The Arkansas Game and Fish Commission (AGFC) will host the inaugural Legacy Lunker Awards Banquet on Oct. 29, celebrating the conclusion of the first year of the Arkansas Legacy Lunker program. The event will begin at 6 p.m. at the North Little Rock Event Center, where 17 anglers who donated their trophy bass earlier this year will be recognized for their contributions to the program.
One of those anglers will also leave the banquet with a new 21-foot Xpress boat, donated by Xpress Boats of Hot Springs, in a drawing exclusive to participants in the program. This year’s Legacy Lunker program encouraged anglers to donate bass weighing 10 pounds or more, contributing to state efforts to enhance trophy bass populations across Arkansas.
Tickets to the banquet are available for $50 per person and include dinner, beverages, and presentations. A limited number of full table reservations and sponsorship opportunities remain, according to Deke Whitbeck, president of the Arkansas Game and Fish Foundation, which is presenting the event. Tickets can be purchased through the Arkansas Game and Fish Commission’s website at agfc.com/legacylunker.
In addition to the boat giveaway, program participants will receive free replica mounts of their donated bass, provided by Harper’s Pure Country Taxidermy of Mountain Home. The banquet will include updates on the program’s success, industry insights, and presentations from experts in bass fishing and fisheries management.
Jeremy Risley, AGFC’s Black Bass Program Coordinator, will provide an overview of the inaugural year and discuss future plans for the Legacy Lunker program. Rory Herndon, president of Xpress Boats, will also speak about the event’s significance for Arkansas’s bass fishing industry. Professional angler Fred “Boom Boom” Roumbanis, known for his success in swimbait and frog fishing techniques, will share an angler’s perspective on the state’s evolving approach to trophy bass management.
This year’s program accomplishments include the production of more than 300,000 “lunkerling” fingerlings, stocked in lakes across Arkansas to bolster populations of legacy-class bass. These efforts were supplemented by the stocking of 1.5 million Florida bass fingerlings and over 400,000 northern largemouth bass fingerlings in key bass fishing locations throughout the state.
The evening will also feature a raffle with prizes donated by industry leaders such as PRADCO, Bass Pro Shops, and AFTCO. Additionally, attendees will have a chance to view the boat already donated for next year’s Legacy Lunker drawing.
“This banquet is about more than just celebrating our anglers,” Whitbeck said. “It’s a chance to focus on the future of bass fishing in Arkansas and build a stronger fishing community in The Natural State.”
More information on the event and the Legacy Lunker program can be found at agfc.com/legacylunker.