Meet the Fisherman Who Landed a 13-Pound Bass On Toledo Bend

Drake Wadsworth of Stonewall, Louisiana, traveled to Toledo Bend Reservoir to compete in the Fishers of Men Tournament Trail on Saturday, February 7. I think it's safe to say he had the biggest fish among the anglers when he reeled in a 13.10-pound bass.

“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.”

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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.”

What Is The ShareLunker Program?

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. 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.