Angler Lands $60,000 Fish... A Week Too Early

LAKE OF THE OZARKS, Mo. — This weekend, hundreds of amateur anglers will wet a line at the Lake, hoping to reel in a fish that will pay a year's salary. A pair of anglers recently landed a fish that would almost undoubtedly be a Big Bass Bash winner, but he caught it a week too early.

Gary Hayes and Chip Price were fishing in Spring Cove on Saturday, April 11, 2015. They say they pulled in a 9.12-pound bass, which is more than a pound heavier than the biggest bass that has ever won the Big Bass Bash.

The spring Big Bass Bash is scheduled for this weekend, April 18–19.

Local fishing pro Jim Dill says he's never caught a bass that big at the Lake of the Ozarks, but he knows a few people have. This spring, he says, the lunkers seem to be even more prolific than normal. He says that's a sign of a healthy fish population.

MidwestFishingTournaments.com's records for the Big Bass Bash go back to 2011. Since that time, the biggest bass to win the tournament at the Lake of the Ozarks was caught by Jeff Debus in April of 2014. That fish weighed 7.96 lbs and won Debus $50,000.

Dill speculates the Big Bass Bash will set a new tournament record at Lake of the Ozarks this weekend. "I'd look for the winner to be over eight pounds," he said.

Check LakeExpo.com on Friday for "The Reel Dill" — Dill's Big Bass Bash fishing tips.