Hope Rises To the Top

Stephen Hope of Ovilla, Texas, displays the 10.62-pound largemouth bass that won the 2007 McDonald's Big Bass Splash.

LAKE FORK, Texas — Stephen Hope of Ovilla, Texas weighed in a 10.62-pound largemouth during the first hour of Day One in the McDonald's Big Bass Splash. The weight of that fish stood strong over the next two days of competition. "I never thought it would hold up, especially with us being at Lake Fork." said Hope in front of more than a thousand bass fishing fans at the Lake Fork Marina and Motel. Hope was the second over-the-slot fish weighed on Friday.

Over 3,400 anglers competed in the three-day event, leaving Hope more than nervous by the end of Day Two. "I really didn't think that much about it on the second day; I just figured that I had a good shot at the top five. By noon on day three it almost got to me. My stomach was in knots." Hope's lips quivered as he glanced out at the crowd from on stage. "I wouldn't listen to the radio today, if somebody beat it, I didn't want to hear it. I couldn't even fish today, it got to me."

Hope caught his bass in about 16 feet of water with a "shaky head" worm. To be more exact, he was using a spot remover and a small finesse worm in green watermelon color. The set up was enough to fool the biggest bass taken in the tournament and secure Hope the Hummer H2 and a Triton TR20x that was heavy loaded with a 200 Mercury Outboard, Motorguide Trolling Motor, and Lowrance Electronics.

"Anybody had a shot at winning this thing, anybody." Hope explained as he shook his head and walked around his new white Hummer H2, "This is unbelievable."