Cole's 11.08 lunker takes Big Bass Splash

SAM RAYBURN, Texas — Despite prime conditions Sunday morning — a bit of fog followed by cloud cover and wind — Kilgore's Cassidy Cole hung on to first place at the 23rd McDonald's Big Bass Splash.

Three days of intense pressure put the big fish off of their feed, insuring Cole's 11.08-pound lunker would take home a garage full of goodies. The event also proved that the back seat many times pays dividends.

In winning a package including a Hummer, a Triton bass boat with Mercury outboard and a Bad Boy Buggy valued at over $130,000, Cole, joined by his wife and young daughter on stage, now has the opportunity to call the shots on the famed east Texas fishery.

"I was fishing a black/red Brush Hog with the smallest weight I could find," said Cole, a waiter at the Chili's restaurant in Kilgore and admitted back-of-the-boat fisherman. "My uncle and I thought we had about an eight or maybe a nine pounder. Some of the guys in line told me it was bigger than that, but I had no idea it was over 11 until we got it on the scales."

Stressing the "amateurs-only" theme of the tournament, fishermen were only eligible had they not entered four or  more tournaments with an entry fee of over $600 each in the past 12 months.

Tournament promoter Sealy Outdoors will donate $5 from every entry fee to the Ronald McDonald House charities. An estimated 4,000 entries were taken for the event, which headquartered at the Umphrey Family Pavillion on the southern end of the nearly 70,000-acre impoundment.

Coming in second place was Steven Lyons of Alto, Texas at 9.26 pounds. The owner of Alto Butane was even able to escape serious ribbing from his cousin and partner, who tied on the Caroline rigged soft plastic bait used to catch the fish — also from the back of the boat.

"This is my biggest fish by about a pound," said an anxious Lyons, who said he didn't even want to think about winning the Dodge truck and Triton bass boat package valued at over $50,000 yet. "It's my wife's birthday today. She told me 'You better win me something good today'."

In third place with a stout 9.11-pounder was Mike Loggins of Conroe, Texas. Loggins received a Cherokee Travel Trailer. Fourth place went to first-day leader Robert Von Heeder of Cypress, Texas, followed by Mark Fletcher of Vidor, Texas, who, fishing by himself, said he had to overcome leaving his net in his boat's storage.

"It caught me a little off guard," said Fletcher with a smile.