If you could fish anywhere in the world, where would you choose?
If you could fly off to Lake El Salto tomorrow morning I bet you’d stay up half the night packing tackle and gear.
Then again, Gerald Swindle just recently proclaimed that Sam Rayburn is the best lake in the USA. No passport needed.
And we’ve been whacking bass down here in Florida, especially on the St Johns River.
What about on June 23rd, 24th and 25th?
Would those dates make a difference? They would if you knew that the Simmons Bank Big Bass Bonanza is taking place on the Arkansas River on those days and that the competition – open to anybody – features $100,000 in guaranteed prize money!
That should put the Arkansas River on the top of your To-Fish List.
Imagine grinding a crankbait along the ledge where Rick Clunn scored perhaps the most memorable Bassmaster Classic win in history. It’s like taking batting practice in Fenway Park. I’ve fished the Clunn Hole before. Struck out, but it was still fun. And this summer it could net somebody the $50,000 top prize for biggest bass, overall or one of the $10,000 prizes awarded for the largest fish overall in each of the remaining four pools, or tons of other prizes including many special youth prizes.
“All high school age anglers will be eligible to win some serious fishing gear,” says tournament director Jill Thiel. “Our sponsors really stepped up to give high school anglers a chance to not only fish for the $50,000 grand prize and the multiple hourly prizes for big fish, but also the chance to upgrade their gear while they’re at it.”
Thiel says anglers grades 6th – 8th and 9th – 12th will have the chance to win one of multiple Raymarine Dragonfly 7-Pro Sonar/GPS fish finder units, Aqua-Vu Micro-II underwater cameras, Bass X fishing rods from St. Croix Rods, lure prize packs from LIVETARGET lures, BaitCloud fish attractant canisters, and a free Thickburgers every week for a year from Hardees.
The Simmons Bank Big Bass Bonanza tournament is a popular three-day tournament that spans about 300 miles of the Arkansas River, with pools and official check-in stations at Fort Smith, Dardanelle, Little Rock/North Little Rock, Pine Bluff and the Pendleton Bridge near Dumas. The Big Bass Bonanza is open to all ages, and last year, it attracted amateur anglers from around the country.
The tournament begins Friday, June 23 and runs through Sunday, June 25, with fishing starting each morning at 6. The first weigh-in is at 8 a.m., with subsequent weigh-ins at the top of each hour until 1 p.m. each day.
Entry is $80 per person each day, and the winners will be announced Sunday, June 25, at 4 p.m. at the awards event at the Riverfront RV park pavilion, North Little Rock, Arkansas.
For more information on tournament rules or to register for the Simmons Bank Big Bass Bonanza, go to: www.arkansasbigbass.com.