There is yet another Texas Legacy ShareLunker bass in the books for 2025, and they just keep getting bigger! Willie Pipkin reeled in an impressive 14.05-pound largemouth on Feb. 5 on Lady Bird Lake in Austin, which more than qualifies as a Legacy Class catch. His fish is also a pending waterbody record for the lake.
The current all-tackle largemouth bass record for Lady Bird Lake was set on Dec. 7, 2015, by Grant Langmore with a 13.5-pound catch, which this most recent ShareLunker should easily eclipse.
Pipkin’s ShareLunker 672 is the third Legacy Class fish of the 2025 season, after Dylan Sorrells caught his 13.64-pound ShareLunker 671 on the Richland-Chambers Reservoir on Jan. 26.
Before that, Brady Stanford hauled in ShareLunker 671, the first of the season, on Jan. 2 from O.H. Ivie — his fish weighed in at 13.13 pounds.
There are four classes of bass in the Toyota ShareLunker Program — anglers who catch, submit, and donate a bass 13 pounds or heavier to the program during the spawning months from January through March earn Legacy Class status, the top class, which comes with prizes and entries into drawings with cash prizes and shopping sprees as awards.
The angler-reporting aspect of the Toyota ShareLunker program, operated in conjunction with the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department (TPWD), provides vital data to fisheries biologists, helping them continue to create bigger, better bass in Texas.
Anglers who reel in a 13-plus pound bass from Jan. 1 – March 31 can loan it to TPWD for the ShareLunker selective breeding and stocking program and report their catch via the ShareLunker 24/7 hotline at (903) 681-0550. Once certified, the catch earns Legacy Class status.
First, the fish must be weighed on a certified scale (a list of official weight stations can be found here). Anglers must also 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 additional prizes, including a Lew’s baitcast reel.
Legacy Class anglers 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.
They 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.
During the entire year-long ShareLunker program there are three other levels of participation for catching bass over 8 pounds or 24 inches in length in Texas public waters. Anglers who qualify for those classes also receive prize packs and drawing entries.
