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$100,000
Lures Amateur Anglers to Bass Bonanza on June 27-28 By Jim Taylor, travel writer Arkansas Department of Parks and Tourism LITTLE ROCK 5/28/03 - Now here's a fish story: lurking somewhere in the Arkansas River's roughly 300 miles between Fort Smith and Dumas is a big bass worth $100,000. That's the top prize at stake June 27-28 in the fourth annual Arkansas Ford Dealers Big Bass Bonanza, the nation's largest amateur fishing contest. In all, some $270,000 (based on 3,000 entrants) is expected to be awarded during the tournament, which is being produced by the Arkansas Hospitality Association in cooperation with its major sponsor, the Arkansas Ford Dealers. Last year, Clay Guinn of Conway bested 2,501 anglers from 19 states by landing a 6.21-pound largemouth, while participants from five states took home prize money. For the tournament, the Arkansas will be divided into five designated pools, each with its own weigh-in site, as follows: -- Pool One, from the Garrison Avenue Bridge, near Fort Smith, south to the upstream side of Ozark Lock & Dam with weigh-ins at Clear Creek Park on the river about 3.5 miles east of Kibler; -- Pool Two, downstream from the Ozark dam to the upstream side of Ormond Lock & Dam with weigh-ins at Lake Dardanelle State Park (Russellville side); -- Pool Three, downstream from the Ormond dam to the upstream side of the David D. Terry Lock & Dam with weigh-ins at the North Little Rock Marina and Boat Dock east of the Interstate 30 bridge in North Little Rock; -- Pool Four, downstream from the Terry dam to the upstream side of Joe Hardin Lock & Dam with weigh-ins in the Pine Bluff/Jefferson County Regional Park at Pine Bluff; and -- Pool Five, downstream from the Joe Hardin dam to the upstream side of Lock #2 and Dam #2 with weigh-ins at the Pendleton Bridge on U.S. 165 about 9.5 miles east of Dumas. For determining the tournament's overall prizes, Pools One, Three and Four will be combined into Superpool A, while Two and Five will be designated Superpool B. The anglers weighing in the largest fish from the superpools will each earn $25,000, with the largest fish of the two earning a $75,000 bonus. Second through tenth-place finishers in both superpools will receive prizes ranging from $10,000 to $500. (Should the tournament draw less than 3,000 entrants, the number and size of those prizes may be adjusted.) Competition will run from 6 a.m. to 1 p.m. both tournament days. Beginning at 8 a.m. each day, each of the five pools will host six hourly weigh-ins. Prizes of $500, $300 and $200 will be awarded for the three biggest fish produced at each of the hourly weigh-ins in all five pools. Anglers wearing a T-shirt and cap from the current or any previous year's tournament when their prize fish are weighed will receive a $100 bonus. The tournament entry fee is $160 for both days or $80 for one day through June 10 and an additional $10 per day thereafter. Anglers may fish the pool of their choice and may change pools at any time, but a fish must be weighed in at the site designated for the pool in which the fish was caught. Only live largemouth, smallmouth and Kentucky spotted bass measuring at least 16 inches in length are eligible to be weighed. Registration forms can be obtained at any participating Arkansas Ford dealer. Contestants may also register in person at designated sites in Fort Smith, Van Buren, Dardanelle, Russellville, Little Rock, Sherwood, Pine Bluff, Redfield, Dumas and Hot Springs. Tournament prizes will be presented during a party and awards ceremony for tourney participants to begin at 4 p.m. June 28 near the Pool Three weigh-in site on North Little Rock's riverfront. Attendance is free for contestants, who may bring guests at $5 per person. Drawings for prizes will be conducted with eligibility limited to those wearing a cap from the current or any previous year's tournament and in possession of their 2003 weigh-in card. The tournament's Willow Leaf Award, consisting of $1,000 cash and a commemorative plaque, will be awarded to the parent/child or grandparent/grandchild weighing in the largest bass. There are no age limits for the prize, which is intended to encourage family members to fish the tournament together. For information on the designated registration sites (and other tournament information) or to request entry forms, phone toll-free 1-800-472-5022 or (501) 376-2323 if in Little Rock. Requests may also be faxed to (501) 376-6517 or sent by e-mail to aha@arhospitality.org. Entries can be submitted via the tournament's website at www.fordbigbass.com. Fees are payable by cash (except by mail), money order, cashier's check, VISA, MasterCard and through June 10 by personal check. Submitted by the Arkansas Department of Parks & Tourism One Capitol Mall, Little Rock, AR 72201, (501) 682-7606 E-mail: info@arkansas.com |