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Billy and Bill Schroeder Take Home $10,000 for a 7.90lb Bass
The Big Bass Bonanza on Kentucky and Barkley Lakes allowed teams to launch from the ramp of their choice and weigh-in during four different time slots. This year’s event featured a guaranteed top prize of $10,000 with additional prizes for each of the time slots: 6:00 am - 8:00 am, 8:00 am - 10:00 am, 10:00 am - 12:00 pm and 12:00 pm - 2:00 pm.
The format changes how anglers fish the event and many of them decide to target giant fish only on places they have caught big ones before and also to use big lures to target a big money fish. The father and son duo of Billy and Bill Schroeder were the winners this year with a 7.90lb bass that was caught by Billy on a Nichols Ben Parker Magnum Spoon shortly after they started fishing. The story behind the winning fish was a good one and the fact that this team also won the event two years ago with a 6.25lb bass makes it even more impressive.
The night before the event Bill was in a wedding and overslept his alarm in the morning and caused the duo to be late. They had planned to be on there earlier but arrived at their location at 6:20 and the fish bit at 6:37. They decided to go to a place where they always seem to catch big ones and just use the big spoon. They saw fish on their electronics and quickly caught a 3lb fish before Billy hooked into the big one. “He hopped his spoon up and I thought he was hung up and then the rod moved. I asked him ‘is it a bass’ and right then it jumped out of the water,” Bill said. “I told him that’s a 7lber and a $10,000 fish. Do not lose it!”
The team has fished Kentucky Lake for years and fish many tournaments, but really like this format. “It’s so cool because one lucky cast can be ten grand and that’s what this was,” Bill Schroeder said.
Congrats guys and thank you to all of the teams for fishing the Kentucky / Barkley Lake Big Bass Bonanza.
