A Look Back at Day One of the Big Bass Splash on Lake Sam Rayburn

The big money payouts got off to a quick start on day one of the Sealy Outdoor's Big Bass Splash on Lake Sam Rayburn.  Less than thirty minutes into the first hour of the tournament, Tony Marcantel of Liberty, Texas brought in an exact weight 5.00 bass which earned him a $5,000 payout.

Then, during the 8 a.m. hour, two fish weighing over 8-pounds each looked to be setting the stage for a big day of monster bass. However, those two fish ended up being the biggest fish brought in all day long at the 38th annual Big Bass Splash.

Plus, that five-pounder was the only exact weight fish brought in.  That means the two-$5,000 payouts that went unclaimed for the 3.00 and 4.00 bass will be added to the random drawings that will take place during the closing awards ceremony on Sunday.

In 2021, the top five overall fish for the Big Bass Splash on Lake Rayburn all weighed over 9.4 pounds. The top two bass were into double digits. Of course, this is a new year with different conditions, but in just the past few weeks Rayburn has produced some big lunkers over 13 pounds, so this year's leaderboard could change a lot on Saturday and Sunday...or maybe it won't.

One thing is for certain, over half a million dollars in cash and prizes will be paid out, and the angler who brings in the top overall fish will have a new boat, new truck and cash all totaling over $100,000 in value.

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Listen to KICKS 105 and download our KICKS 105 App for all the updates.  Here's a video and photos of some of the highlights from day one.