Persistent Mabelvale Angler Lands $1,000 Redear In 2023 $100,000 Hot Springs Fishing Challenge
HOT SPRINGS NATIONAL PARK, Arkansas — Melvin “The Fisherman” Ragland, of Mabelvale, is not only persistent, but he also is one lucky angler.
After fishing for eight hours in the heat on Monday, Ragland caught “two bagsful” of fish on Lake Hamilton. Unbeknownst to Ragland at the time, one of those fish was a $1,000 prize redear that had been tagged for the 2023 $100,000 Hot Springs Fishing Challenge.
Ragland wasn’t aware of the Challenge until he got back to the bait shop and a woman told him about it. When he went back to check, he discovered that one of the fish he had frozen still had a yellow tag on it. When he checked he found that the instructions told him to dial the number of the Visit Hot Springs Fish Phone. “The Fisherman” was $1,000 richer.
Ragland said he had been fishing, using worms, from 11 a.m. Monday to 7 p.m. in the area of Bull Bayou. He wasn’t having much luck in the bayou, so he moved out into the lake and began fishing in the coves. He said his mom taught him how to fish when he was about 6 years old and he's been fishing ever since.
Ragland’s redear was the 14th prize fish caught thus far in the 2023 Challenge, which began May 2 at 6 a.m. after 66 prize fish were tagged and released May 1 into Lakes Hamilton and Catherine. Staff from the Arkansas Game and Fish Commission’s Andrew Hulsey Fish Hatchery tagged the 66 prize fish and released them.
One of those fish — it could be a largemouth bass, a bluegill, a redear sunfish or a channel catfish — is known as Big Al and will be worth a $20,000 reward for anyone who catches it. Forty-six tagged fish were placed in Lake Hamilton and 22 were released in Lake Catherine.
“One of those tagged fish, which we always call Big Al, will be worth $20,000 cash to anyone who can reel him in,” Visit Hot Springs CEO Steve Arrison said. “In the history of the Challenge, Big Al has only been caught one time — on June 22, 2017, by Pete Clark of Malvern. It was a largemouth bass in Lake Hamilton.”
The 2023 Fishing Challenge will run until July 31 at 5 p.m.
The tagged fish are largemouth bass, bluegill, redear sunfish, and channel catfish.
Fifty-two prize fish remain to be caught:
1 fish — $20,000
1 fish — $10,000
4 fish — $5,000
31 fish —$1,000
15 fish —$500
The last time the Challenge was held — in 2019 — 71 fish were tagged and released, with 24 of them being caught. Prize money handed out that year totaled $24,500, Arrison said.
“Hot Springs residents and visitors coming to Hot Springs from throughout the nation have told us this is their favorite time of year,” Arrison said. “Many people have told us they had an exciting time on the lakes trying to land one of the prize fish, even if they haven’t yet hit the cash jackpot.”
The Fine Print
The Hot Springs Fishing Challenge begins at 6 a.m. May 2, 2023, and ends on July 31, 2023, at 5 p.m. Central Time. The Challenge provides anglers the opportunity to catch tagged fish that can be redeemed for cash prizes.
Eligibility: The contest is open to anyone with a valid Arkansas fishing license. (This requirement is waived the weekend of June 10 – 11.) Employees of the Hot Springs Advertising and Promotion Commission, the Arkansas Game and Fish Commission at the Andrew H. Hulsey Fish Hatchery, and their immediate family members, and/or those living in the same household of each are ineligible to win a cash prize.
How It Works: Sixty-six tagged fish (total) were released in Lake Hamilton and Lake Catherine. The fish released will be largemouth bass, bluegill, redear sunfish, and channel catfish. The tags will have a phone number and a prize number on them. If a fish is caught the angler must call the number and present the fish with the tag attached.
No cash prize will be awarded to any participant presenting a tagged fish that has been caught other than during the fishing period. Tags must be presented during the fishing period to be redeemed. All tagged fish must be caught in accordance with all state and local laws, codes, rules and regulations. Rules and regulations can be found at: http://www.agfc.com/fishing/Pages/FishingRegulations.aspx
No cash prizes will be awarded to any participant who does not comply with state and local laws, codes, rules and regulations.
Publicity Release: Each angler who catches a prize fish grants Visit Hot Springs the rights to use their name, likeness, biographical information, and photographs, without compensation, in any and all media without limitation for advertising and promotional purposes.
General Prize Conditions: Prize winners shall be solely responsible for all federal, state and/or local taxes associated with their prize.
Prize Distribution: The tagged fish will each be assigned a number. Prize money will be divided as follows:
1 fish — $20,000
1 fish — $10,000
4 fish — $5,000
40 fish —$1,000
20 fish —$500
Total possible prize money if all fish are caught during the contest period is $100,000.
For additional information call Steve Arrison at 501-321-2027.