Sharelunker

Sam Rayburn Reservoir produced the final Toyota Sharelunker Legacy Class largemouth bass entry with just hours left in the 2018 donation season March 31.  Angler Stacy Spriggs of Huntsville caught the 13.06 pound, 27 inch Legacy Class lunker during the Second Annual Stanley Burgay Memorial Bass Tournament on a Carolina rig in 8 feet of water.

“When I set the hook I knew it was a big fish – but I didn’t know how big,” Spriggs said. “It never crossed my mind that it was a ShareLunker until we got to the [tournament] scale. When they put her on the scale and she weighed over 13 pounds I was shocked. This is way bigger than anything I’ve ever caught before.”

An avid tournament angler, Spriggs said her previous biggest fish was a 9.71 pound bass caught in another tournament the weekend before. Spriggs said ShareLunker 576 meets a goal she set since she began fishing nearly 8 years ago – to catch a double digit bass at her home lake.

“We have a lakehouse on Sam Rayburn and fish the lake 90 percent of the time,” Spriggs said. “Neither my boyfriend or I had ever caught a double digit on Sam Rayburn. I did it by three pounds – it was pretty crazy.”

Once program coordinator Kyle Brookshear arrived at the Sam Rayburn Lakeview marina to inspect the fish, he decided it was in the best interest of the fish’s health to return it to the lake instead of bringing it back to the Texas Freshwater Fisheries Center in Athens to attempt spawning. Although she will not be a part of the selective breeding program, the fish is classified as a Legacy Class entry and now bears the title ShareLunker 576.

Number 576 is the sixth and final Legacy Class entry of the season.

Every angler who loaned a 13 pound or larger Legacy Class bass to the program during the spawning period Jan. 1 to March 31 will receive a Toyota ShareLunker Catch Kit containing branded merchandise and fishing tackle items, a 13lb+ Legacy decal, VIP access to awards programming at the Toyota Bassmaster Texas Fest, a replica of their fish, and an entry into the year-end ShareLunker Prize Drawing to win a $5,000 shopping spree and an annual fishing license. These anglers will also be entered into the Legacy Class Prize Drawing for a $5,000 shopping spree and an annual fishing license at the end of the spawning period. TPWD will officially announce the drawing winner at the Toyota Bassmaster Texas Fest during the ShareLunker awards ceremony on May 19th.

Although the Legacy Class donation season has ended, anglers can still enter their 8 pound or larger largemouth bass catches into the Toyota ShareLunker program through Dec. 31. Here’s a look back at the very first Sharelunker “Ethel”.

If you have any photos of huge bass send them to cmoore@fishgame.com. We are looking for the biggest bass in the state for a future story here at fishgame.com.

Source: Texas Parks & Wildlife