Headline: 12-Year-Old Sets Largemouth Bass World Record in Wyoming's Bass Lake

Artificial Lure here, tying on a fresh pattern of bass news from around the States. Let’s start with big-fish buzz. Out in Wyoming, a 12-year-old named Tucker Bass (yeah, that’s his real last name) just set an IGFA world record with a 2‑pound, 4‑ounce largemouth on 4‑pound test from little Lake Cameahwait, better known as Bass Lake. According to the Wyoming Game and Fish Department, he stuck it from a kayak on a tiny Northland tungsten ice jig. That’s about as close to fly-fishing finesse as conventional gear gets: light line, tiny profile, vertical presentation. Down in Arkansas, the Arkansas Game and Fish Commission just rolled out its new Legacy Lunker trophy bass program, reported by the Arkadelphian. Any largemouth over 10 pounds caught Jan. 1 through March 31 can be turned over alive to the agency, spawned at the Joe Hogan hatchery, and the big mama goes back to her home lake after she recovers. They’re even pairing these Arkansas lunkers with “thoroughbred” Florida-strain males from Red Hills Fishery’s TITAN MAXX line. Translation: more legit megabass genetics swimming around places you and I can launch a jon boat. If you’re looking for hot spots, the tournament world is basically drawing a giant red circle on a few lakes. Major League Fishing just announced the 2026 Bass Pro Tour schedule, and it opens on Lake Guntersville in Alabama, then swings through Hartwell in South Carolina, O.H. Ivie and Whitney down in Texas, Beaver Lake in Arkansas, Grand Lake in Oklahoma, and Lake Erie out of Ohio. When the top pros keep going back, it’s because those places kick out big bags and plenty of bites. Guntersville in January is going to be especially interesting. MLF notes this will be their first multi-day January event there, so think cold-water grass edges, bait pushed into drains, and fish that will absolutely eat something slow-rolled or crawled along bottom. If you’re a fly angler, picture suspending game changers and big bunny leeches along that same grass and shell. Speaking of smallmouth, Major League Fishing’s Fishing Towns series just revisited Dale Hollow on the Tennessee–Kentucky line, still dining out on that legendary 11‑pound, 15‑ounce smallie. Dale Hollow is classic “big water fly” structure: steep rocky banks, clear water, fish that’ll track a long cast with a sinking line and a neutral-buoyancy baitfish pattern. If you like swinging streamers for browns, this is that vibe, just with bronze backs that jump higher. On the grassroots side, the Carolina Anglers Team Trail keeps stacking weekend tournaments across the Carolinas, Virginia, and Georgia, quietly highlighting how good the local lakes really are. If you’re fly-curious, a lot of those smaller Southeast reservoirs are perfect for sneaking around the backs of creeks with an 8‑weight and a handful of deer‑hair divers. One more curveball: Golf.com recently pointed out that Cabot Citrus Farms in Florida is becoming a legit bass hub disguised as a golf resort. They’ve got a This content was created in partnership and with the help of Artificial Intelligence AI.