BIGS ONLY Fishing Files: Big Money Won at Bill Dance Giant Bass Open on Douglas Lake

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BY DAVE LINK

Big bass. Big bucks.

That was the name of the game April 12-13 in the Bill Dance Giant Bass Open on Douglas Lake.

Bass anglers in youth and adult divisions got a chance to win big money by catching big bass in the third of six Giant Bass Opens on Bill Dance Signature Lakes. Proceeds from the tournaments are used to enhance fisheries and management on those 14 Signature lakes.

And for six weekends a year, it’s a chance for amateur bass anglers to experience the adrenaline rush of cashing checks for catching bass.

“There’s no better feeling in the world than having a plan, going out and executing, and actually winning,” Karns senior Hunter Owens said.

Owens had a memorable weekend.

On Saturday (April 12), Owens won the high school division of the Tennessee Bass Nation’s Bass Pro Shops tournament on Norris Lake.

Owens fished solo because his co-angler, Clayton Kelley, plays baseball for Karns and had games that weekend for the Beavers.

Owens’ winning bag on Norris consisted of five bass weighing 12.07 pounds, which was actually second overall behind eighth graders Parker DeFoe and John David Carroll of the Berean Eagles, who won the juniors division (five bass, 16.50 pounds).

After his day on Norris, Owens joined a buddy, Hayden Barnett of the Kingston Fishing Team, and fished in the Giant Bass Open on Sunday (April 13).

“I just love the sport of fishing, and I like competing,” Owens said. “I was going to go either way. I figured I’d go ahead and hop in the boat with Hayden.”

The Bill Dance events are “open” amateur events, which means professional anglers can’t fish them. Each adult pays $200 for entry fee, while youth pay a $100 entry fee. (Several major sponsors are involved).

Each of the two days (Saturday and Sunday) is split into seven, 1-hour time periods, with the first starting at 8 a.m.

Each angler is allowed to keep three bass in his/her live well at a time and weigh in one bass each hour for prize money. Eight anglers in each division (youth and adult) get prize money each hour, ranging from (for youth) $500 for first place to $60 for eighth place.

Adult payouts range from $1,000 for first place to $125 for eighth place.

Therefore, if an angler fishes both days, he/she has a chance to cash checks in 14 different hourly time slots.

Here’s how three of the area’s top anglers fared (all three will fish for the Carson-Newman Eagle Anglers starting in the fall).

OWENS: ‘PRETTY GOOD DAY’

Owens and Barnett decided before Sunday they would split their earnings, and they totaled $4,000.

Owens’ take of $2,000 was a nice finish to the weekend. He had a good reason to miss Saturday’s Giant Bass Open.

“I’m leading the points race for the Bass Pro Trail and that should be my ticket to the national championship if I can keep it up,” Owens said.

Owens maintained about a 5-point lead in the Bass Pro standings race by taking the victory for high school division on Norris. There’s one event left on the regular-season tour before the season-ending tournament.

“It’s a big deal whenever you can do that well in a big tournament like that,” Owens said. “As long as I don’t just do terrible, I should have a pretty decent shot at it.”

Owens and Barnett got off to a hot streak in Sunday’s Giant Bass Open.

“The first four hours, we won all 4 hours,” said Owens, who won two of those hours, “and one of them, we got first and second, so it was a pretty good day.”

Owens’ biggest bass was a 3.8-pounder.

BARNETT: ‘I HAD NO CLUE’

Barnett caught the winning bass on Day 2 – a 4.76-pounder — giving him a $1,500 check for overall winner in the youth division. He won $5,600 for the two days, earning checks in 12 of the 14 time slots.

“I’ll save some of it and keep the rest of it for expenses,” Barnett said.

Barnett was surprised by his victory. He didn’t get much practice on Douglas, but got some help from a couple of friends, co-anglers Walker LaRue (Alcoa Fishing Team) and Alex Gore (Carson-Newman Anglers).

“I had no clue how I’d do,” Barnett said. “I didn’t get to pre-fish at all. I got tired of fishing in the rain because I’d fished in the rain all week, and Walker said, ‘Hey, just start out here with me and Alex.’ I was like, ‘Fine.’”

When Gore and LaRue left for another spot, Barnett stayed behind before rejoining them.

“I came in second in two hours off a school that all three of us started on,” Barnett said. “Walker called me and said, ‘Hey, I’ve got a big one. With how tough it is, I might win it.’

“It was like a (4.35-pounder) or something. And then like 30 minutes later, I ran up there and checked that school that they told me to check, and I caught the 4.61-pounder on Saturday, and then Sunday, I beat myself out of the lead and I caught a 4.76.”

Barnett said he caught his bass on a new imitation minnow.

“I caught ’em crazy deep for how I should’ve caught ’em this time of the year,” Barnett said. “It was honestly insane.”

LaRUE: ‘I WOULD HAVE WON’

LaRue thought his 4.35-pounder had a chance to win, and it almost did.

It was good for second place, ahead of Reed McGaha (3.88-pounder), Garrett Johnson (3.58-pounder, and Presley Lannom (3.43-pounder).

“If it hadn’t been for Hayden,” LaRue said, “then I would have won. I mean, that (4.35) is big for Douglas.”

It wasn’t easy landing.

“It came up and jumped, and I’m like, ‘I’m gonna win with this one if I can get it in,’” LaRue said. “I tried to get the net out of the floor, and I couldn’t grab it, and then I missed it three times in the net. It jumped out. It was kind of wild.”

LaRue won $2,000, cashing checks in 12 of the 14 time slots.

The overall adult winner was Micah Holt with a 5.33-pounder. He won a bass boat worth $19,000.

Evan Newell was second in the adults (5.14-pounder), ahead of Jason Stamm (4.87-pounder), and George Whaley and Chase McCarter (tied for fourth with 4.60-pounders).

The next Bill Dance Giant Bass Open is June 14-15 on Kentucky Lake out of Paris Landing State Park.