Fort Phantom Hill Delivers its Second Legacy Class ShareLunker, Toledo Returns to the Mix
Feb. 12, 2026
ATHENS – Fort Phantom Hill Reservoir, located just north of Abilene, is back on the board with its second Legacy Class ShareLunker while Toledo Bend returned to the Toyota ShareLunker stage for the third consecutive collection season. The Toyota ShareLunker program is a cornerstone of Texas Parks and Wildlife’s (TPWD) efforts to grow bigger, better bass.
Travis McCollough of Abilene reeled in 14.35-pound ShareLunker 686, a new waterbody record, on Thursday afternoon at Fort Phantom Hill, followed by Drake Wadsworth of Stonewall, Louisiana, with 13.10-pound ShareLunker 687 on Saturday at Toledo Bend.
McCollough’s and Wadsworth’s Legacy Class largemouth bass bumped the overall total to four in the 2026 Toyota ShareLunker collection season. O.H. Ivie and Alan Henry kicked off the collection season on Jan. 20 and 22, respectively.
The recent trend at Fort Phantom Hill illustrates the impact of how angler participation in TPWD programs can provide information on some of the largest bass in the lake. Eric Lewis of Haskell landed Fort Phantom Hill’s first-ever Legacy Class fish on March 3, 2024, with 13.33-pound ShareLunker 660. His fish broke Scotty McCorkle’s waterbody record, which was a 12.90-pound largemouth bass caught on July 19, 2022.
These milestones don’t happen by chance—they’re the result of decades of work by TPWD fisheries biologists. Using angler participation and data from the Toyota ShareLunker program, biologists guide selective breeding, habitat improvements, and stocking strategies that consistently produce bigger, better bass across Texas.
“Moments like this are what the Toyota ShareLunker program is all about,” said Natalie Goldstrohm, TPWD coordinator for the Toyota ShareLunker program. “These catches showcase the amazing fishing opportunities Texas anglers have across the state. Each Legacy Class fish contributes valuable genetics, helping enhance big bass populations and ensure these experiences continue for generations to come.”
McCollough was on the lake at 11:30 a.m. and fished in an area that he was familiar with. He had spent about 2.5 hours on the water before landing his fish of a lifetime.
“I’m a child of God and a Christian and I said Jesus, you need to give me a bite so I can go home with something to go on for the tournament that I have to fish Saturday at a different lake, and 10 minutes later I caught that fish,” said McCollough. “When I saw the fish, I knew it was over 10-pounds, and I just played her until she wore out. I didn’t use a net and the fish laid up sideways and I said this thing is huge. I got her in the boat, weighed the fish on my scale, and it said 14.20-pounds.”
McCollough was crawling a Strike King half-ounce green pumpkin football jig on the rocks, which is his method for fishing at Fort Phantom Hill.
“I swim it, I don’t pick it up and then let it drop, I swim it and move it, and those bass can’t stand it when you do that,” added McCollough.
McCollough then made the call to the Toyota ShareLunker program to submit his catch.
“I talked to Natalie and she was awesome,” said McCollough. “She helped me go through all the paperwork and talked me through everything while I was waiting for Texas Parks and Wildlife Department staff to pick the fish up. The guys that came to get the fish, and Natalie, were just as excited as I was. I love fishing, I love Jesus and this was a great experience and lifetime moment.”
Wadsworth traveled to Toledo Bend to compete in the Fishers of Men Tournament Trail on Saturday but didn’t necessarily have a specific game plan going in that morning.
“I found one fish sitting on the side of a stump that I knew was big, but didn’t know exactly how big she was,” said Wadsworth. “I marked the location and went back and checked her the Sunday before the tournament. I told my friend right before the tournament there’s a giant I found on a stump and sure enough, we pulled up that morning to where she was.”
It didn’t take Wadsworth long to land his fish of a lifetime.
“On my first cast I hooked her, and it didn’t really set in as to how big she was until she came up and jumped,” said Wadsworth. “She wrapped me around two different stumps, and I was stressing out because it was on a 10-pound line and we ended up fighting her for five to six minutes trying to get her out of these trees she was wrapped around. She finally came up and my friend scooped her up.”
ShareLunker 687 helped secure the Big Fish of the Tournament, second place in the overall competition and his new personal best.
“The experience with the ShareLunker program was surreal,” said Wadsworth. “TPWD staff put her in the tank and made sure she had oxygen and took care of her. You can definitely tell that they know what they are doing with fish care. It was definitely an experience I won’t ever forget.”
“Behind every record-breaking catch or catch of a lifetime is a team of dedicated TPWD biologists working to ensure Texas remains a world-class bass fishing destination,” said Goldstrohm. “Angler participation fuels this science, creating a cycle of data-driven management that produces the giants anglers dream about.”
During the first three months of the season (Jan. 1 through 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 TPWD on the ShareLunker hotline at (903) 681-0550 to report their catch 24/7 through March 31, 2026.
Legacy Class ShareLunker weights are all verified using a certified scale, but anglers may use a digital scale to get an initial weight to inform the ShareLunker response team. Once the TPWD team arrives, they can take a certified weight on site.
A list of official weigh stations can be found on the ShareLunker Official Weigh and Holding Stations website.
Anglers who catch and loan a 13-plus pound lunker earn Legacy Class status, receive a catch kit filled with merchandise donated by program sponsors, 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 ShareLunker branded apparel provided by AFTCO. Anglers 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 anglers three additional levels of participation for catching bass over eight pounds or 24 inches in Texas public waters. Each of these levels provide vital data to TPWD fisheries biologists, helping them better manage bass in Texas.
Anglers who enter data for any lunker they catch greater than eight pounds or 24 inches also receive a catch kit, a decal for their vehicle or boat, a one-month subscription card 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 qualified 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 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 biologists for genetic analysis. Anglers who contribute a sample to the program will receive a Lew’s reel while supplies last, with a limit of one reel per angler. Instructions for submitting DNA samples are located on the Toyota ShareLunker website.
TPWD and the Toyota ShareLunker program are once again partnering with AFTCO on the AFTCO Guide of the Year award for the 2026 ShareLunker season. The AFTCO Guide of the Year award recognizes a fishing guide who contributes to conservation and enhancement of largemouth bass in Texas.
The Toyota ShareLunker Program is made possible in part by the generous title 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, AFTCO, Bass Forecast, Bass University and Lake Fork Taxidermy.
For updates on the Toyota ShareLunker Program, visit facebook.com/sharelunkerprogram/, https://www.instagram.com/TexasShareLunker/ or TexasSharelunker.com.