Arkansas Game and Fish launches program to work with anglers to grow trophy bass potential

LONOKE, Ark. – Officials with the Arkansas Game and Fish Commission announced a new program this week to work with anglers and enhance bass fishing in the Natural State.

Officials said the Legacy Lurker program will officially launch Jan. 1, 2026. It aims to collect essential data, including crucial genetic information, to guide future management strategies and conservation efforts, ultimately producing more trophy bass.

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.

Officials said prize packs are being lined up for participants through partnerships with companies such as Bass Pro Shops and PRADCO.

AGFC officials said that with 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, they said, the AGFC will transport it to the hatchery, where it will be housed in its own raceway to prevent any contamination or possible disease transmission prior to being released for spawn.

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.

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, $80,000 21-foot Xpress Boat with a 250 horsepower Yamaha outboard.

Officials said a soft opening of the program took place this year, utilizing five largemouth bass greater than 10 pounds, all of which were released successfully after the spawn.

Additional information on the program is available at AGFC.com/LegacyLunker.