April 16, 2026
The Legacy Lunker catch-and-donation period may be over, but the big bass are still biting at Lake Monticello and around the state. Shannon Franks, fishing with her husband Gene Franks Sunday afternoon at the 1,500-acre renovated lake in southeast Arkansas, caught this bass that weighed 10-plus pounds, according to Gene in the information he sent along with the photo. Shannon was using a floating worm to catch the lunker.
In February, Rod Martinez of Benton caught a bass that weighed 10.22 pounds and qualified for the Legacy Lunker program. His donation of the fish was delivered to the Joe Hogan State Fish Hatchery in Lonoke to be spawned this spring with a male Titan Maxx Florida bass purchased by the AGFC from Red Hills Fishery in Georgia.…