LITTLE ROCK, Ark. — After competing in the Arkansas Big Bass Bonanza for over a decade, Patrick Chapman finally took home the big prize this year.

The 6.81-pound bass he caught in the 11:00 hour on Sunday lifted him over two-day leader Daniel Shults’ 5.63-pound fish, also from the Dumas pool. Chapman is taking home $50,000 for his efforts. Chapman beat out 1,861 other anglers to win the grand prize.

Chapman said he had won some hourly prizes in the past, but never “the big one.”

“It’s really something. We fish all the time, and it’s about time we won something,” Chapman said. “I think we won about $1,300 last year at Pine Bluff. This pays us back for a lot of gear.”

Chapman was fishing with Aubrey Wells and David Streeter. He caught the winning bass while fishing at Coal Pile using a spinner bait.

“We were kinda asleep at the wheel—never expected to catch a 6-pounder,” Chapman said. “We had fished a tournament Thursday night, and another one in Crossett on Saturday. My buddy had to loan me money to pay my entry fee today and said ‘don’t worry about it now.’ We didn’t even decide to fish till 10:00 last night.”

Chapman said he was going to use the money to pay off some bills, saying, “It’s not sexy, but I’m just going to give myself some breathing room. If you can breathe you can smile. I want to smile.”

First-place winners in each of the other pools are:
• Jason Deblock of Vilonia (4.87) – Little Rock pool
• Martin Arnold of Ft. Smith (5.36) – Fort Smith pool
• Cameron Harp of Ward (5.86) – Dardanelle pool
• Eric Green of Pine Bluff (5.49) – Pine Bluff pool

The top catch in each of these four pools was worth $10,000 in prize money.

The leader for the first two days of the tournament, Daniel Shults who was fishing with his father Mansel of Pine Bluff took home $1,000 cash and the Willow Leaf Award, which goes to the parent/child or grandparent/grandchild pair weighing the biggest fish. Shults’ bass tipped the scales at 5.63 pounds.

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

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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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When asked about the experience, Shults, who spent the morning fishing with his father Wayne said, “I was fishing hard.”  This was the second time the younger Shults had fished the Dumas pool.

Leaders in the other four pools 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

The top fish wins the guaranteed $50,000. Each of the other four pool leaders has the potential to 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.

Academy Sports and Outdoors will be giving the following prizes in addition to any other tournament prizes. 

• A $300 gift card to any exact three-pound fish on the third payout hour, 9:01 to10 a.m.
• A $400 gift card to any exact four-pound fish on the fourth payout hour, 10:01 to 11 a.m.
• A $500 gift card to any exact five-pound fish on the fifth payout hour, 11:01 a.m. to noon.

The chance to win these bonuses will be awarded each day and for each of the five fishing pools. 

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. 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.

“It is shaping up to be an exciting tournament,” said Montine McNulty, executive director of the Arkansas Hospitality Association and tournament organizer.  “I was pleased to hear that our tournament has participants from coast to coast who will be in Arkansas this weekend.  This is great exposure for our river, its communities and our state.’”

Howie Silagi of San Diego, CA will be fishing in the tournament, as will Barry Tucker of Claremont, NH. There are also registrants from Alabama, Illinois, Louisiana, Missouri, Mississippi, Ohio, Oklahoma, Tennessee, Texas, and of course, Arkansas.

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.

The contest spans 300 miles of eligible fishing from Fort Smith to Dumas — the entire length of the Arkansas River within the state’s borders. As in previous years, the river will be divided into five fishing pools, and each pool will have one official weigh-in site.

The tournament is June 24-26. It begins each day at 6 a.m. sharp, with the first hourly weigh-in at 8 a.m. and subsequent weigh-ins at the top of each hour until the final 1 p.m. weigh-in.  For more information on tournament rules or to register go to arkansasbigbass.com.

Fort Smith
Barling Boat • 6401 Zero Street
Tackle Box • 3001 Zero Street
Academy • 5001 Phoenix Avenue

Russellville
Wilkins Brothers Outdoors • 815 North Arkansas Avenue

Hot Springs
Trader Bill’s • 1530 Albert Pike Road

Sherwood
Fish ‘N Stuff • 6506 Warden Road
Academy • 6100 Warden Rd

White Hall
Spencer’s Marine • 6813 Princeton Pike

Little Rock
Arkansas Hospitality Association • 603 South Pulaski Street
Arkansas Rod & Reel • 8216 Cantrell Road
Academy • 11400 West Markham

Redfield
Terri Foods, Inc. • 902 River Road

Dumas
Back Gate One Stop • 1564 Highway 165

Mayflower
Bates Field & Stream • 4 Lake Forest Drive
Registration sites are only accepting cash or credit cards.

After Wednesday, June, 22, the only way to register is at the weigh-in site the day of the tournament. Only cash payments will be accepted at weigh-in sites.

If you register online or by fax, your packet may be picked up the day of the tournament from the weigh master at your designated pool. You are not required to check in with the weigh master by a certain time. You may pick up your packet at any time. Please be sure to designate the pool from which you will be fishing.

The Big Bass Bonanza Fishing Tournament is sponsored by Academy Sports & Outdoors, the Arkansas Hospitality Association, the Arkansas Game and Fish Commission, Hardees, the Fort Smith Convention and Visitors Bureau, the Little Rock Convention and Visitors Bureau, the North Little Rock Visitors Bureau, Pine Bluff Convention & Visitors Bureau, and the Russellville Advertising and Promotion Commission.

• Barling Boat, 6401 Zero Street, Fort Smith
• Tackle Box at 3001 Zero Street, Fort Smith
• Academy at 5001 Phoenix Avenue, Fort Smith
• Wilkins Brothers Outdoors, 815 North Arkansas Avenue, Russellville
• Trader Bill’s, 1530 Albert Pike Road, Hot Springs
• Fish ‘N Stuff, 6506 Warden Road, Sherwood
• Academy, 6100 Warden Road, Sherwood
• Spencer’s Marine, 6813 Princeton Pike, White Hall
• Arkansas Hospitality Association Office, 603 South Pulaski Street, Little Rock
• Arkansas Rod & Reel, 8216 Cantrell Road, Little Rock
• Academy, 11400 West Markham, Little Rock
• Terri Foods, Inc., 902 River Road, Redfield
• Back Gate One Stop, 1564 Highway 165, Dumas
• Bates Field & Stream, 4 Lake Forest Drive, Mayflower

Registration may be paid with cash, cashiers check, money order, personal check (through June 17), Mastercard, Visa, American Express or Discover. Only cash will be accepted at weigh-in sites the day of the tournament.

For  more information, call (501)376-2323 or (800) 472-5022. Follow us on Twitter or like us on Facebook to get all the latest updates.

Before setting out in a pleasure craft, always check flow conditions. Corps officials urge boaters to always use caution on the river. Wear a life jacket, and never operate a boat while intoxicated. Give commercial towboats an extra wide berth for safety’s sake. They are heavier than freight trains and not nearly as maneuverable as pleasure boats. It can take a towboat more than a half mile to stop.

Advisories are issued when flows reach 70,000 cubic feet per second. Currents become swifter and stronger, and large debris is carried downstream.

For daily river information, visit the Corps’ Little Rock District Web site at www.swl.usace.army.mil and click the water management button.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Saturday’s Leader Holds On To Win $50,000 In the Arkansas Big Bass Bonanza

LITTLE ROCK, Ark. (June 27, 2010) — Although Nicholas Warden of Beebe had fished in the Arkansas Big Bass Bonanza the past two years, he had not planned to compete again this year.  However, his step dad talked him into going to Dumas to fish with him, and now Warden is sure glad he did.

His 6.62-pound bass that he reeled in on Saturday morning held up as the overall leader in the three-day tournament, and Warden, 30, is taking home $50,000 for his efforts.  Warden beat out 1,754 other anglers to win the grand prize.

Warden said he really had had nothing but bad luck with the tournament the past two years.  “Last year I fished in North Little Rock, and my truck was broken into while I was fishing and some of gear was stolen,” Warden said.  “The year before, I fished at Dardanelle, and someone drove over my boat trailer.  But I finally had some good luck this year.  I think I’m ahead now!”

He said he hooked the winning bass about 7:30 a.m. Saturday below Pendleton Bridge where the canal goes into Moores Bayou.  “I had fished that area before (although not in the tournament) and thought I might get lucky and catch a three- or four-pounder to get in the hourly prize money,” he said.   “On my first cast, the bass hit my peanut butter and jelly jig.  As soon as he came out of the water, I knew it was a very good fish.  Then when I got him in the boat, he came off the hook, and I had to lay on him to keep him from jumping out of the boat.”

First-place winners in each of the other pools are:

•  Russell Pryor of Greenwood (5.36) – Fort Smith pool
•  William Menz of Ward (6.23) – Dardanelle pool
•  Andrew Smith of Alexander (5.81) – North Little Rock pool
•  Brent Ward of Pine Bluff (5.83) – Pine Bluff pool

The top catch in each of these four pools was worth $10,000 in prize money.

Victor Scrivner and his son, Britt, of Pine Bluff took home $1,000 cash and the Willow Leaf Award, which goes to the parent/child or grandparent/grandchild pair weighing the biggest fish.  Scrivner’s bass tipped the scales at 4.39 pounds.

During Sunday’s competition, Calvin Ashcraft of DeWitt weighed a three-pound bass at the third weigh-in hour in Dumas to win a $300 gift card from Academy Sports and Outdoors.  Randy Staggs of Atkins won a $400 gift card for catching a four-pound fish at the fourth weigh-in hour in Dardanelle.

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

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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Nicholas Warden of Beebe Takes Lead in Big Bass Bonanza
6.62-Pound Catch Near Dumas is Fish To Beat

LITTLE ROCK, Ark. (June 26, 2010) — It didn’t take Nicholas Warden of Beebe long Saturday to take the overall lead in the Arkansas Big Bass Bonanza fishing tournament on the Arkansas River.  Warden caught a 6.62-pound bass in Pool 5 near Dumas that he brought in during the 8 a.m. weigh-in.

If his fish remains the biggest catch of the three-day tournament, Warden 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 are:

•  John Higman of Evansville (6.03) – Fort Smith pool
•  William Menz of Ward (6.23) – Dardanelle pool
• Andrew Smith of Alexander (5.81) – North Little Rock pool
•  Ann Hester of Sherrill (5.47) – 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.

After the second day of fishing, Victor Scrivner of Pine Bluff and his son are in the lead for the $1,000 cash Willow Leaf Award that goes to parent/child or grandparent/grandchild pair weighing the biggest fish.  Scrivner’s bass tipped the scales at 4.39 pounds.

During Friday’s competition, Dwayne Lytle Jr. of Bauxite hauled in one of 20 tagged bass and won a $750 gift card from Academy Sports and Outdoors.  One of the tagged bass is worth $50,000, if it is caught, and if it is among the first five tagged bass caught and presented during the Big Bass Bonanza Tournament.  Any tagged fish snagged during the tourney must be presented at the official weigh-in site for Pool 3 in North Little Rock.

The grand prize and other cash awards will be presented during Sunday’s award ceremony, which will begin at 4 p.m. near the North Little Rock/Verizon Arena boat ramp.

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

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