He Almost Didn’t Enter The Big Bass Bash — Then Caught A $100,000 Fish

Last weekend, thousands of anglers prepared tackle and bait for the chance to win $100,000 at the Big Bass Bash, but only one could claim the title of the heaviest fish at the Lake of the Ozarks. This year’s victor almost didn’t even enter.

Phil Meyer, of Arnold, Mo., grew up fishing at the Lake with his dad. While he doesn’t visit as much these days, he still casts a line thanks to friends with homes nearby. Luckily, one friend convinced him to join the Bash.

“A buddy of mine that I used to work with called me and asked if I wanted to fish,” Meyer said. “I wasn’t even going to fish the tournament, but I’m retired and thought, ‘Yeah, I’ll go ahead and do that.”

The anglers arrived Thursday to test the waters near Ha Ha Tonka Spring. By Saturday morning, Meyer hooked a 7.37-pound monster — and he knew it was a winner.

“I caught three or four bass early and thought if these smaller bass were interested in this craw lure, the bigger fish have got to be interested too,” Meyer said. “And 20 minutes later, the 7.37 hit and I’m like, “we just won the Big Bass Bash.”

Without hesitation, he placed the fish in the live well and headed to weigh-in, marking his first bass in three tournaments.

“I didn’t want it to die or jump out of the live well or anything,” Meyer said, remembering he wanted to “just get it in, weigh it in, and then worry about everything after that.”

Meyer didn’t grab pictures, but said the weigh-in staff jumped in, dressing him in Big Bass Bash gear for the moment, though he thought he looked like Dumbo in the hat.

“We got in the right spot and caught the right fish,” Meyer recalled. “And we got lucky.”

But the competition wasn’t over.

“The excitement and emotion took over when I said we won, but after that I was like, ‘Man, I hope nobody catches something bigger,” Meyer said. “So we just sweated it out for two days.”

While Meyer and his partner kept fishing, even cashing in a couple smaller prizes, he knows this is a once in a lifetime achievement.

“It’s not the biggest fish I’ve ever caught, but it is the most important fish,” Meyer said.

After passing the lie detector “with flying colors,” Meyer split the $100,000 prize with his partner, joking that Uncle Sam would get a piece too. He plans to put his share into a money market account and let it sit. But a moment that stuck out wasn’t the money — it was a special celebration.

Meyer was especially touched when a Special Olympics participant with Down Syndrome joined him in the victory celebration, turning a personal triumph into a truly unforgettable moment on the Lake.

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There's no fishing tournament like the Big Bass Bash.