O.H. Ivie Logs Third Legacy Class ShareLunker of 2025

SAN ANGELO, TX – O.H. Ivie increased its Legacy Class largemouth bass total to three on Thursday as the 2025 Toyota ShareLunker collection season heads into its final month.

O.H. Ivie launched the year on Jan. 2 with its initial Legacy Class Lunker of 2025 followed by its second on Feb. 15.

Angler Branden Burkhardt of Verdigris Oklahoma landed 13.14-pound ShareLunker 677 and pushed the overall collection season total to eight Legacy Class Lunkers. O.H. Ivie has had a little more company in the spotlight this year with five other waterbodies contributing fish during this collection. However, O.H. Ivie remains as the undisputed leader, at least in recent history, with 56 Legacy Class fish over the past five collection seasons.

"O.H. Ivie has been a destination for anglers chasing giants, and today it delivered once again,” said Natalie Goldstrohm, Toyota ShareLunker program coordinator. “Watching another big fish come out of this reservoir proves why it’s on many anglers list of reservoirs to fish for a catch of a lifetime.”

Thursday was the final day of Burkhardt’s trip to Texas to fish O.H. Ivie. He almost packed up his boat to go home but saw there was hardly anyone else on the lake, so he decided to stay since there was plenty of space to fish.

“I got on the water and within the first 15 minutes I cut into a little pocket just outside the ramp,” said Burkhardt. “I was casting just on the outside ledge of the sticks, and I swung over and just happened to see her 15-feet down in about 20-feet of water. I threw over at the fish and it nosed up on the first pass and followed it a little bit but then turned away. I gave it another shot and she came up, nosed at the bait, and then I reeled nice and steady. Suddenly, my rod got heavy and when I saw my line creeping up to the surface, I realized it was a huge bass. She made a couple of good runs, but I got her in the net and hooted and hollered.”

ShareLunker 677 proved to be a personal best for Burkhardt, eclipsing his previous best of 10-pounds five ounces caught at J.B. Thomas. Burkhardt has known about the ShareLunker program for some time and tries to make an annual trip to Texas to fish. He was aware that O.H. Ivie has produced multiple 13-pound largemouth bass and made it a goal to catch a Legacy Class ShareLunker of his own.

“The process for submitting the fish to the ShareLunker program was seamless,” said Burkhardt. “I put the fish in the live well and called Elm Creek Marina to get it on their certified scale. I brought the fish up there, they weighed it and put it into the holding tank. When TPWD staff arrived, I brought the fish out, got some good pictures and made the transfer. It was a great experience.”

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, 2025.

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. Burkhardt used the certified scale at the ShareLunker Official Weigh Station at Elm Creek Marina to weigh ShareLunker 677.

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.

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/sharelunkerprogram/, https://www.instagram.com/TexasShareLunker/ or TexasSharelunker.com.