By LARRY TUCKER
news@woodcountymonitor.com

Louisiana angler James Clark took home the grand prize Sunday, Sept. 17 at Bob Sealey’s Big Bass Splash at Lake Fork, but it was a final hour catch of a 10.52 pound bass by 11-year old Ruger Long which stole the show.

Long, from the Fairfield/Teague area, was one of the 3,000 anglers fishing the tournament as an adult with his father. The big fish was weighed in about 1:40 p.m. just prior to the end of the tournament.

Sealey, who was recently named to the Bass Fishing Hall of Fame, brought the young man to the stage. “Did you know my 69th birthday is coming up and I was born in Fairfield, Texas. In all my years of doing this , this the first time I have had a young winner from Fairfield,” Sealey told Long.

“Do you realize you won a boat, a truck and $2,000 cash? Add the $1,500 for having the hour’s biggest bass and that makes it $3,500 cash. It looks like your college fund is in good shape.”

The tournament winner, Clark, hails from Denham Springs, Louisiana. He won the event with a 10.57 pound fish, just ahead of Long’s 10.52 catch.

Third place went to Chad O’Neal of Amity, Arkansas with a fish weighing 10.38. Fourth place winner Perry Dixon, Jr. of Temple had a 9.56 pounder and fifth place went to Clyde Stephenson, Van Alstyne, with a catch of 9.08 pounds.

Clark took home $7,000 cash, a Triton TrX powered by Mercury and a 2017 Ram truck along with some other prizes. For his second place effort, Long won a Titan boat and a 2017 Ram truck along with other items.

Local anglers winning money in the various hourly weigh-in cash prizes were on Friday were Ivan Bradshaw, Quitman, $500; Darrell Campbell, Alba, $800; J.C. Vaginault, Yantis, $700; Chris Ford, Winnsboro,  $700; James Hortman, Jr. $450; Puthal Loeuk, Yantis, $300; Richard Altman, Yantis, $350; and Christine Grier, Mineola $325 and $300.

On Saturday, local winners were Sidney Smith, Alba, $900; Verlon Croney, Alba, $800; Mike Mason, Alba, $500; Tommy Dubberly, Alba, $450 and Shane Spriggs, Yantis, $250.

Local hourly cash winners Sunday were John Goergan, Yantis, $900; Wesley Rowell, Yantis, $800; Jeff Johnson, Mineola, $700; Steve Hope, Alba, $500; Terry Williams, Quitman, $325; Harold Bredemeier, Alba, $350 and Verlon Croney, Alba, $325.

The annual Big Bass Splash has been coming to Lake Fork over 30 years and was headquartered at Lake Fork Marina.