31.
Legacy Class ShareLunker weights are all verified using a certified scale, but anglers may use a digital scale to get an initial weight to inform the ShareLunker response team. Once the TPWD team arrives, they can take a certified weight on site.
A list of official weigh stations can be found on the ShareLunker Official Weigh and Holding Stations website. Guthrie used the certified scale at the ShareLunker Official Weigh Station at Elm Creek Marina to weigh ShareLunker 675.
Anglers that catch and loan a 13-plus pound lunker 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.
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