ATHENS – Stetson Davis, an 11-year-old angler from Tuttle, Okla., landed 13.31-pound ShareLunker 661 on Wednesday, topping the junior angler waterbody record for largemouth bass by more than five pounds.
This marked the second Legacy Class ShareLunker largemouth bass delivered by J.B. Thomas Reservoir and the 11th overall of the 2024 Toyota ShareLunker collection season.
Davis surged past the previous J.B. Thomas junior angler record of 7.96 pounds, set April 11, 2020, and joined his father, Brodey, in the record books.
Brodey Davis submitted the seventh biggest largemouth bass in Texas history in 2022, when he landed 17.06-pound ShareLunker 620 at O.H. Ivie. His catch is the current O.H. Ivie waterbody record and the largest in the past 32 years since Barry St. Clair of Klondike, TX recorded the state record of 18.18 -pounds in 1992.
“We are excited to recognize Stetson’s accomplishments through the Toyota ShareLunker Program and Angler Recognition Program,” said Natalie Goldstrohm, Toyota ShareLunker program coordinator. “Getting young people hooked on fishing through these programs is important to creating a lifelong love of the sport.”
The father and son made their trip to Texas on Tuesday and woke up early Wednesday morning to get on the water at J.B. Thomas. The goal was to catch his first double digit largemouth bass and it happened to be a Legacy Class ShareLunker.
“We didn’t have much luck at the start but around 9:20 a.m. we spotted her,” said Stetson Davis. “I made multiple casts her way, but she wouldn’t bite, and it was a little frustrating. I finally placed the bait close enough to where she saw and then she bit. I set the hook and instantly my dad went to go and grab the net. When the fish came to the surface, we knew it was a double digit. It was a fairly quick fight, and we were able to secure it in the net and get it into the boat.”
Stetson was with his father two years ago when the elder Davis caught O.H. Ivie’s lake-record ShareLunker 620. On Wednesday, he had the opportunity to experience it with his very own fish.
“We were just looking for a 10-pounder and ended up catching a ShareLunker and the junior lake record,” added Stetson Davis. “It was really fun to bring the fish over and put it on the ShareLunker scale and to see it say 13.31-pounds. I was pretty excited that I caught a ShareLunker at 11-years old.”
It was a memorable day with the ShareLunker program for both Stetson and Brodey.
“As usual TPWD and ShareLunker program staff were awesome,” said Brodey Davis. “They were extremely helpful throughout the process and every one of them were really excited for him, so it made the experience even more special.”
Lawrence Lee of Temple reeled in ShareLunker 651 on Jan. 17 to kick off the 2024 collection season and became the first ever Legacy Class fish from J.B. Thomas. It registered 13.79 pounds, measured 24.25 inches and set a new waterbody record for largemouth bass.
Prior to this season, J.B. Thomas had 15 entries into the year-round program since 2021, including one Legend Class fish caught Sept. 1, 2023. During the first two-plus months of 2024, J.B. Thomas has produced two Legacy Class Lunkers and five Strike King Elite Class Lunkers.
During the first three months of the season (Jan. 1-March 31), anglers who reel in a 13-plus pound bass can loan it to TPWD 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.
Anglers must weigh their potential Legacy Class fish on a certified scale. A list of official weigh stations can be found on the ShareLunker Official Weigh and Holding Stations website.
Anglers who catch and loan one of these 13-plus pound lunkers 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, and Bass University will provide a swag pack and annual subscription. These anglers will 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 four levels of participation for catching bass over eight pounds or 24 inches in Texas.
Anglers who enter data for any lunker they catch greater than eight pounds or 24 inches during the 2024 calendar year 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 on the Toyota ShareLunker online app 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 in 2024 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, American Fishing Tackle Co., Bass Forecast, Bass University, Lake Fork Taxidermy and 6th Sense Fishing. For updates on the Toyota ShareLunker Program, visit facebook.com/