Big bass equals big payday for Lake of the Ozarks fisherman

Jesse Waters couldn’t have picked a better day to catch a trophy bass.

Competing in the Big Bass Bash at Lake of the Ozarks, he landed a 7.56-pound largemouth on April 24. That translated to a huge payday.

Waters, 21, of Park Hills, Mo., went home with a check for $60,000 for catching the largest bass in the two-day tournament.

He caught the big fish on a Senko near a spawning bed.

The tournament attracted 2,500 fishermen, all amateurs.

More CWD found

Chronic Wasting Disease, a fatal, contagious disease that affects deer, is back in the news in Missouri.

The Department of Conservation discovered seven new cases of the disease in 2015 and early 2016, most found in the northeast part of the state where it was first discovered in 2010.

Three were from Adair County, two from Macon, and one each from Linn and Franklin.

The Department of Conservation tested 7,700 free-ranging deer for Chronic Wasting, mostly in the northeast, central and east-central. However, testing was broadened in fall and winter and most of that focused on southern Missouri. No deer tested positive for CWD in that region.

Kansas waterfowl seasons

Kansas waterfowl hunters have more time to plan their vacations this year.

The Kansas Wildlife, Parks and Tourism Commission set duck and goose seasons earlier this year, based on recommendations from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.

Past seasons were set in August. But they were set in April this year.

The duck season framework will be similar to what it was in the past:

▪ High Plains Zone: Oct. 8-Jan. 1 and Jan. 20-29.

▪ Low Plains Early Zone: Oct. 8-Dec. 4 and Dec. 17-Jan. 1.

▪ Low Plains Late Zone: Oct. 29-Jan. 1 and Jan. 21-29.

▪ Low Plains Southeast: Nov. 12-Jan. 1 and Jan. 7-29.

Goose seasons will be:

▪ Dark and light geese: Oct. 29-Jan. 1 and Jan. 4-Feb. 12.

▪ Whitefront: Oct. 29-Jan. 1 and Jan. 21-Feb. 12.

Camp to celebrate anniversary

Camp Wood, a family camp located on the tallgrass prairie in the Flint Hills, will celebrate its 10th anniversary with a free open house May 7.

The event, which will be from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., will include canoeing, archery, pony rides and prairie hikes.

The camp is located near Elmsdale, Kan. Go to the website www.campwood.org for more information.

Archery champions

Dodge City High School won the 7th annual Kansas State Archery Tournament on April 9 for the second consecutive year.

Justin Ostrom of Dodge City also kept a streak alive. He followed in his brother’s footsteps and won the individual championship, He had a score of 287 points out of a possible 300.

He was using the bow his brother Jhett won last year for taking the championship.

This story was originally published April 28, 2016 at 7:16 PM with the headline "Big bass equals big payday for Lake of the Ozarks fisherman."