Kyle Hall is getting mighty good at targeting giant Texas largemouth bass, and Lake O.H Ivie is getting mighty good at growing them. The nation’s hottest big-bass factory has continued to produce monsters this spring, and Hall’s 15.82-pound giant is just the latest “Legacy Class” bass headed to Texas hatcheries for spring break.
Toyota ShareLunker is Texas’s trophy bass recognition program, and it is also a very successful breeding program, as evidenced by the string of giant largemouths that have come from the Lonestar State in recent years. Anglers who catch “Legacy Class” bass, which are fish heavier than 13 pounds, are encouraged to donate their live fish to the program during the spawning season from January to March. Those fish are used to selectively breed giant-fish genetics into hatchery-produced bass that are released into the wild.
Hall’s recent catch is in the top 50 bass to ever hit the scales in Texas. It ranks as the 37th heaviest in Texas history. It’s also his third 13-plus-pounder in the last three springs. In March of 2022, Hall caught a 16.1-pound monster, and he followed it up in January of 2023 with a 13.58-pounder that would be the fish of a lifetime for most anglers and most lakes.
As for O.H. Ivie, fish in the teens have become a regular occurrence. Last year, 18 O.H. Ivie fish were caught and reported to ShareLunker that weighed 13 pounds or more. The largest fish caught last year was a 17.03-pound lake record for O.H Ivie. It was boated on Feb. 13 by Jason Conn.
So far this year, eight 13-plus-pounders from O.H. Ivie have been reported to the Sharelunker program.
For more, check out Texassharelunker.com.