Texas Records • Recaptures

Known Individual Giant Bass in Texas

Some Texas giants are no longer anonymous rows. TPWD recapture reporting and genetics have confirmed the same individual bass being caught multiple times—sometimes by different anglers and sometimes years apart.

Method

This page includes only fish that TPWD explicitly identifies as recaptures or the same fish. Similar weights, dates or waterbodies can suggest a candidate relationship, but they are not enough to merge records.

Six confirmed giant-bass identities already modeled Each line is one fish. Each dot is a documented catch event. Alan Henry • Ross Gomez fish 2023 • 13.22 2025 • 14.78 2026 • 14.74 ShareLunker 641 → 674 → 685 • first program fish submitted three times by the same angler, per TPWD O.H. Ivie • Strength / Belveal fish 2023 • 16.65 • rank 13 2025 • 16.39 • rank 19 One fish currently occupies two positions in the Texas Top 50. O.H. Ivie • Stanford / Harmon / Jones fish Jan 2025 • 13.13 Jun 2025 • 14.52 Feb 2026 • 13.51 ShareLunker 670 → Lew’s Legend catch → ShareLunker 692.
Three of the six currently modeled fish are shown as catch-event timelines. The other three are detailed below.
Alan Henry

ShareLunker 641 → 674 → 685

Ross Gomez caught the same giant bass three times in the same general area. TPWD described the 2026 catch as the first time in program history an angler had submitted the same fish three times.

Date / yearRecordAnglerWeight
Feb. 10, 2023ShareLunker 641Ross Gomez13.22 lb
2025ShareLunker 674Ross Gomez14.78 lb
Jan. 22, 2026ShareLunker 685Ross Gomez14.74 lb
O.H. Ivie

Strength → Belveal: one fish, two Texas Top-50 rows

TPWD reported that Cullie Belveal’s 16.39-pound fish from April 2, 2025 was a recapture of Shawn Strength’s 16.65-pound fish from Nov. 15, 2023. Both catches appear in the current Texas Top 50.

DateAnglerWeightCurrent Top-50 rank
Nov. 15, 2023Shawn Strength16.65 lb13
Apr. 2, 2025Cullie Belveal16.39 lb19
O.H. Ivie

ShareLunker 670 → Legend catch → 692

TPWD says Josh Jones’ 13.51-pound ShareLunker 692 in February 2026 was the third documented catch of the same fish. Brady Stanford caught it as ShareLunker 670 in January 2025; Owen Harmon caught it again that June at 14.52 pounds.

DateRecordAnglerWeight
Jan. 2, 2025ShareLunker 670Brady Stanford13.13 lb
June 3, 2025Lew’s LegendOwen Harmon14.52 lb
Feb. 21, 2026ShareLunker 692Josh Jones13.51 lb
O.H. Ivie

ShareLunker 681 → 684

Charles Roberts’ 13.75-pound ShareLunker 684 on Jan. 20, 2026 was confirmed as a recapture of ShareLunker 681, caught by Kevin Robertson on March 27, 2025 at 13.66 pounds.

DateRecordAnglerWeight
Mar. 27, 2025ShareLunker 681Kevin Robertson13.66 lb
Jan. 20, 2026ShareLunker 684Charles Roberts13.75 lb
O.H. Ivie

ShareLunker 601 → 644

Nolan Sprengeler’s 13.89-pound ShareLunker 644 in February 2023 was a recapture of ShareLunker 601, a 14.42-pound fish caught by Jim Smith on March 14, 2021. TPWD identified the fish through its passive integrated transponder (PIT) tag.

DateRecordAnglerWeight
Mar. 14, 2021ShareLunker 601Jim Smith14.42 lb
Feb. 24, 2023ShareLunker 644Nolan Sprengeler13.89 lb
O.H. Ivie

ShareLunker 646 → 666

TPWD biologists determined that Larry Walker’s 13.62-pound ShareLunker 666 on March 20, 2024 was a recapture of 14.08-pound ShareLunker 646, originally submitted by Mechelda Criswell on Feb. 27, 2023.

DateRecordAnglerWeight
Feb. 27, 2023ShareLunker 646Mechelda Criswell14.08 lb
Mar. 20, 2024ShareLunker 666Larry Walker13.62 lb

Why individual-fish records matter

Recaptures make it possible to observe how old trophy fish change through time. Weight can rise or fall with season, reproductive condition and body condition; recapture also demonstrates survival after prior handling and program participation.

The existing TPWD-backed page notes that such recaptures can help biologists track growth, condition and health in older bass—information that is otherwise difficult to obtain.

Data-governance rule: automated matching can flag candidate recaptures in a larger archive, but a public “same fish” relationship requires explicit TPWD confirmation.