When fishing for big fish, it's always a good idea to have someone around that can handle a net. Hooking a huge fish is one thing, netting it and getting it in the boat is another. Brian Horton of Cleveland had a partner with him Saturday that knew how to use a net, his 8-year-old daughter Anna Grace.
She netted a huge 7.00 pound largemouth bass that ended up earning the father/daughter team $25,000 at the Mark's Outdoors Open Bass Tournament at Logan Martin Lake.
The huge lunker hit a Stanley Ribbit paddle tail frog in a large patch of grass at 7:30 a.m. Saturday morning. The Hortons were fishing upriver from Pell City when the fish hit. "I knew it was a big fish but I didn't think it would go 7 pounds," Brian explained.
He fought the fish for a couple minutes when it surfaced. That's when Anna Grace took over and netted the fish on the first try.
They fished the rest of the day and caught a limit of five bass. They had no idea what was about to happen at the weigh-in later that day at Pell City Lakeside Park.
The Mark's Outdoors Open Bass Tournament has had a contest aside from catching the most weight in a five fish limit and big fish award. For 21 years, any angler that lands a bass weighing exactly 7.00 pounds is awarded $25,000. In 21 years of trying by roughly 21,000 bass anglers, the $25,000 check had never been awarded...until Saturday.
Blake Harlow with Mark's Outdoors ran the certified scales for the event. He is a veteran of the tournament and has seen some close calls over the years. The scale is provided by Birmingham Toledo Scale Company and Matt Box with the company was at the tournament weigh in to keep the scale accurate. When the 7.00 pound number came up, Harlow and the crowd went nuts when weigh in MC Geoff Walker announced the exact 7.00 weight.
The fish, according to the rules, had to be weighed two additional times and was certified as a 7.00 weight. The crowd cheered as Brian told the story of Anna Grace netting the fish.
Anna Grace told her dad during the celebration that she wanted to go to Disney World. He agreed to her delight!
The Hortons weren't done collecting awards Saturday. They also won the award for big fish.
Bo Hunter and his fiancee Brandee Johnson of Gardendale won the tournament with a five fish limit of 20 pounds .38 ounces.
David Connor and Cody Spurlin of Oxford won the drawing for the Ranger RT188 bass boat.
He are more stories about the Mark's Outdoor Open Bass Tournament.