| Sealy Outdoors Harland Sutherland takes Grand Prize with his 8.94-lb Catch! |  |
| by Sealy Outdoors |
| Page(s): 1 |
| (May. 22, 2008 - Scottsboro, AL)... Harland Sutherland of Soddy Daisy, Tenn., weighed in an 8.94 lunker early on Sunday morning to win the McDonald’s® Big Bass Splash® on Lake Guntersville. Besides his hourly victory worth $1000, Sutherland also took home a brand new fully rigged Triton 18 Explorer bass boat equipped with a 115 Mercury OptiMax, Minn Kota trolling motor, and Lowrance electronics valued at $25,250. Harland Sutherland and partner Fred Tanner of Hixson, Tenn., started off Sunday morning fishing close to the weigh in site (Waterfront Tackle & Grill at Goosepond) about 8 miles down the River. He was fishing with a 10 _ inch Tequila Sunrise Zoom worm in 12 feet of water. With the cold front moving through, Sutherland said it never got rough. All he could think about when he landed the bass was getting back to the scales. This was his first Big Bass Splash® event to ever fish. Scott Keeling of Guntersville, Ala., finished 2nd overall with an 8.27 pound bass earning him $2,500 cash. In third place was Jeremy Pond of Moody, Ala., with an 8.08 pound bass earning him $2,000 cash and 4th Place, Arnie Coons of Roanoke Rapids, N.C. weighed in a 7.59 pounder cashing in $1,500. Rounding out the top 5 overall was James Hastings of Scottsboro, Ala., with a 7.41 pounder cashing in $1,000. The Lake Guntersville Big Bass Splash® brought 738 anglers from 17 different states looking for the one bite to win their share of the $100,000 Guaranteed in cash and prizes. Bob Sealy, Tournament Director and Founder of the Big Bass Splash®, presented the Ronald McDonald House® & Select Children’s Charities® a check for $3,690. Chris Drake of Cullman, Ala., was the last man standing for the Elimination Drawing during the awards ceremony. Sealy has a lot of fun with the five lucky anglers who are randomly drawn for their chance to win a new Triton 17 Explorer bass boat equipped with a 90 Mercury, Minn Kota trolling motor and Lowrance electronics valued at $22,400. Jimmie Allen of Scottsboro, Ala., took home a brand new Bad Boy Buggy valued at $8,999 in the Open Drawing on Sunday afternoon. This is a drawing that is open to all anglers and spectators 18 and over. Sealy announced at the Final Awards Ceremony on Sunday big news for next year’s event at Lake Guntersville. He told the anglers he will be adding two additional places every hour and adding another Exact Weight Bass (4.00). Next year’s dates are scheduled for May 16 and 17, 2009 at Waterfront Tackle & Grill at Goosepond. The Lake Guntersville McDonald’s® Big Bass Splash® was presented by the Greater Jackson County Chamber of Commerce. |
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