SCOTTSBORO, Ala. — Lake Guntersville once again lived up to its expectations for big bass. The McDonald’s Big Bass Splash presented by Sealy Outdoors and B.A.S.S. did not disappoint with the quality of bass brought to the scales this past weekend. View complete tournament results.
Despite the cloudy conditions, light rain and the chill of cold air, over 1,200 weekend anglers participated in the largest big bass tournament in Alabama.
Hour after hour, more 6-pound-plus bass than ever were weighed in by anglers who traveled from as far away as Hawaii and Ontario, Canada, to compete for their share of the $155,000 guaranteed cash and prizes awarded at this year’s event.
David Guill of Royalton, Ill., fished the event with his son. This was Mr. Guill’s first time to fish Lake Guntersville, and he weighed in a 12.74-pounder just a little before 9 a.m. on Day 1 of the tournament. They were fishing Roseberry Creek in 4 to 8 feet of water when. Guill caught the winning 12.74-pound bass on a junebug Zoom Lizard Magnum. Mr. Guill’s bass won him $1,000 for the hour, as well as a 2013 Legend Alpha 191 powered by Mercury, equipped with MinnKota, Lowrance and Power Pole.
Finishing out the overall Top 5
2nd place – $2,500 Kevin Stubblefield; Guntersville, AL 10.83
3rd Place – $2,000 Lee Oliver; Albertville, AL 9.63
4th Place – $1,500 Andrew Hanson; Tomahawk, KY 9.42
5th Place – $1,000 Wade Meeker; Stevenson, AL 9.24
$1,000 Exact Weight winners
Saturday 3.00 – Alvin Torrey; Summertown, TN
Sunday 3.00 – Gary Baker; Churchhill, TN
Sunday 4.00 – Richard Jenkins; Oakwood, Ontario, Canada
Saturday – 4.00 exact was not weighed in. Scotty Allen of Mantachie, Miss., was the lucky angler drawn among all contestants for this unclaimed exact weight $1,000 prize.
$1,500 Open Drawing
Kenneth Jackson Jones Jr. of Anniston, AL
B.A.S.S. Cash Winners
Top B.A.S.S. Member in Overall Top 5 – $250 Andrew Hanson; Tomahawk, KY
Saturday 6-7 Hour Winner – $100 – Sidney Smith; Harvest, AL
Saturday 10-11 Hour Winner – $100 – Ricky Thompson; Valparaiso, IN
Sunday 6-7 Hour Winner – $100 – Dustin Cline; Taylorsville, NC
Sunday 10-11 Hour Winner – $100 – Bryan Douglas; Hazel Green, AL
Swimbaits, spinnerbaits, and lipless crankbaits were the key products in catching 7-pound-plus bass. There were more 8-pound and 9-pound bass weighed in this year than years past, but the real deal was Kevin Stubblefield of Guntersville, Ala., who on Day 2 brought to the scales a 10.83, 10.03, 6.82 and 6.78. All four bass won him hourly cash dollars in four different hours.
“I’ve been conducting these tournaments for almost 30 years, and this was the first time that an angler caught two bass over 10 pounds on the same day. This was the best tournament on Lake Guntersville, Ala., since we started eight years ago. We had the heaviest weight average per hour, largest bass to win the event and the most anglers to participate,” said Bob Sealy, tournament director and CEO of Sealy Outdoors.
The Big Bass Splash is the world’s largest Amateur Big Bass fishing tournament as featured on National Geographic. Proceeds benefit the Ronald McDonald House and select children’s charities. At the awards ceremony on Sunday, Bob Sealy presented McDonald’s Owner/Operator Charlotte Dutton a check for $6,075.
A special thank you to The Greater Jackson Chamber of Commerce for all of their support and assistance in making this year’s tournament event a success. We would also like to thank our corporate sponsors: Triton Boats, Legend Boats, Mercury Marine, Academy Sports & Outdoors, MinnKota, Lowrance, Okuma, Tournament Saver Pro, Power Pole, Navionics, Healthy Battery, River2Sea, Texas Fish & Game, HydroWave, TH Marine, K2 Cooler, Vicious Fishing, Amphbia, The Original Rod Sox, Tour Star Products, Rayburn Country Resort, and FishingWorld.com
Next year’s dates have been set for March 29 & 30, 2014. Bring your gear and a friend and plan on catching the bass of a lifetime. For more information on Sealy Outdoors and the Big Bass Splash events, go to www.sealyoutdoors.com or call toll free: 888-698-2591
