Throwing a big swimbait during the Lake of the Ozarks Big Bass Bash earlier this month resulted in a $100,000 reward for California angler Oliver Ngy.
The 36-year-old from La Puente, Calif., weighed in a 6.82-pound largemouth bass to win the $100,000 Big Bass Bash grand prize. He topped a field of 3,000 anglers, including 2nd-place finisher Travis Meyer, who weighed in a 6.81-pound largemouth.
Ngy happened to be in the Midwest, and when told by a friend that the Bash was going on, he decided to jump in and take his shot at the $100,000 bass. He'd never fished Ozarks before and when he arrived at the lake he realized he had the wrong mapping package in his electronics.
“I literally had to go in there blind for the most part and just figure out how to catch them,” Ngy said. He also admitted he had to find his “groove and get back into the swing of things pretty quickly” after taking a break from bass fishing and spending the last five months saltwater fishing back home.
Ngy’s strategy for the tournament was to play to his strong suit and throw a West Coast-style magnum-sized swimbait. He knew if he worked a Megabass I-Slide 262T swimbait both days he would catch bass worth weighing in.
The first day Ngy keyed on docks and main-lake structure with his 10-inch swimbait. The strategy produced a 4.21-pound bass that failed to win him any money.
The next morning sunny skies and calm weather made it difficult for Ngy to trigger strikes with his swimbait, but then a storm started brewing around 11:30 a.m. and Ngy felt it was time for a big bite.
While fishing closer to the weigh-in station at Alhonna Resort, Ngy targeted an open rocky bank and hooked the fish that would make him $100,000 richer. He immediately headed to the weigh-in station and discovered he had taken the lead.
After taking a polygraph test, Ngy ran back out in a “pretty gnarly squall” and just as he was shutting down his boat he had a brush with disaster as lightning struck a nearby point, causing his electronics to flicker. Undeterred by the close call, Ngy continued fishing but his luck ran out as he finished the day with two quality bass jumping off his swimbait, including one he estimated was bigger than his winning fish.
The Fall Big Bass Bash had a total payout of more than $250,000 and paid out 280 places in the bi-hourly weigh-in sessions. Winning the $1,000 Ladies Division bonus money were Dana Gatton and Lauri Loop with 5.06-pound bass.
The Big Bass Bash will be held at the following locations in 2019: Pickwick Lake, March 16-17; Lake of the Ozarks, April 27-28; Grand Lake, June 8-9; and Lake of the Ozarks, Oct. 5-6. For more information, visit www.MidwestFishingTournaments.com/bigbassbashhome.html.
