McBass Day-1 10.09 Claims Day-1 Lead at McSplash By Ed Snyder/Outdoors 04-17-09- Lake Sam Rayburn TX, McDonalds Big Bass Splash With a Million Dollars in cash and awards up for grabs thousands of anglers, who arrived from 42 states and 5 countries, started dragging, strolling, pitching, flipping, cranking or drop-shotting their blades, jigs, soft and hard plastics around humps, ridges, grass-flats, points, and timber after hearing the 6-a:m radio broadcast of KIKKS 105fm for anglers to start their casting. The OFFICIAL start for the 25th anniversary of the McDonalds Big Bass Splash was underway. And by the noon hour, Herbert Rusk of Boyce LA, managed to put a 10.09 lb big bass on the scale to take the lead. A 6.61 lb bass, caught by Daniel Cole, of Jackson/Clinton Mississippi, made big bass history by being the first weigh-in for the tournament as well as the first bass for Danny . to weigh-in at his first ever McSplash tournament. Danny caught his bass on a 1 oz Jo-Baby spinner-bait while slow rolling the ghost colored lure when the big bass hit on his 3rd cast of the morning. At the 9:am to 10pm hour, Eddie Ellisor, of Cold Spring TX, weighed in a 9.62 big bass he caught on a white 1-oz San Tone spinner bait w/gold blades. Eddie was fishing pepper grass in the Powell Park area when the big bass hit at 7:30am in 1 ft of water. THEN, Randy Runnels of Broaddus TX, managed to beat Eddie Ellisor out of his first place winnings for the hour when Runnels weighed his 9.63 lb big bass he caught on a weightless watermelon Senko from an 8:11 am big bite over a 9ft grass patch. An exact weight 4.00 lb bass caught by Paul Merrell of Beaumont TX, on a amber/black brush-hog in the black forest area, netted him a $25,000 fully rigged Triton Bass Boat. Gary Griffin, of Granger TX, took home a $25,000 Triton with his exact weight 5.00 bass. Jim Boizet, of Fort Collins, Co, landed his keys to a $25,000 Triton Bass Boat when caught his 3.00 exact weight bass weighed on the noon to 1pm hour. The 11am to noon hour saw a 9.80 big bass caught by Kalvin Russell of Lake Fork TX, while fishing a 3ft grass-patch on an 11.06 am bite. Kalvin would stay “MUM” about what he caught his big $2,500 bass on until the tournament was over on Sunday. Herbert H. Rusk SR, managed to put a 10.09 big bass on the noon to 1pm weigh-in scale to take the initial lead of this 3 day long Big Bass Splash extravaganza and a possible $250,000 payday. MR. Rusk, from Boyce LA, was fishing a 12 to 14 ft point with a Carolina rigged “deep-deep” red colored big worm when his fish hit at 9am. Herbert, who had fished at least 18 years of McBass events would finally weigh-in his first big bass “EVER”. We’re making HISTORY here today, Bob Sealy stated to the crowd of spectators, with our angler registration so far exceeding the old record of 6,636 anglers. And we have many surprises here for you to witness this weekend. YOU haven’t seen nothing yet, Bob grinningly told the crowd after the final weigh-in of the day. Top 3 Big Bass Anglers; 1-(10.09) - Herbert Rusk- $2,500 2- (9.80)- Kalvin Russell- $2,500 3-(9.73)- Randy Runnels- $2,500 Registration will continue through tonight then again at 4am at the Humprey Family Pavilion- For more info contact Sealy Outdoors at 1-888-698-2591 or write to Sealy Outdoors -- P:O: Drawer 5431 -- Sam Rayburn, TX. 75951.