Giant Bass & Big Fish

All, Fishin' Line
Boats line the shore of Miami Whitewater Forest Lake during a sunny summer day.
There is always something new to explore on the water at Miami Whitewater Forest Lake.

There were 31 teams of bass anglers who tried their luck in the final 2020 Great Parks Bass Series qualifier on Saturday, September 12 at Miami Whitewater Forest Lake. The lake can be challenging and rewarding all at the same time. While Miami Whitewater Forest Lake usually doesn’t produce large numbers of fish, it is home to some true giants! In fact, we heard many stories of the big one that got away during the day.

Miami Whitewater Forest Lake has a beautiful growth of lily pads. This provides awesome habitat for fish, but it can be nearly impossible to land them from the thick, dense vegetation. Mike Toht was the only angler to successfully catch one of those big fish, and brought a beautiful 6.12 lbs. bass to the scales! Mike Toht won the big fish awards for the day. He and his brother Mark Toht only added one more keeper, but their total weight of 8.08 lbs. was enough to win the tournament. They were awarded trophies and $759.50 in Great Parks gift cards.

Mike Toht poses with one of his largest catches during the 2020 Bass Series Tournament season.
Mike Toht with his catch that won him the big fish awards.

Vincent Snyder and Chad Gaskins finished second with 7.98 pounds. They won trophies and $542.50 in gift cards. Jody Andrzejewski and Jason Stock finished third with 7.84 lbs. They won trophies and $325.50 in gift cards.

In total, 22 teams weighed in 73.1 lbs. of bass. All fish were successfully released alive back into the lake.

Brent Jones and Ryan Zwick finished the season atop the point standings with a total of 104 qualifying points, making them the Great Parks 2020 Anglers of the Year! They prove to be the team to beat year after year; Jones and Zwick have now won Angler of the Year for three of the past four years.

The top 20 anglers in the final point standings have now qualified for the 2020 Bass Series Championship. This is a two-day tournament at Winton Woods Lake on Saturday, October 3 and Sunday, October 4. The winners of the Bass Series Championship will be awarded a $500 shopping spree to Bass Pro Shops.

I want to offer a huge thank-you to all of the anglers who participated in our tournaments this year. It was a hugely successful season!

—
Neal Ramsey
Director of Guest Experiences, West Region