Arkansas Angler Lands 10-Pound Bass

The 10.22-pound largemouth bass was landed by Rod Martinez of Benton on Saturday, February 21, 2026. Martinez was fishing with a jig when he hooked the massive fish, one of 14 he caught that day. After his personal scale topped 10 pounds, he contacted the Arkansas Game and Fish Commission (AGFC). This catch is part of a remarkable trend at Lake Monticello, which was renovated and restocked starting in 2021. The AGFC has been stocking the lake with Florida-strain largemouth bass, including a special breed called TITAN MAXX bass, which are bred from parents with genetic markers for trophy-class growth. This, combined with a high forage-to-bass stocking ratio, has led to exceptional growth rates. Bass in Lake Monticello are reportedly gaining nearly two pounds per year, a rate that is roughly double the typical growth seen in many other Arkansas lakes. Fisheries biologists have observed 2.5-year-old bass weighing as much as 6.5 pounds, a size that would typically take 5 to 8 years to reach in other state waters. Martinez's fish became the 10th "Legacy Lunker" donated to the AGFC's new program, which began January 1, 2026. Modeled after successful programs in other states, the Arkansas Legacy Lunker Program encourages anglers who catch bass over 10 pounds between January and March to donate them for a selective breeding program. The donated lunkers are taken to the Joe Hogan State Fish Hatchery to be spawned, and their offspring are then stocked back into the lakes where the trophy fish were originally caught. The goal is to increase the genetics for larger bass throughout Arkansas's public waters. Anglers who donate a fish receive a replica mount. While a significant catch, this bass does not challenge the official state record. The Arkansas record for a largemouth bass remains at 16 pounds, 4 ounces, a fish caught by Aaron Mardis at Mallard Lake back in 1976.