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THE WHOPPER — Lake Nac produces second Legacy ShareLunker of 2023 season (Jack York in front ShareLunker Truck) Lake Fork fishing guide Jack York was doing some fun fishing at Lake Nacogdoches on January 23 when a reeled into this 13.51 pound Toyota ShareLunker. York says he pinpointed the fish with forward-sonar and saw it pounce on his jerk bait in 15 feet of water.
Lake Fork fishing guide Jack York of Emory was at Lake Nacogdoches doing some fun fishing on January 23 when he reeled in a career-best largemouth bass weighing 13.51 pounds. York, 22, subsequently put the Legacy Class lunker on loan to the Texas Parks and Wildlife’s Toyota ShareLunker program.
Legacy Class fish are those weighing upwards of 13 pounds that are caught between January 1 and March 31. The fish are used for selective breeding and genetics research at the Texas Freshwater Fisheries Center in Athens. It’s the second Legacy fish of the 2023 collection season to be turned in statewide. The first was a 13.52 pounder caught on January 15 at Lake O.H Ivie.
An ace with forward-facing sonar, York said he caught the fish off a main lake ridge in about 15 feet of water using a 6th Sense Provoke 106DD jerk bait. He was throwing the suspending jerk bait on 10-pound test fluorocarbon line to help it achieve its maximum depth in the water column.
“I saw her sitting on bottom and there was no question is was a giant,” York said. “She smoked it on the first cast.”
York’s bass is the sixth Legacy lunker turned in from Nacogdoches since 1999 and the third since 2020. The lake produced a new lake record in February 2020 weighing 15.34 pounds.
About Those Lunkers
The ShareLunker program has undergone several changes in recent years to boost participation and heighten knowledge about big bass distribution across the state.
The most significant change came in 2018. That’s when TPWD launched a year-round format that offers prize incentives to anglers who catch big bass weighing upward of 8 pounds and electronically enter their fish in one of several categories.
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 on the Toyota ShareLunker online app at TexasSharelunker.com. Anglers are encouraged to provide a DNA scale sample from their fish for genetic analysis.
Entries must be accompanied by photos of the fish being weighed on a digital scale or measured on a rigid measuring board. Fish caught during a tournament must be supported by a weigh-in slip or website links for documentation, if photos are not available.
Among the incentives offered to entice entries are chances to win $5,000 shopping sprees to Bass Pro Shops, ShareLunker-branded merchandise and fishing tackle packages.
TPWD says 350 anglers entered 512 fish into the program in 2022. Among them were 357 in the Lunker Class (weighing between eight to 9.99 pounds or at least 24 inches), 121 Elite Class (weighing 10 to 12.99 pounds), 24 Legacy Class (weighing 13 pounds or more and caught between Jan. 1 and March 31) and 10 Legend Class Lunkers that were 13 pounds or more caught outside the spawning season.
O.H. Ivie produced more entries (121) than any other lake, followed by Lake Fork (48), Fairfield (38), Conroe (26) and Sam Rayburn (23).
Anglers are reminded they can enter Legacy Lunkers through March 31 by calling the Toyota ShareLunker hotline 24/7, 903-681-0550. Fish must be weighed on a certified scale to qualify for Legacy class entry.
Just remember this about these special whopper bass: Big they are, but tough they aren’t.