The biggest bass he has ever caught resulted in a huge payday for Thomas Smith in the Spring Big Bass Bash held recently at the Lake of the Ozarks.
Fishing for the first time in the Big Bass Bash, the 42-year-old Smith caught a 7.93-pound largemouth the first day of the event to claim the grand prize of $100,000. The construction company owner from Old Monroe, Mo., also weighed in a 5.09-pound bass for 20th place during one of the 2-hour time slots and collected another $200.
While the Big Bass Bash was new to him, Smith had plenty of experience catching bass at Lake of the Ozarks.
“My family has had a house down there for 30 years,” he said. Smith noted he competes in a bass club that holds four or five tournaments a year at the lake and he frequently fishes the lake on weekends throughout the year. His personal best catch before the Big Bass Bash was a 5.90-pound bass he also caught at Lake of the Ozarks.
A couple of successful outings at the lake before the Big Bass Bash prompted Smith to fish the tournament for the first time. “I was down there two weekends before and both weekends I was catching good fish on the (Crock-O-Gator Bait Company) Swamp Bug,” Smith said.
Smith and his dad, John Smith, planned on fishing the Bash in their own boats but when John Smith’s engine failed to start the first competition morning, they teamed up to fish in Thomas’ boat. Shortly after John Smith caught a 4-pounder, Thomas was pitching a green pumpkin Swamp Bug on a 1/4-ounce shaky jighead to an open chunk rock bank in Proctor Creek around 7 a.m. when a bass inhaled his offering.
He set the hook and immediately realized it was a big fish.
“I said to my dad that I thought it was a big one and it took off up the bank,” Smith said. “I didn’t even try to reel. I just let it go and it was pulling my drag a little bit. Finally it started coming back and about halfway back to the boat it jumped and then I really started freaking out.”
Fortunately for Smith, the big fish wore down quickly and his dad was able to net it.
The Spring Big Bass Bash had a total payout of more than $265,000 and paid out about 300 places in the bi-hourly weigh-in sessions, Early Bird cash prizes and Ladies Division bonus money, according to tournament organizer Charlie Terrell.
