AGFC readies for fishing challenge

The Arkansas Game and Fish Commission tagged 60 fish and 11 bonus fish Thursday morning at the Andrew H. Hulsey State Fish Hatchery to release into lakes Hamilton and Catherine, offering anglers of all ages a chance at $86,000 in cash prizes.

The fifth annual Hot Springs Fishing Challenge will kick off Sunday and go through July 31. There is no entry fee, but participants 16 and older must have a valid Arkansas fishing license.

"The tags look like spaghetti and are brightly colored so anglers notice them," Brett Hobbs, AGFC district fishery management supervisor, told The Sentinel-Record Thursday. "Over the years, roughly 20 to 25 percent of the fish have been caught and prizes redeemed."

This year's tag is white, and was placed on largemouth bass, spotted (Kentucky) bass, bluegill, catfish, white bass, crappie and walleye. Big Al, the $10,000 prized fish, has yet to be caught since the beginning of the challenge in 2012, according to a news release.

"I've had a lot of anglers making comments and asking about Big Al," Hobbs said. "They seem very excited at getting another stab at trying to catch him. There could be a 12-year-old boy on the bank who catches Big Al."

Big Al's species remains unidentified, but is one of the seven species listed that will be released in either Lake Hamilton or Lake Catherine.

The fish were provided by Jeff Newman and his staff at the hatchery. Some of the walleye and white bass were held from previous spawning projects for the challenge. The bass, however, were caught by electro fishing in Lake Hamilton. The bluegill and catfish come from the fish hatchery. Due to lakes' differing sizes, 40 fish will be released into Lake Hamilton and 20 in Lake Catherine.

"We measure and weigh each fish so we have all the stats for the fish in the competition," Steve Arrison, CEO of Visit Hot Springs, told The Sentinel-Record Thursday. "Last year, we had people from Louisiana and Texas catch prize fish."

The tags are imprinted with a phone number and a prize number. The angler must call the number and present the fish with the tag attached to win a prize. Each tagged fish was assigned a number.

"It is not required, but is recommended that the fish are brought to the city of Hot Springs in an ice chest to redeem the cash prize," Hobbs said. "Do not bring it to the Arkansas Game and Fish Commission."

The prize money will be divided as follows: one fish (Big Al), $10,000; four fish, $5,000; 35 fish, $1,000; 20 fish, $500; and 11 bonus fish, $1,000 each.

"This is our biggest prize total yet in what has become an increasingly popular Hot Springs event," Arrison said in the release. "And, as usual, we challenge everyone to try to land Big Al, a prize fish that will bring $10,000 to anyone lucky enough to land him."

Employees of the Hot Springs Advertising and Promotion Commission, the Arkansas Game and Fish Commission at the Andrew H. Hulsey State Fish Hatchery, and their immediate family members, are ineligible to win a cash prize.