Lexington, S.C. – Since the announcement this past December, weekend and tournament anglers around the country have been chomping at the bit to see what the new “big bass format” tournament series from Strike King is all about. This past Sunday, February 7th marked the very first event of the series which took place at Sam Rayburn Reservoir in Jasper, TX. Good weather, good fishing and good prizes made for a fun opening weekend at one of the hottest bass fisheries in the country.
The event kicked off Saturday at Ann’s Tackle in Jasper, TX where anglers had the opportunity to meet MLF Bass Pro Tour and Strike King Professional Angler Todd Faircloth, as well as Tyler Anderson of the @tylersreelfishing YouTube channel. Contestants and other local fishing fans took home gear from Lew’s and Strike King, in addition to many free samples and swag from Black Rifle Coffee Co. including hot brewed coffee, coffee grounds and chilled “RTD” Ready to Drink coffee in a can.
Tournament Sunday stayed exciting with a variety of prizes being awarded each weigh period. In addition to paying out $7,500 cash throughout the course of the day for the five biggest bass weighed during each of four weigh periods, over 60 of the 115 registered anglers took home a prize for their efforts. With any keeper size bass weighed in being entered for a product prize, dozens of anglers of all ages, backgrounds and experience levels took home one or multiple prizes from Mammoth Coolers, Lucas Oil, Black Rifle Coffee Co., Lew’s and Strike King. With just a $75 entry fee and taking into account the fact that the first 100 registered anglers received a free Lew’s rod, one could argue this event provided a more generous return on investment than your typical bass tournament.
In the end, it was Jeff Grubbs Jr.’s 8.72lb bass caught first thing in the morning on a black and blue Strike King Thunder Cricket that earned him the coveted “Total Boat Makeover Package” of $5,000 worth of product from Strike King and Lew’s. Jeff fished with his father Jeff Grubbs Sr. and together had an outstanding day of fishing, each of them weighing fish in multiple periods through the day and earning a generous assortment of prizes to go with their cash winnings.
Strike King & Lews’ own Tony Mehrl said, “We were extremely happy with our first Big Bass Challenge Event. Not only did we award some great prizes to folks who caught some big fish, but we kept everyone in the game with drawing prizes for anyone that weighed a fish – including those that were just “keeper size”. Hearing from multiple anglers that this was their first tournament they’ve ever entered tells us that the anglers appreciate and enjoy what we’re doing. Everyone had a great time, and that’s what this is all about.”
Strike King & Lew’s Field Activation Rep. and acting tournament director Mark Gintert went on to add, “We want to thank our great partners at Mammoth Coolers and Lucas Oil for providing some great prizes for the anglers, as well as Black Rifle Coffee Co. being on site with prizes and samples to keep everyone hydrated and alert! We also couldn’t have done it without the help of the great team at the SETX High School Fishing Association. They were gracious enough to lend their services to the success of this event and we are lucky to have that organization as a partner.”
Safety and sanitation for the Sam Rayburn event and all future events is provided by Mammoth PPE Products.
Anglers may register now for upcoming events at https://www.strikeking.com/big-bass-challenge, where they will also find rule sheets and info sheets for each specific event.
The remaining 2021 Strike King Big Bass Challenge schedule is as follows:
Lake Murray – March 14, 2021
Dreher Island State Park
Prosperity, SC
California Delta – May 22, 2021
Russo’s Marina
Bethel Island, CA
Table Rock Lake – June 5, 2021
Port of Kimberling
Kimberling City, MO