Billy Holeman Jr. of Camden fretted all weekend while waiting for somebody to catch a bigger fish, but the 6.03-pound largemouth bass he caught Friday in Pine Bluff Harbor went the distance to win the 29th Arkansas Big Bass Bonanza on Sunday on the Arkansas River.
The smallest winner since 2003, Holeman's bass netted a $50,000 check, but it also earned additional money as the biggest bass weighed in for the hour when Holeman weighed it. Holeman caught another hourly winner that boosted his prize total to more than $51,000.
It was only the third winner to come from the Pine Bluff Pool.
"I didn't think I'd win it down here," Holeman said. "I figured it would come from Dumas or Dardanelle. I just wanted to win an hourly (check). We fished Pine Bluff because we live in Camden, and Pine Bluff is closest. It's an hour and 15 minute drive."
Holeman's fish is the third consecutive winner to be caught on the first day of the tournament, and the fourth first-day winner in five years. Early success means a long weekend of sleepless nights and days full of worry.
"I didn't think I'd be excited, but I haven't slept in three days," Holeman said. "I'm ready to get back to Camden and crash."
Holeman, a driver for FedEx Freight, caught the fish Friday at 12:15 a.m. when he threw a junebug Z-Man worm under a dock. He used a Temple Fork Outfitters rod and 17-pound test Seguar line.
Holeman said he has never won big money in a tournament before. He said he will split the earnings with his father, William Holeman Sr.; give a portion to his church; and pay some bills.
"It feels great," Holeman said. "It's just me and my dad having fun. He's 81 years old. He carried me all those years, and now I carry him."
Holeman said the Big Bass Bonanza is a tournament anybody can win.
"If I can do it, anyone can do it," Holeman said. "It's just luck on this deal."
Anglers who caught the biggest bass in the other four pools won $10,000 each. Ashley Whitman won Pool 1 (Fort Smith) with a 5.28-pound bass. Chris Tucker won Pool 2 with a 6.01-pounder, and John Faucett won Pool 3 with a 5.39-pounder. Stephen Nicks won Pool 5 with a 6-pound bass.
Faucett, of Searcy, and his son Jason Faucett, 17, had to scramble to enter the tournament Friday, and John Faucett started fishing Saturday with only three hours of sleep. They caught chunky bass all day, but it started to get really interesting when Jason Faucett caught a 4.38-pounder. The fish kept getting bigger until John topped out with the pool winner.
"We were fishing the Maumelle Pool," Faucett said. "We came in to weigh for the hourly. Next thing I know, we win the pool."
Tucker, an engineer at St. Mary's Medical Center in Russellville, climbed a similar ladder. He used a deep-diving crankbait on a rock ledge off the main channel in Lake Dardanelle. He and his partner caught a couple of 4-pounders that fired up a school of big fish, and then Tucker bagged the 6-pounder.
"I was surprised to win the pool, but I saw that the weights were really tough," Tucker said. "One cast can end all that in a hurry. You can win second or third and get a really good check, but with just one cast, anyone can win $10,000 or even $50,000."
The Arkansas Hospitality Association hosts the Big Bass Bonanza. Montine McNulty, executive director for the Arkansas Hospitality Association, said about 1,700 anglers entered the tournament. That's about 250 less than 2017, but about the same as 2016, she said.
"The heat, humidity and the Razorbacks figured into it, I think," McNulty said. "A lot of people spent their time and money over there in Omaha, and we think we lost a few that way, but it was a great tournament, and we're looking forward to another great tournament next year."
Sports on 07/02/2018