Teenager’s 5.63-Pound Bass is Fish To Beat
LITTLE ROCK, Ark. (June 25, 2011) — Seventeen-year old Daniel Shults of Pine Bluff continued to hold his lead, after the end of the second day of fishing in the Arkansas Big Bass Bonanza, with the 5.63-pound bass he caught near Dumas on Friday.
Shults noted that his cousin, Chad Gatlin of Pine Bluff, was close to him bringing in a 5.47 pound fish early this morning. Regarding being in the lead after the second day Shults said, “It’s kind of nerve-wracking, I mean it’s rather lucky for me, being my first time and all. I still don’t know if it will hold, but I’m sure hoping it will.”

If his fish remains the biggest catch of the three-day tournament, Shults will take home the guaranteed $50,000 grand prize. Anglers still have from 6 a.m. to 1 p.m. Sunday to try and snag a larger bass. Each weigh-in location will be taking registrations prior to the 6 a.m. starting time Sunday for the last day of the tournament. Registration is $90 per person.

Leaders in the other four pools also remained the same as Friday. They are:
• Jason Deblock of Vilonia (4.87) – Little Rock pool
• Martin Arnold of Ft. Smith (5.36) – Fort Smith pool
• David Wood of Dardanelle (5.54) – Dardanelle pool
• Eric Green of Pine Bluff (5.49) – Pine Bluff pool

Each of these leaders has the potential to win a guaranteed $10,000 for catching the largest bass in each of these pools during the tournament.

The tournament is guaranteeing $100,000 in cash prizes and additional hourly money is awarded based on the number of fishermen. A guaranteed $50,000 is going to the fisherman who hauls in the biggest bass overall, and a guaranteed $40,000 will be distributed among the anglers who catch the largest fish in the four remaining weigh-in pools. The final $10,000 of guaranteed money will be place money for all five pools. Hourly prize money for first, second and third place will be awarded – the amount will be determined by the final number of registrants. In addition, the Willow Leaf Award of $1,000 will be presented to the parent/child or grandparent/grandchild weighing the biggest fish during the three days.

The tournament spans more than 300 miles of eligible fishing waters on the river inside the state’s borders. The event is divided into five pools, and tournament action will resume at 6 a.m. Sunday morning with the final weigh-in being held at 1 p.m. Fishermen can still register at any weigh-in location. The grand prize and other cash awards will be presented during Sunday’s awards ceremony, which will begin at 4 p.m. near the North Little Rock/Verizon Arena boat ramp.

The five weigh-in sites are: Pool 1 – Clear Creek Park, Fort Smith; Pool 2 – Dardanelle State Park/Russellville side; Pool 3 – North Little Rock/Verizon Ramp; Pool 4 – Regional Park/ Pine Bluff; and Pool 5 – Pendleton Bridge/east of Dumas.
For more information on the tournament and complete results, visit www.arkansasbigbass.com.

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