Arkansas Big Bass Bonanza

Shopher wins 2012 Arkansas Big Bass Bonanza

jill@arhospitality.org — Tue, 03 Jul 2012 19:15:45 +0000

David Shopher

Fishing in the Coal Pile area of the lower Arkansas River, David Shopher of McGehee caught a 6.27-pound largemouth bass to take the overall lead Sunday and win the 2012 Arkansas Big Bass Bonanza.
He was using a Tennessee shad-colored crank bait. “This fish was near a laydown, a fallen tree,” Shopher said. He had hits from other bass, left the area and returned in about 15 minutes. One fish hit but missed being hooked. “Then the big bass hit,” he said.
Shopher is 51 and has a taxidermy business. He often fishes the Coal Pile area.

Winners in the other four pools are:
• Jerry Overton of Hot Springs (6.19) – Dardanelle Pool
• Jess Everette of White Hall (5.38) – Pine Bluff Pool
• Craig Flowers of Midland (5.22) – Fort Smith Pool
• Lane Patterson of Little Rock (5.84) – Little Rock/North Little Rock Pool
This year’s anglers competed for part of the $100,000 in guaranteed prize money. Shopher will be awarded $50,000, as well as a paid spot at the 2012 Bassmaster Open.
Each of the other four pool winners will be awarded a $10,000 prize for catching the largest fish in their pool. Additional place money is awarded $900 for second, $700 for third, $400 for fourth, and the Willow Leaf Award of $1,000 will be presented to Bill Casey Sr. and his grandson Dillon Taylor. The amount of hourly prizes will be determined by the number of participants for the three days. New this year, anyone entered into the tournament was eligible for a chance to win a Bassmaster Classic VIP package. The winner was Robert Perkins from Pine Bluff. This package includes:
• VIP credentials to the Bassmaster Classic behind the scenes tour
• Access to BASS life member lounge
• Early entry into the Bassmaster Classic Expo
• The dates are Feb. 22-24 in Tulsa, Okla.
Academy Sports and Outdoors is also adding prize money by awarding gift card bonuses to anglers.
The Academy Sports and Outdoors bonuses include the following amounts awarded each day and for each of the five fishing pools:
• A $300 gift card to any exact 3-pound fish during the third payout hour, 9:01 a.m. to 10 a.m.
• A $400 gift card to any exact 4-pound fish during the fourth payout hour, 10:01 a.m. to 11 a.m.
• A $500 gift card to any exact 5-pound fish during the fifth payout hour, 11:01 a.m. to 12 noon.
A total of 3-$300, 3-$400 and 1-$500 gift cards will be awarded.

The annual tournament is the result of a 13-year partnership between the Arkansas Hospitality Association and the Arkansas Game and Fish Commission. The tournament spans more than 300 miles of the Arkansas River inside the state. The grand prize and other cash awards will be presented during today’s award ceremony at 4 p.m. at the Riverside RV Park in downtown North Little Rock.

First Day Big Bass Award Winners

jill@arhospitality.org — Sun, 01 Jul 2012 17:32:14 +0000

THE FIRST DAY BIG BASS in the 2012 ARKANSAS BIG BASS BONANZA from each pool on Friday won ONE FAMILY PACK CERTIFICATE to the 2012 ARKANSAS STATE FAIR.

Each Family Pack includes 4 Gate Admission Tickets, 1 Parking Pass, 24 Ride Coupons, and $10 in Food Coupons.

Those winners are:

Fort Smith Pool #1 Craig Flowers 5.22 lbs

Dardanelle Pool #2 Gary Hensley 5.94

North Little Rock Pool #3 Brett LeQuieu 4.51

Pine Bluff Pool #4 Kelly Glover 5.19

Dumas Pool #5 Lester Irons 5.93

Congratulations!

Saturday Brings a New Leader in the 2012 Arkansas Big Bass Bonanza

jill@arhospitality.org — Sun, 01 Jul 2012 16:01:04 +0000

June 30, 2012

LITTLE ROCK –Saturday brought a new leader to the Arkansas Big Bass Bonanza. Jerry Overton of Hot Springs took the lead with a 6.19 pound bass caught in the Dardanelle pool. Overton’s bass was part of an impressive 45.5 pounds of fish weighed in at Dardanelle in the 10:00 hour.

Leaders in the other four pools are:

Les Irons of McGehee (5.93) – Dumas Pool
Craig Flowers of Midland (5.22) – Fort Smith Pool
Jess Everette of White Hall (5.38) – Pine Bluff Pool
Charlton McCall (4.63) – Little Rock/North Little Rock Pool

This year’s anglers are all competing for part of the $100,000 in guaranteed prize money. The top fish wins the angler $50,000, as well as a paid spot at the 2012 Bassmaster Open.

Each of the other four pool leaders will win a guaranteed $10,000 prize for catching the largest fish in each of the other pools. Additional place money is awarded $900 for second, $700 for third, $400 for fourth, and the Willow Leaf Award of $1,000 will be presented to the parent/child or grandparent/grandchild pair weighing the biggest fish during the three days, currently being led by Bill Casey, Sr and his grandson Dillon Taylor. The amount of hourly prizes will be determined by the number of participants for the three days. New this year, anyone entered into the tournament is eligible for a Bassmaster Classic VIP package. This package includes:

VIP credentials to the Bassmaster Classic behind the scenes tour
Access to BASS life member lounge
Early entry into the Bassmaster Classic Expo
The date is 2/22/2013-2/24/2013 in Tulsa, OK

Academy Sports and Outdoors is also adding prize money by awarding gift card bonuses to anglers.

The Academy Sports and Outdoors bonuses include the following amounts will be awarded each day and for each of the five fishing pools:

A $300.00 Gift Card to any exact 3lb. fish on the 3rd  payout hour, 9:01-10 am
A $400.00 Gift Card to any exact 4lb. fish on the 4th payout hour, 10:01 -11am
A $500.00 Gift Card to any exact 5lb. fish on the 5th payout hour, 11:01-12 (noon)

So far, 3 $300, 3 $400 and 1 $500 cards have been awarded.

The annual tournament is the result of a 13-year partnership between the Arkansas Hospitality Association and the Arkansas Game and Fish Commission. The tournament spans more than 300 miles of the Arkansas River inside the state. The event is divided into five pools; tournament action will resume at 6 a.m. Sunday, with the final weigh-in at 1 p.m. Fishermen can register at any weigh-in location Sunday. The grand prize and other cash awards will be presented during Sunday’s award ceremony at 4 p.m. at the Riverside RV Park in downtown North Little Rock.

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.

Conway Man Leads the 2012 Big Bass Bonanza

jill@arhospitality.org — Sun, 01 Jul 2012 15:59:24 +0000

June 28, 2012

Gary Hensley of Conway narrowly leads the field of anglers with a 5.94 pound bass he caught in the Dardanelle pool.  Hensley caught the fish in the 9 a.m. hour to take the overall lead on the first day of the three-day tournament.

Leaders in the other four pools are:

Craig Flowers of Midland (5.22) – Fort Smith pool
Brit Lequick of Alvord (4.51) – Little Rock pool
Kelly Glover of Damascus (5.19) – Pine Bluff pool
Les Irons of McGehee (5.93) – Dumas pool

This year’s tournament will pay out $100,000 in prize money guaranteed. The top fish wins the guaranteed $50,000 as well as paid spot at the upcoming 2012 Bassmaster Open. Each of the other four pool leaders will win a guaranteed $10,000 for catching the largest fish in each of the other pools during the tournament.  Additional prize money is awarded for the top-three catches each hour in each pool, and the Willow Leaf Award of $1,000 will be presented to the parent/child or grandparent/grandchild pair weighing the biggest fish during the three days. The amount of hourly prizes will be determined by the number of participants for the three days. New this year, the pool leaders from today will be awarded with a family pack to the 2012 Arkansas State Fair.

The annual tournament is the result of a thirteen year partnership with the Arkansas Hospitality Association and the Arkansas Game and Fish Commission. 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. Saturday morning with the final weigh-in being held Sunday at 1 p.m.   Fishermen can still register at any weigh-in location Saturday and Sunday.  The grand prize and other cash awards will be presented during Sunday’s award ceremony, which will begin at 4 p.m at the Downtown Riverside RV Park in downtown North Little Rock.

For more information on the tournament and complete results, visit www.arkansasbigbass.com.