The Riney family’s bass catching prowess will be talked about for some time in Arkansas.
Kevin Riney, age 45, was fishing alone on Northeast Arkansas’ Lake Austell in Village Creek State Park On January 10 when he located and caught a bass weighing 12.04 pounds using forward-facing sonar. It’s the first bass over 10-pounds recognized in Arkansas’ new Legacy Lunker Bass program, modeled much like the renown Texas’ Toyota ShareLunker program.
The Arkansas Legacy Lunker Bass Program is a conservation initiative by the Arkansas Game and Fish Commission that encourages anglers to donate large, trophy-sized largemouth bass — typically weighing eight pounds or more — for use in a selective breeding program. These donated fish are temporarily housed and spawned at state hatcheries, where their offspring are raised and later stocked into Arkansas waters to improve genetics and increase the potential for producing future trophy bass. After spawning, the adult bass are returned to the lake where they were caught, allowing anglers to contribute directly to the long-term health, quality, and sustainability of Arkansas’s renowned bass fisheries…