6.98-pound Bass Wins $50,000 in the Arkansas Big Bass Bonanza
OutdoorHub 06.30.14
Steve Scherrey from Conway Wins on Final Day
After competing in the Arkansas Big Bass Bonanza, Steve Scherrey took home the big prize this year.
The 6.98 pound bass he caught in the 8:00 hour on Saturday in the Dumas pool lifted him over one-day leader William Fitzgerald’s 6.87 pound fish in the Dardanelle pool. Scherrey is taking home $50,000 for his efforts. Scherrey beat out 2,277 other anglers to win the grand prize. This is his second time to take home the overall prize. In 2,000, he won with a 6.76.
Scherrey was fishing with Jim Langley of Conway. He caught the winning bass while fishing with a Buzz Bait. He said he will be splitting the money with his partner. Scherrey said he would use the money for a family vacation with his kids and grandkids, as well as pay bills and work on his boat.
Scherrey said, “I appreciate everyone involved. The Big Bass Bonanza is absolutely the best tournament for the average fisherman. It is very well run. I am a big proponent of the tournament. It pulls people in from outside the state.”
First-place winners in each of the other pools winning $10,000 each are:
- William Fitzgerald, Greenbrier (6.87) – Dardanelle pool
- David May, Little Rock (6.85) – North Little Rock pool
- Karry Dedmon, Huntington (5.69) – Fort Smith pool
- Jason Hamilton, Star City (5.63) – Pine Bluff pool
Roger Key and his son, Zane Moore, both from Van Buren, took home $1,000 cash and the Willow Leaf Award, which goes to the parent/child or grandparent/grandchild pair weighing the biggest fish. Their bass tipped the scales at 5.78 pounds.
Guaranteed place money for each of the five pools is $900 to 2nd place, $700 to 3rd place and $400 to 4th place to the winners, in each of the five pools. The winners of those are:
Pool 1 – Fort Smith
- 2nd David Buck, Ozark 5.55
- 3rd Bill Raggio, Charleston 5.20
- 4th Charles Dickerson, Ozark 5.10
Pool 2 – Dardanelle
- 2nd Randy Osborn, Russellville 6.67
- 3rd Gary Ledford, Clarksville 6.44
- 4th David Summers, Mt. Ida 6.43
Pool 3 – North Little Rock
- 2nd Jimmy Terry, Little Rock 6.02
- 3rd Mitchell Hope, Little Rock 5.59
- 4th James Dial, Bryant 5.35
Pool 4 – Pine Bluff
- 2nd Terry Stewart, Greenbrier 5.13
- 3rd Brian Pennington, White Hall 4.89
- 4th Ronnie Hackney, Star City 4.71
Pool 5 – Dumas
- 2nd John “Steve”Burton, Monticello 6.65
- 3rd Johnny Walker, Lake Village 6.64
- 4th Jacky Brown, Marion 6.12
A total of $234,200 in prize money was awarded, and the hourly payouts were $650 for 1st Place, $400 for 2nd Place and $300 for 3rd Place. In addition, if the hourly winners purchased and were wearing a Big Bass Bonanza t-shirt and cap, they received an extra $100 in bonus money.
Academy Sports and Outdoor gift cards were also won. For a 3.00 pound fish on the 3rd hour, a $300 gift card is awarded. For a 4.00 pound fish on the 4th hour a $400 gift card is awarded. Steve Squires of Morrilton weighed in a 3.00 lb bass in the 3rd hour on Saturday in the Dardanelle pool, Kurt Copeland of Pine Bluff, weighed in a 4.00 lb bass in the 4th hour on Saturday in the Pine Bluff pool, and Eric Johnson of Little Rock weighed in a 4.00 lb bass in the 4th hour on Sunday in the Dumas pool.
Major sponsors of the tournament are Academy Sports and Outdoors, Arkansas Game & Fish Commission and Hardees. Other sponsors include Heart of Arkansas, North Little Rock Visitors Bureau, Pine Bluff Convention & Visitors Bureau, and Russellville Advertising & Promotions.
For more information on the tournament and complete results, visit arkansasbigbass.com.
