Fishing Challenge starts Saturday

The Arkansas Game and Fish Commission on Wednesday will begin tagging the 61 fish that will be released in this year’s $86,000 Hot Springs Fishing Challenge, which begins Saturday on lakes Hamilton and Catherine.

This year’s challenge will begin and end a month earlier than the first five challenges, in an attempt to make it easier for anglers to land a prize fish.

“We conferred with our fishing friends, and they told us that starting and ending the challenge a month earlier might result in more of the prize fish being caught,” Steve Arrison, CEO of Visit Hot Springs, said in a news release. Visit Hot Springs is the sponsor of the yearly challenge, which is designed to promote fishing on local lakes.

Since the whole purpose of the challenge is to “showcase the great fishing in Hot Springs, we decided to give the earlier dates a try,” Arrison said.

The challenge will begin at 6 a.m. Saturday and end at 5 p.m. June 30.

The AGFC staff at the Andrew H. Hulsey Fish Hatchery on Lake Hamilton will supervise the release of the prize fish into the lakes.

As it has for the previous challenges, Visit Hot Springs will again offer one prize fish nicknamed “Big Al,” carrying a large cash prize. This year, the prize has been increased to $15,000.

“Big Al” has not been caught since the challenge began in 2012. In 2016,

“Big Al” was worth $10,000.

Visit Hot Springs will release clues during the months of May and June if “Big Al” has not been caught by that time.

“On May 1, we will reveal the first clue about ‘Big Al’ if he remains at large,” Arrison said. “Then we’ll reveal a second clue on June 1, and a third on June 26, if the top prize hasn’t been claimed.”

Arrison said the 61 fish will be released in undisclosed locations on the two lakes in the days leading up to the start of the challenge on Saturday.

Of the remaining 60 fish, four will be tagged with $5,000 prizes; 46 with $1,000 prizes; and 10 with $500 prizes.

“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 contest is open to anyone with a valid Arkansas fishing license. 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, or members of the same household are ineligible.

The species that will be released are largemouth bass, bluegill, channel catfish, white bass, crappie, and walleye. Each tag will be imprinted with a phone number and a prize number. If a fish is caught, the angler must call the number and present the fish with the tag attached.

Only tags presented while the challenge is being held can be redeemed. All tagged fish must be caught in accordance with all state and local laws, codes, rules and regulations, according to Visit Hot Springs. A complete set of rules and regulations can be accessed at http://www.agfc.com/fishing/Pages/ FishingRegulations.aspx.

Anglers who catch a prize fish must grant Visit Hot Springs the rights to use their name, likeness, biographical information, and photographs, without compensation, for advertising and promotion purposes, according to the rules.

Prize winners are also responsible for all federal, state or local taxes associated with their prize.