Legacy Lunker Program poised to grow trophy bass potential in Arkansas

LONOKE – The Arkansas Game and Fish Commission announced this week the upcoming launch of its Legacy Lunker Program, an angler-based initiative set to celebrate and significantly enhance the future of bass fishing in The Natural State. Officially launching Jan. 1, 2026, the program combines Arkansas’s rich angling culture with cutting-edge science.

“Arkansas is The Natural State, and iconic outdoor experiences like watching waterfowl flutter into timber or hearing a turkey gobble at dawn are part of our DNA,” AGFC Director Doug Schoenrock said. “Bass fishing is ingrained in that DNA as well, from the first Bassmaster tournament held at Beaver Lake in 1967 to Rick Clunn’s record-setting Bassmaster Classic victory on the Arkansas River in 1984, big bass are a big deal to Arkansas anglers. The Legacy Lunker Program is one of the most exciting initiatives I’ve ever been a part of, designed to harness that passion and elevate our trophy bass potential.”

The Legacy Lunker Program is the ultimate angler involvement program, combining citizen science with recognition of bass angling as a top recreational endeavor in Arkansas. It aims to collect essential data, including crucial genetic information, to guide future management strategies and conservation efforts, ultimately producing more trophy bass.

“This program gives us the opportunity to partner with Arkansas-based companies such as Xpress Boats, PRADCO and Harper’s Pure Country Taxidermy,” AGFC Black Bass Program Coordinator Jeremy Risley said. “With top-tier boating- and fishing-related companies like these right here in Arkansas, it was inevitable that we’d reach out to them to help promote this major step in the evolution of Arkansas bass fishing.”

The support didn’t come only from inside Arkansas’s borders. Risley explained that the program borrows quite a few pages from The Toyota Sharelunker Program hosted by Texas Parks and Wildlife.

“We worked alongside Texas to learn how we can maximize the results of Legacy Lunker in Arkansas,” Risley said. “I can’t tell you how appreciative we are of Natalie Goldstrohm, TPWD ShareLunker Coordinator, and other TPWD staff for sharing their knowledge and helping us make this happen.”

Thanks to the recent renovation of the Joe Hogan State Fish Hatchery, anglers will be able to donate any 10-pound-plus largemouth bass caught from public water in Arkansas from Jan. 1 through March 31 each year. If the fish is deemed healthy enough to survive spawning, the AGFC will transport it to the Joe Hogan Hatchery, where it will be housed in its own raceway to prevent any contamination or possible disease transmission. The lunker will then live in comfort until she is ready to spawn.

“That’s when the fisheries biologist nerd in me really gets excited,” Risley said. “Instead of placing the lunkers in with males from previous generations, we’re partnering with Red Hills Fishery in Georgia to match up our females with male Florida bass that have been identified on a genetic level as having the genes to grow big bass. We’re actually cutting down the curve and putting only the best bass together without waiting for progeny to develop into broodstock five years down the road.”

After spawning, each donated bass and its offspring will be released back into the bodies of water where they were caught, boosting the genetics of that lake with fish proven to grow to trophy potential.

“That’s the other thing that’s so cool about Legacy Lunker,” Risley said. “These are fish that have proven to grow to trophy size in that Arkansas lake where the fish will be stocked. We’re not just adding fish that may not take to the habitat. We plan on expanding to other lakes in the future, but we want to focus on the lakes where we know they’ll grow in these first few years.”

For participation in the program, all anglers who donate a bass 10 pounds or larger during the spawning season will receive a prize package including a replica mount of their fish created by Harper’s Pure Country Taxidermy in Mountain Home.

AGFC Deputy Director Ben Batten said all anglers who donate to the program also will be invited to a banquet next fall to collect their replica mounts and celebrate the program, where one of the participants will walk away with a brand new, fully decked out 21-foot Xpress Boat with a 250 horsepower Yamaha outboard valued at $80,000.

“Not only is one of these anglers going to catch the fish of a lifetime, but they may be fishing out of a dream rig thanks to Xpress Boats right here in Arkansas,” Batten said.

Rory Herndon, president of Xpress Boats commented on his company’s generous commitment to the long-awaited program in Arkansas.

“This program isn’t just about big fish — it’s about building a legacy for future generations of anglers,” Herndon said. “We’re proud to stand beside AGFC in making Arkansas among the top destinations for trophy bass fishing.”

Little Rock angler Dr. Hugh “Lin” Burnett knows Arkansas bass have trophy potential. Late last fall, Burnett pulled in an 11.14-pound monster of a bass at Lake Hamilton in Hot Springs. AGFC fisheries staff happened to be available immediately after the catch and decided it was time to put some of the Texas teachings into action in a trial run.

“We were able to take Lin’s fish and successfully run it through all of the stages of the program, including a release of its offspring earlier this year,” Risley said. “Lin came down to release his Lunker back into Hamilton, and she was in even better shape than when he caught her, just a slight bit lighter from being post-spawn.”

Burnett’s bass wasn’t the only Lunker to be collected through the soft opening. Five largemouth bass greater than 10 pounds were collected through word of mouth earlier this year, all of which were successfully released after the spawn.

“We’re really excited to see the response from anglers this year because we really weren’t advertising the program yet,” Batten said. “I’m really pumped to see what sort of response we’ll get with that Xpress boat as bait.”

The Legacy Lunker Program will have a year-round angler recognition component in addition to the donation component.

“We’re really excited to partner with companies like Bass Pro Shops and PRADCO to help provide prize packs and awards for anglers to celebrate Legacy Lunker year-round,” Risley said. “Big fish make big memories, and anglers remember those big bass for years, no matter when they caught them.”

Beginning in January, anglers who catch a largemouth weighing 8 pounds or more will be able to enter their catch on agfc.com to be eligible for a prize and recognition. Any fish over 10 pounds caught outside of the donation window will also receive bonus prizes. Youth anglers who catch fish over 6 pounds will receive prizes as well.

“Arkansas is home to fantastic smallmouth streams as well, so we’re working on weights for smallmouth and spotted bass catches in the Legacy Lunker recognition program as well,” Risley said.

Be sure to follow the AGFC on social media and at www.agfc.com/legacylunker as we count down the days to Jan. 1, 2026, to usher in a new era of trophy bass management in The Natural State and leave a legacy of lasting memories for generations to come.

Contact Will Lancett, Legacy Lunker Coordinator, at tristan.lancett@agfc.ar.gov  or Jeremy Risley, Black Bass Program Coordinator, at jeremy.risley@agfc.ar.gov for more information about the Legacy Lunker Program and black bass fishing in Arkansas.

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CUTLINES:

MAN WITH BIG ‘UN
Little Rock angler Lin Burnett returned his trophy bass to Lake Hamilton in May. AGFC photo by Mike Wintroath.

YOUTH HOLDING LUNKER
Levi Whitman released his 10.52-pound largemouth bass back into Millwood Lake after participating in the AGFC’s trial run of the Legacy Lunker Program this spring. AGFC photo by Mike Wintroath.

SPAWNING CAGE
Giant bass will be taken to the newly renovated Joe Hogan State Fish Hatchery to be spawned with males genetically tested for “big fish” genes. AGFC photo by Mike Wintroath.

GROUP SHOT WITH BOAT
AGFC Commissioners and staff stand with Rory Herndon, president of Xpress Boats next to the donated 21-foot boat that will be won by one lucky Legacy Lunker participant next fall. AGFC photo by Mike Wintroath.

RELEASING BABY BASS
Fingerling bass spawned from two Lake Hamilton lunkers during this year’s trial run were stocked back in the water where they came in June. AGFC photo by Mike Wintroath.

RELEASING BIG FISH
Kellen Davis released his 12.59-pound largemouth bass back into Lake Hamilton after it successfully spawned at an AGFC hatchery earlier this year. AGFC photo by Mike Wintroath.