Apr. 4—ATHENS — In the waning days of the 2025 Toyota ShareLunker collection season, Toledo Bend and O.H. Ivie put an exclamation point on the season with a combined four Legacy Class ShareLunkers. These massive largemouth bass capped off an extraordinary run of six over a 10-day stretch, including a double-lunker day March 22.
O.H. Ivie, the reigning waterbody champion for the past five seasons, finished 2025 with six of the 14 total Legacy Class entries and remains the undisputed leader with 59 Legacy Class fish. Toledo Bend has now logged a Legacy Class fish in back-to-back seasons and was the ninth waterbody in 2025 to deliver a Legacy Lunker to the program.
Angler Curtis Melvin of Lumberton reeled in 13.24-pound ShareLunker 680 Tuesday, March 25 at Toledo Bend Tuesday followed by Kevin Robertson of Lubbock who landed 13.66-pound ShareLunker 681 on Thursday at O.H. Ivie. Terry Scott of Midland kicked off the final weekend of the season on Saturday when he landed 13.04-pound ShareLunker 682 and then on Sunday, Mechelda Criswell of Hobbs, New Mexico, reeled in the final Legacy Class fish of 2025 with 14.56-pound ShareLunker 683.
What's even more special is the final two entries were caught by anglers who previously submitted Legacy Class fish. Scott's first Legacy Class fish was recorded at Lake Conroe in 1996 with 13.63-pound ShareLunker 241. Criswell's first Legacy Class largemouth bass was caught at O.H. Ivie Feb. 27, 2023, with 14.08-pound ShareLunker 646. Only 26 anglers have caught more than one Legacy Class ShareLunker during the history of the program.
"This season's finale perfectly showcases the dedication of anglers, and the incredible fisheries Texas has to offer," said Natalie Goldstrohm, Toyota ShareLunker program coordinator. "Ending with back-to-back catches from repeat Legacy Class anglers is a testament to the lasting impact of this program."
ShareLunker 680
Melvin and his friend headed out early to Toledo Bend March 25 when weather conditions were good and primed with potential for excellent fishing.
"We pulled into the first cove that we wanted to fish and almost worked the whole cove over," said Melvin. "We had started talking about where we wanted to go next but agreed to just finish out the stretch up to a point before taking off. As we were cruising along, I spotted her, so we just watched her for a second. She stayed there in that one area, so we started fishing for her and in about 15 minutes she got fired up."
The friends took turns pitching at the fish, and eventually Melvin connected and enticed her to bite.
"At first things were calm, but then she dug down and surged like a big fish normally would," said Melvin. "As she started swimming out to open water, she went under the front and side of the boat. As I was trying to get my line around the trolling motor, it hooked up onto it. She doubled back and ended up jumping right at the boat next to the trolling motor shaft. We were able to get the trolling motor up to free the line, and from there I was able to reel her in."
ShareLunker 680 was a personal best for Melvin and broke his previous record of 8.7 pounds, which he also set at Toledo Bend.
"As soon as we netted her and got her into the boat, we knew she was going to be a special fish," added Melvin. "We put her in the livewell and took her to Fin and Feather to get the weight on their certified scale. When it registered over 13 pounds I made the call to the ShareLunker program and spoke with Natalie. The process was simple, and she walked me through each step; filled out the information on the ShareLunker app and submitted photos. Within 30 minutes Texas Parks and Wildlife Department (TPWD) staff arrived to pick up the ...
