The Starting Spot: Legacy Lunkers in AR, Rainy Lake Bass Derby, and Wet Wading Summer Smallmouth

The Starting Spot Daily Bass Fishing Headlines are the perfect way to start your day with some of the top bass fishing articles on the internet. It’s the quick, informative, how, where, and who you need to know. So, rub the sleep from your eyes, pour that first cup of the day, and head to your Starting Spot.

The Starting Spot: -Arkansas Legacy Lunker program. -Jeff Gustafson on the Fort Frances Canadian Bass Tournament. -Wet wading summer smallmouth bass. | Photo by Kurt Mazurek

In today’s 7-21–25 edition of The Starting Spot:

-With a helping hand from the wildly successful Texas ShareLunker program, Arkansas Game and Fish is launching Legacy Lunker starting in 2026.

-Fan favorite bass pro Jeff Gustafson shares his thoughts on the 30th annual Fort Frances Canadian Bass Championship on Rainy Lake.

-Getting in the water and stalking smallmouth bass in streams and small rivers is a summertime favorite.

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Legacy Lunker Program poised to grow trophy bass potential in Arkansas

by Randy Zellers

Per an article on the Arkansas Game and Fish Commission website at agfc.com: The Arkansas Game and Fish Commission announced this week the upcoming launch of its Legacy Lunker Program, an angler-based initiative set to celebrate and significantly enhance the future of bass fishing in The Natural State. Officially launching Jan. 1, 2026, the program combines Arkansas’s rich angling culture with cutting-edge science.

“Arkansas is The Natural State, and iconic outdoor experiences like watching waterfowl flutter into timber or hearing a turkey gobble at dawn are part of our DNA,” AGFC Director Doug Schoenrock said. “Bass fishing is ingrained in that DNA as well, from the first Bassmaster tournament held at Beaver Lake in 1967 to Rick Clunn’s record-setting Bassmaster Classic victory on the Arkansas River in 1984, big bass are a big deal to Arkansas anglers. The Legacy Lunker Program is one of the most exciting initiatives I’ve ever been a part of, designed to harness that passion and elevate our trophy bass potential.”…MORE.

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30 years of fun on Rainy Lake

by Jeff Gustafson

According to an article on the Fort Frances Times website at fftimes.com: For the 30th year, the Fort Frances Canadian Bass Championship is set to blast off on Rainy Lake. Over the years, this has been one of the premier team bass tournaments in North America, attracting anglers from far and wide. At its peak, in the early 2000’s, there was a long waiting list each year of anglers wanting to fish and a lot of pressure on teams competing, to finish in the top 90 to return the following year.

The draw over the years is simple: Rainy Lake is an awesome body of water, home to excellent smallmouth bass fishing. I have fished tournaments all over Canada and the U.S. and have never seen a community support an event the way that Fort Frances supports this tournament. I can remember hearing back in the early years that it was the highest consumption of beer for Labatt’s over a weekend event, next to the Calgary Stampede!…MORE.

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Wet wading moving water for summertime smallmouth bass

by Staff Reports | Brandon Butler

Per an article on DailyJournal.net: Stalking smallmouth bass in creeks and small rivers is a top summertime angling opportunity. Trout are great. Bass are, too. Bluegills, catfish and even carp are fun to catch. But in my opinion, nothing beats the “bronzeback,” especially when you’re catching smallmouth on the surface while standing knee deep in moving water at dawn or dusk.

Smallmouth bass are native to the Midwest and are found in creeks and rivers throughout. Some regions are more blessed than others, and I am biased to the Ozarks. The Current, Jacks Fork, Eleven Point, Black, Bourbeuse, Big Piney, Huzzah, Niangua, North Fork, James and Meramec are just a few of the many rivers and creeks flowing through Missouri’s wild and scenic landscape where smallmouth bass are found…MORE.