And she hollered “HONEY” I got a big one!” It just sucked in the bait, stated a very nervous Bonnie Simms, and when I pulled “IT” pulled right back and the biggest fight of my life was on!” Lady anglers Bonnie Simms, of Shelbyville, and Sandy Cox of Nacogdoches TX, furnished plenty of excitement today as both anglers struggled in with bass tipping the scales at 9.65 and 8.31 lbs. BUT the real “heart thumper” arrived with Michael Frederick of Mauriceville TX, who intimidated the second day tournament scale with his “INCREDIBLE” 11.83 lb McBass.
“It was definitely “big splash-little splash” money-time today, stated Bob “McSplash” Sealy, as we stand to pay out over $170,000 for just one hour’s worth of weigh-ins, with one five minute weigh period alone marking 2 big bass of 10.52 and 11.83 lbs, who could possibly collect over $160,000 in cash and prizes, and two exact weight bass of 3.0 and 4.0 who collected $5,000 cash each, and that is really AWESOME DUDE!!”
Friday-April 16- ReCap; Sunny and warm weather greeted the big bass anglers who arrived from 38 states and four countries to set the leader board with a 1st place (10.89) bass caught by Eddie McCracken, of Graham TX, who fished with a Carolina rigged watermelon/pumpkinseed Zoom lizard to hook his 10.89 lb leading bass off of a mid-lake grass-point. 2nd place lead went to the (9.51) catch by Jimmy Brock, of Lufkin TX, who worked an 8′ creek point with a watermelon/red Zoom trick-worm. 3rd place lead marked the (9.34) bass caught by Jerry Moffett, of Natchez MS, who slow-rolled a 5′ mid-lake grass-bed with a chartreuse McHooty spinner-bait. The only exact weight Bass came in with the 3.0 catch by Jason Wells, of San Augustine TX, who fished a north lake brush patch with a watermelon/red tube for his $5,000 payout.
Saturday-April 17- Results;
1st place McLead -(11.83)- Michael Frederick of Mauriceville TX, was working a Quantum rod and reel spooled with 17 lb- P-line when he caught and landed what could become the “overall” winning bass of this tournament. “We, my dad and I, were fishing the Five Fingers area with Carolina rigged watermelon/red Zoom lizards, Michael stated, as he told of fishing a creek-point grass-flat when the big bass hit on an 8:40am big bite. “I yelled to my dad to “GET THE NET” because I had a big fish, Mike stated! If Michael Frederick’s big bass holds until the final bass is weighed-in on Sunday, then he could be driving home to Mauriceville in a brand new Hummer H-2 trailering a matching brand new Triton Bass boat rig valued at $105,000. But even so, Mike collected $2,000 for his top of the hour bass.
2nd place McLead-(10.89)- Eddie McCraken of Graham TX, fished a Daiwa/Mitchell rod & reel with a Carolina rigged watermelon/pumpkinseed Zoom lizard on the first day when he hooked his 10.89 lb bass on a 6:20am big bite. The angler was working mid-lake point grass when the huge bass hit. Eddie became the first weigh-in for the 20th Annual McDonalds Big Bass Tournament and collected $2,000 for his top of the hour bass.
3rd place McLead- (10.52)- Michael Duff of Liberty TX, was fishing the Five Finger area when he nailed his big bass on a 9:30am big bite. “I was fishing with a Castaway rod and Garcia reel spooled with 50 lb test Spider-Wire, he stated, with a Xmas tree Senko around a 4′ buck-brush patch when the bass hit. Duff pocketed $1,600 for his 2nd place hourly big bass.
4th place McLead-(9.67)- Danny Dulude of Como TX, went to Little Creek to fish a Fulcrum rod and Quantum reel spooled with 25 lb test Berkely Big Game mono. “The bass was on a 10′ 2ndary grass point when it hit my Carolina rigged watermelon/red double-ringer bait on a 10:50am big bite, he informed, telling that the bass swam off and all heck broke loose before I could get her in the boat. Danny Delude has fished every single McSplash event from its day-1 beginnings and collected $2,000 for his top of the hour big bass.
5th place McLead-(9.65)- Bonnie Simms, of Shelbyville TX, was fishing with her husband, Rickey, while working a Shimano rod & reel spooled with 17 lb test Silver-Thread mono. “I was fishing a Carolina rigged watermelon-seed French fry over an 8′ grassy cove, she stated, when my line just snagged-up, I thought, on some brush, so when I pulled to free it “IT PULLED RIGHT BACK” and then the fight of my life was on! I had a good feeling about fishing with my husband today, but I thought it would’ve been him, instead of me, who would catch the big bass. I kept my rod tip down when the bass jumped twice, she informed excitedly, until my husband was finally able to net it into the boat. It’s my biggest bass EVER, stated the lady angler as she collected her $2,000 top of the hour check. (Bonnie Simms also weighed-in a 5.95 lb bass on the final hour fishing the same area with the same bait.)
Day-2 Exact weight bass-
(3.0)- James Jones of Calhoun LA, was working a 3′ Caney Creek brush-patch when he managed to catch an exact weight bass on a 4″ Strike King tube-bait. The bass hit on a 9:am mini-bite for a $5,000 payday.
(4.0)- Leighton Lloyd of Stockton TX, was fishing the Harvey Creek area when he managed to catch an exact weight 5.0 bass that would put $5,000 in his pocket. “The bass hit a “tooth picked” pumpkin-seed Zoom trick-worm, he informed, at 8:15am over a 5′ brush top. “I plan on getting an exact replica mount of that 4.0 bass, Leighton chortled, and mounting it in my boat so’s my brother can see it every time he goes fishing with me.
(5.0)- Glenn Granger of Sulphur Springs TX, was fishing a watermelon Zoom fluke around some 7′ Buck Bay grass with a G Loomis rod and Shimano reel spooled with 30 lb test Stren line when he hooked and landed a 10:am $5,000 exact weight 5.0 lb bass.By: Ed Snyder / Ed Snyder Outdoors
