Jack York ,of Emory, reeled in ShareLunker Bass 634 Monday afternoon on Lake Nacogdoches. York’s catch was certified at 13.51 pounds and is the second overall Legacy Class fish donated to the program this year. Nacogdoches has now produced a Legacy Class fish in three of the last four collection seasons.
“It is great to see Texas reservoirs like Lake Nacogdoches producing Legacy Class Lunkers in back-to-back years,” said Natalie Goldstrohm, ShareLunker Program Coordinator. “We will be performing genetic testing on ShareLunker 634, and it will be interesting to find out if she has any relation to the other Lunker bass caught from Lake Nacogdoches in previous years.”
York started fishing early in the morning and by 9 a.m. had landed several quality-sized fish. He then began fishing around shallow aquatic vegetation before moving back out to search for fish in deeper water. York located his Lunker in roughly 15 feet of water.
“I was using a 6th Sense Provoke Deep Diver bait and cast it way over her and called her up off the bottom,” said York. “Nacogdoches has lot of big fish, and it was an awesome experience to be able to land one of this size out here. I have caught a bunch of 10-, 11-, and a 12-pound fish but to catch a 13-plus pounder to record a new personal best was exciting.”
Once the Lunker was in the boat, York contacted a friend who helped him walk through the submission process, beginning with locating a certified scale for an initial weigh in. He located a certified scale on the lake with the help of Goldstrohm and pulled up to the dock to confirm the weight of the newest Legacy Lunker.
“We put it on the scale and when it registered the fish at over 13 pounds I called Natalie [Goldstrohm] with the ShareLunker program right away,” said York. “She was great to work with and within a relatively short time they were already at the ramp. “It was a dream come true to be able to hold a Legacy fish up in front of the ShareLunker truck.”
Nacogdoches boasts six total Legacy Lunkers dating back to 1996. Kellie Renfro of Lufkin landed 13.27-pound ShareLunker 628 in 2022; Joe Castle’s 15.34-pound ShareLunker 583, caught in 2020, holds the current lake record.
