For the first time since 1989, there will be no Big Bass Bonanza on the Arkansas River thanks to social distancing requirements to limit the spread of coronavirus.
The event originally was scheduled for June 26-28.
Established in 1989, the Big Bass Bonanza was the largest amateur bass tournament in the United States. It was held on the entire length of the Arkansas River within Arkansas borders, attracting anglers from all over the United States to compete for the $50,000 top prize that went to the angler that caught the single heaviest bass of the tournament. Anglers who caught the heaviest bass in the other four pools won $10,000, and anglers also won money for weighing the heaviest bass every hour.
Montine McNulty, executive director for the Arkansas Hospitality Association, said the pandemic makes it impossible for her small staff to organize and execute such a large event.
"We can't possibly do it," McNulty said. "It takes four of us several months to pull it all together. I'm the only one in the office. It's impossible with everyone working remotely."
The tournament encompasses weigh-in sites in Fort Smith, Russellville, Little Rock, Pine Bluff and Dumas, each requiring a separate weigh-in staff.
Because of flooding on the Arkansas River, the Big Bass Bonanza has been postponed frequently over the past 20 years. McNulty said that rescheduling a big tournament is not difficult, but trying to plan a big event without even knowing a potential date is impossible.
"It's not hard to interrupt, but sometimes it's hard after interrupting to get it going again," McNulty said. "We've had delays, and it's hard on staff to ramp it up, ramp it down and then ramp it back up again."
Last year's Big Bass Bonanza was delayed until October. Even so, McNulty said the Arkansas Hospitality Association paid anglers nearly $140,000 in prize money.
"We appreciate the support of the fishermen that supported this tournament for 30 years," McNulty said. "Hopefully next year we will have a better environment. With covid-19 and all the uncertainty going on, it's too risky to do it this year."
Commissioner's Cup
Also due to coronavirus concerns, the Arkansas Game and Fish Foundation will use a new format for its second annual Commissioner's Cup High School Bass Tournament on June 20-21.
The tournament originally was scheduled to take place on Lake Ouachita at Brady Mountain, but the Game and Fish Foundation adapted the format to eliminate dozens of students and family members congregating in one place for the weigh-in. Instead, the Game and Fish Foundation shortened the tournament to one day, June 20, and expanded the venue to 12 different lakes around the state.
Instead of a single weigh-in, the tournament will use a scoring system based on length vs. weight using software called "Tourney X." The concept is popular among kayak tournaments across the nation and is known as "C.P.R." -- catch, photo, release. An angler will take a photo of each fish against a regulated measuring board and upload it to the judges. The photo is GPS and time-stamped, allowing judges to see where the fish was caught and confirming that it was landed during tournament hours on eligible waters.
Deke Whitbeck, president of the Game and Fish Foundation, said that multiple venues will make the tournament a true statewide event while mitigating the risk of participants and their families by not gathering in one place for a tourney meeting, take-off and weigh-in.
"To my knowledge, this is the first time in Arkansas a high school championship tournament will be conducted in this format, and we hope to make a splash in doing so," Whitbeck said.
High school anglers who have participated in at least three high school circuit tournaments in the 2019-20 fishing season will be eligible to compete in the Commissioner's Cup.
The venues for the Commissioner's Cup will be Beaver Lake, Bull Shoals Lake, Lake Norfork, Greers Ferry Lake, Lake Dardanelle (if Arkansas River conditions permit), Lake Maumelle, Lake Ouachita, Lake DeGray, Lake Millwood, Felsenthal National Wildlife Refuge (if Ouachita River conditions permit), Lake Chicot and Horseshoe Lake.
Sports on 06/04/2020