Big Bass Bash By The Numbers-Big Bass A Lot Of Cash
The idea of a $50,000 payday for catching one, nice, fat bass may seem like a pipe dream, but since 2008, Anglers in Action, LLC is in the habit of making this possible for eager amateur anglers. Every spring and fall at The Lake of the Ozarks they host the Big Bass Bash, and it is one of the most popular tournaments at the Lake.
No question, the big grand prize of $50,000 attracts a lot of fisherman to the Lake, and who can blame them? You are literally one cast away from big money with each and every cast. In addition to the grand prize, the number of places paid makes this tournament a worthwhile trip to the Lake.
There are eight different time periods during the weekend where 20 fisherman win anywhere from $175 to $1,200 for the 
top 20 bass of the specific time period. In addition, if that weighs exactly 3.0 lbs or 4.0 lbs. you can win $500. I once weighed a fish at the Big Bass Bash that weighed 2.99 pounds. Talk about a heart-stopper!
The Big Bass Bash is a great indicator of the Lake’s incredible bass population. The weekend of April 20th and 21st of 2013 fishermen weighed in nine fish weighing more than seven pounds compared to only one fish of that size during the spring of 2012. There’s something good going on at the Lake!
In order to give that point a little more credence, in the spring of 2012 roughly 61% of the prize money paid over the weekend (not including the grand prize) went to fish that weighed between 4.5 to 5.49 lbs. One short year later in the spring of 2013 this weight class only made up 23.4% of the prize money. The same dollar amount of payout for each time slot was the same in 2012 and 2013.
Where did the money go? In 2013 nearly 77% of the prize money went to fish that weighed heavier than 5.5 lbs compared to just 39% in that weight class the year before. That’s some serious growth. Literally.
Mark your calendars for this April 5th and 6th, 2014. It’ll be time for another Big Bass Bash at the Lake of the Ozarks, and you never know. You might be that lucky fisherman bringing home a boat-load of cash!
These charts are based on the bi-hourly payout only.
