Arkansas Sportsman

Arkansas angler finally catches Big Al, nets $15,000

Pete Clark of Malvern shows off a 4-pound largemouth bass that earned him and his brother Jessie $15,000.
Pete Clark of Malvern shows off a 4-pound largemouth bass that earned him and his brother Jessie $15,000.

After six years, somebody finally caught Big Al.

Big Al is a largemouth bass that carried a tag worth $15,000 for the Hot Springs Fishing Challenge, an annual contest that the Hot Springs Convention and Visitor's Bureau holds to promote fishing in lakes Hamilton and Catherine.

Pete Clarke, who works at the Malvern wastewater treatment plant, caught Big Al while fishing with his brother Jesse Clarke of Bonnerdale in a Tuesday night club bass tournament on Lake Hamilton. Pete caught the 18-inch largemouth near Hot Springs Creek at 9:30 p.m. with a spinnerbait.

Clarke and his brother won the tournament with a total weight of 13.01 pounds. Big Al, which weighed 3.84 pounds, was their biggest, but another angler won the tournament's Big Bass pot.

The Clarkes won $190 for taking first place in the tournament. Pete Clarke said he will split the money with Jesse.

"When you fish buddy tournaments, you split everything you win 50-50," Clarke said.

Clarke said he'll use his portion to pay off his truck.

"My brother is going to buy some graphs for his boat, so he'll get to use his half for fishing," Clarke said.

Steve Arrison, executive director for the Hot Springs Convention and Visitor's Bureau was thrilled, especially since anglers had only turned in seven of 61 money tags that are worth an aggregate total of $86,000. Big Al is the most valuable, but Arrison said there are also four fish worth $5,000, 46 fish worth $1,000 and 10 fish worth $500.

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The tagged fish included largemouth bass, white bass, crappie, bluegill, catfish and walleye.

"We usually have 16 by now, but the fishing challenge ends June 30, so we put out GPS coordinates for the fish last week," Arrison said.

Big Al was released a long way from Hot Springs Creek, Arrison said, so coordinates might not be useful.

"I caught him at least a mile and half from where they turned him loose," Clarke said. "The funny thing is they turned him loose on a hump. Four boats were fishing on that hump last night. They were in the wrong spot."

During its six-year run, the Hot Springs Fishing Challenge continues to fulfill its mission of encouraging Hot Springs residents and non-residents to fish at lakes Hamilton and Catherine.

"We see an increase in fishing here due to the fishing challenge," Arrison said. "If you're an Arkansas angler in Malvern or Little Rock trying to decide where to go fishing, there are two lakes where you could possibly win $15,000."

Hot Springs is blessed to have such attractive and marketable natural assets for anglers, Arrison said, adding that lakes Ouachita and DeGray are nearby, as well.

"You can fish here year round, but for three months you can enjoy fishing and walk away with cash, and you don't have to be in a tournament to do it," Arrison said. "You don't need any equipment but a pole and some bait."

Arrison said there have been times when crickets were hard to find at area bait shops because of the fishing challenge.

"When else can you catch a catfish that's worth $1,000?" Arrison asked.

This year's challenge ran from April 1 to June 30, but Arrison said he's considering shifting it back to May through July so more people may participate.

"We have people call and say they want to participate, but they won't be able to take their vacations and until July," Arrison said.

Eligible fish carry purple tags behind the dorsal fin, and they are easy to see, Arrison said, although some anglers found the tags while they filleted their fish.

"My brother netted the fish, and as soon as he reached for it, he saw the tag," Clarke said. "We knew it was a money fish, and we knew there was a good chance it was Big Al."

For Clarke, Big Al is the highlight of a lifetime of tournament fishing.

"The first one I fished, I was 13, and I'm 47 now," Clark said. I've won a couple of BFL's [Fishing League Worldwide Bass Fishing League], and I've won $2,500 fishing tournaments a couple of times, but $15,000 is more than I've ever won before."

Sports on 06/25/2017

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