Lakeside duo runs away with Commissioners’ Cup win

Grayson Goss and Wally Wolcott of Hot Springs Lakeside High School ran away with the senior division of the Arkansas Game and Fish Foundation’s eighth annual Commissioners’ Cup presented by Xpress Boats on a sunny but gusty Saturday on Lake Hamilton. The local pair caught five bass totaling 18.39 pounds. Their closest competitor, Carson Pennington, fishing alone, brought in 12.73 pounds with his five bass, including the tournament’s “big bass” of 5.27 pounds.

The Commissioners’ Cup, sponsored in part by the Arkansas Game and Fish Commission’s seven commissioners since its inception, brings together high school and junior high anglers for a statewide bass fishing competition. Taking off from the Andrew H. Hulsey State Fish Hatchery ramp at dawn, juniors returned with their catch by 2:30 p.m., with the seniors submitting their fish at 3 p.m. Prizes were awarded to the top 10 in both junior and senior divisions, and the top three in the senior division went home with thousands of dollars in gear, plus scholarships ranging from $1,000 for the third-place team to $3,000 for first place. Scholarship money was sponsored by the AGFF and the AGFC commissioners.

“Our goal with the Commissioners’ Cup is to give young people an unforgettable experience that fosters a permanent connection to the Arkansas outdoors,” Deke Whitbeck, president of the Arkansas Game and Fish Foundation, said. “We owe a massive thank-you to Xpress Boats, our dedicated volunteers and all of our sponsors. The fishing industry goes all out for this tournament every year because they understand that at the end of the day, it’s all about the kids and the future of The Natural State.”

Other winners took home “tons of gear, totaling well over $10,000,” according to the AGFF’s Tyler Lawrence.

“The big bass trophy, furnished by Harper’s Pure Country Taxidermy, was presented by Bass Pro of Little Rock,” Lawrence said. “I have to give a huge shoutout to the presenting sponsor, Xpress Boats, as well as all of the other sponsors.”

Cole Kilgore and Aaron Davenport were third in the senior division, totaling 11.79 pounds with their five-fish stringer.

Goss and Wolcott had a 4.31-pounder among their catch, while Kilgore and Davenport brought in a 3.20-pounder among their five fish. Billy Allison Jr., who was fourth overall, landed a 3.51-pounder among his 11.33 total pounds of fish. Of the 49 teams that fished the senior division, 24 caught five-bass limits.
The senior squads caught a total of 263.39 pounds of fish, and they safely released all 147 bass after the competition.

Lawrence noted that the sun burned off the cloud cover early and the morning warmed up, but “the wind gusts of 20-plus mph helped keep us cool!”

Bennett Bullard and Brooks Bullard were the best among 26 junior division teams, landing five fish that totaled 13.04 pounds. Cooper Ward and Cannon Ward were second with 11.76 pounds for their five-bass stringer, edging out Kole Wingfield and Kline Wingfield, whose stringer weighed 11.51 pounds. The Wingfields landed the big bass among the juniors, hauling in a 4.14-pounder. Junior anglers caught five fish that weighed 3.5 pounds or better. Juniors caught 73 total fish, and all were safely released back into Lake Hamilton after the competition.

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CUTLINES:

Grayson Goss and Wally Wolcott of Hot Springs Lakeside High School hoist the senior division championship trophy at the eighth annual Commissioners’ Cup at Lake Hamilton on May 16.

Grayson Goss and Wally Wolcott display their winning catch, 18.39 pounds of black bass that put them nearly 6 pounds over their closest challengers.

Tournament volunteer Jack Whitbeck prepares to weigh a haul by a couple of junior anglers at the eighth annual Commissioners’ Cup in Hot Springs on May 16.