The Hot Springs Fishing Challenge broke a record on Thursday after a Kansas angler reeled in the 17th prize fish this year, the highest single-year total in the eight-year history of the event.
John Hickerson, of Fort Riley, Kan., caught the $1,000 prize catfish on Lake Catherine, bringing the total prize money awarded since May 1 to $19,000.
The previous record of 16 fish, set in 2014, was reeled in over the course of the entire three-month event that year. In comparison, this year's record was set only three weeks into the $101,000 challenge, which ends July 31. More than two months still remain in this year's challenge.
Hickerson said in a news release that he was in Hot Springs visiting his grandparents for a week while his father, a major in the Army, is stationed in Poland.
The 1.6-pound channel catfish was caught while Hickerson fished off a sea wall in the Riverview/Elmwood Drive area using the first cricket he put on the hook. Coincidentally, his grandmother's lucky number is 11, he was born at 11:11, and now Tag No. 111 has won him $1,000. He said he plans to use the money to put toward college expenses.
Hickerson's family is relocating to Fort Leavenworth, Kan., and hope to move to Hot Springs in about a year.
Steve Arrison, CEO of Visit Hot Springs, said almost 24 percent of the 71 tagged fish that were released into lakes Catherine and Hamilton have been caught with two months left to go in the challenge.
"There's over 9,000 surface acres between the two lakes and people have caught 23.9 percent of the fish we put out in the first 23 days," he said. "If somebody's going fishing, why wouldn't they come to Hot Springs and fish our lakes?"
With the holiday weekend and increased boat traffic, Arrison said he's a little skeptical of whether any prize fish will be caught in the next couple of days.
"I think there will be so much leisure traffic that we won't see any more caught this weekend," he said. "But who knows? I've been wrong before. At the rate they're pulling them out of the water, we could see a few more caught.
"When we started this challenge several years ago, nobody thought we would catch these tagged fish. It's like finding a needle in a haystack. People thought we'd never catch these fish, but they're catching them in record numbers this year."
The challenge participation is free for anyone with a valid Arkansas fishing license.
According to the release, the $15,000 grand prize fish known as "Big Al" is still at large. In addition, three fish worth $ 5,000, 34 $1,000 fish and 16 $500 fish have yet to be caught. The challenge ends at 5 p.m. July 31.
The prize fish are largemouth bass, bluegill, channel catfish, white bass and redear sunfish.
New this year are merchandise prizes from the challenge's co-sponsors, Mister Crappie, FLW, Luck E Strike and the Game and Fish Commission. Jeff Newman, manager of the Andrew H. Hulsey State Fish Hatchery on Lake Hamilton, said in the release the challenge will again feature Free Fishing Weekend June 7-9 during which any $500 tagged fish caught will yield $1,000 in prize money.
The Hot Springs Fishing Challenge is sponsored by Visit Hot Springs and the Arkansas Game and Fish Commission.
Local on 05/24/2019