SEP 18, 2013
BIRMINGHAM, Ala. — The 2014 Bass Pro Shops Bassmaster
Opens Series has something for everyone — whether they’re a top professional angler,
an aspiring pro or simply a fan of the sport.
Nine events in nine states covering three geographic
regions will send winners to the 2015 Bassmaster Classic, top performers to the
Bassmaster Elite Series and thousands of fans to weigh-ins where they can catch
the action.
The Opens Series consists of nine events — three
tournaments each in Southern, Central and Northern divisions — covering rivers,
natural lakes and man-made reservoirs and running from January to October.
For the fourth season in a row, Opens tournament winners
who compete in all three events in a single division will earn a berth in the
Super Bowl of bass fishing, the 2015 Bassmaster Classic.
And for those anglers hoping to take the next step in
their careers, the Opens are the way to reach the most prestigious professional
fishing circuit in the world, the Bassmaster Elite Series. Opens competitors
earn performance points at each tournament, and at the end of the season the
Top 5 ranked anglers in each division who aren’t already qualified for the
Elites will be invited to join the premier tour. In recent years, Ott DeFoe,
Hank Cherry and Jason Christie followed this path and have made their marks as
Elite pros.
At seven of the nine Opens, the full field of anglers will
weigh their fish at the lake on Thursday and Friday of each tournament week,
but on Saturday, when the field is cut to the Top 12 anglers, weigh-ins will
take place before large crowds of fans at nearby Bass Pro Shops stores. At the
other two venues, lakes Amistad and Champlain, weigh-ins will be held lakeside
all three competition days.
Entry fees remain unchanged from 2013. The cost for pros
to participate in each event is $1,500. The cost for co-anglers is $425. For
more details, visit Bassmaster.com.
Southern Opens
No. 1 Lake Tohopekaliga; Kissimmee, Fla.
Date: Jan. 23-25
Species: Largemouth bass
Background: 17 previous B.A.S.S. events, including
Bassmaster Classics in 1977 and 2006. In 2001, Dean Rojas set a B.A.S.S. record
that still stands with five fish that weighed a whopping 45 pounds, 2 ounces.
Translated from Native American, “Tohopekaliga” means “we will gather together
here.”
Recently: The Kissimmee Chain of Lakes was ranked No. 22 on Bassmaster
Magazine’s “100 Best Bass Lakes” list in 2013. The 2013 Open was won by Rich
Howes in a fish-off, after the regulation three days of competition ended in a
tie.
No. 2 Smith Lake; Jasper, Ala.
Date: March 6-8
Species: Spotted and largemouth bass
Background: 6 previous B.A.S.S. events beginning in 1967
(the second tournament ever conducted by founder Ray Scott).
Recently: The 2012 Open was won by Hank Cherry. The
victory earned him a berth in the 2013 Bassmaster Classic (where he finished
third) and propelled him to the Elite Series (where he was named the 2013
Bassmaster Rookie of the Year).
No. 3 Lake Norman; Charlotte, N.C.
Date: Oct. 2-4
Species: Largemouth, smallmouth and spotted bass
Background: 7 previous B.A.S.S. events beginning in 1992.
Norman was the site of Southern Opens in 2011 and 2012.
Recently: The fishery was ranked No. 91 on Bassmaster
Magazine’s “100 Best Bass Lakes” list in 2013. The 2012 Open was won by North
Carolina’s Tracy Adams.
Central Opens
No. 1 Lake Amistad; Del Rio, Texas
Date: Feb. 6-8
Species: Largemouth and smallmouth bass (but don’t expect
to see any bronzebacks on the weigh-in stage)
Background: 7 previous B.A.S.S. events beginning in
2006 with the inaugural Elite Series tournament. “Amistad” is Spanish for
“friendship.”
Recently: The fishery was ranked No. 23 on Bassmaster
Magazine’s “100 Best Bass Lakes” list in 2013. The 2010 Open was won by Texan
Craig Schuff.
No. 2 Red River; Shreveport, La.
Date: April 24-26
Species: Largemouth bass
Background: 12 previous B.A.S.S. events beginning in
2000, including Bassmaster Classics in 2009 and 2012.
Recently: The fishery was ranked No. 79 on Bassmaster
Magazine’s “100 Best Bass Lakes” list in 2013. The 2013 Open was won by Stephen
Browning.
No. 3 Arkansas River; Muskogee, Okla.
Date: Sept. 11-13
Species: Largemouth and spotted bass
Background: 9 previous B.A.S.S. events, though only
two were held in Oklahoma. The others were out of Arkansas and included
Bassmaster Classics in 1984 and 1985.
Recently: The 2011 Open was won by Oklahoman Tommy Biffle.
Northern Opens
No. 1 Douglas Lake; Dandridge, Tenn.
Date: May 29-June 1
Species: Largemouth and smallmouth bass
Background: 4 previous B.A.S.S. events beginning in
2001. The “long-lining” method of crankbait fishing came to prominence here
during a 2012 Elite Series tournament.
Recently: The fishery was ranked No. 56 on Bassmaster
Magazine’s “100 Best Bass Lakes” list in 2013. The 2013 Open was won by Patrick
Bone.
No. 2 Lake Champlain; Plattsburgh, N.Y.
Date: July 31-Aug. 2
Species: Smallmouth and largemouth bass
Background: 8 previous B.A.S.S. events beginning in
1997. Anglers should be on the lookout for “Champ,” the mythical lake monster
with more than 300 reported sightings. At more than 400 feet deep in places,
Champlain offers plenty of room for Nessie’s cousin to hide.
Recently: The fishery was ranked No. 16 on Bassmaster
Magazine’s “100 Best Bass Lakes” list in 2013. The 2010 Open was won by Dave
Wolak and was the last time a B.A.S.S. event had as many as 200 boats.
No. 3 Lake St. Clair; Detroit, Mich.
Date: Sept. 4-6
Species: Smallmouth and largemouth bass
Background: 4 previous B.A.S.S. events beginning in
1994 and including the finale of the 2013 Elite Series season. With a Detroit
launch site, several lakes and a seemingly endless amount of water will be
available to the competitors.
Recently: The fishery was ranked No. 1 on Bassmaster
Magazine’s “100 Best Bass Lakes” list in 2013. The 2013 Elite event was won by
Chris Lane.
Registration
B.A.S.S. Nation and Life members can register online
beginning Nov. 5 at 9 a.m. CT and for call-in on Nov. 7 beginning at 9 a.m. CT.
at 877-227-7872. B.A.S.S. members who want to fish all three tournaments in a
division may register online beginning Nov. 12 at 9 a.m. CT and may call in
Nov. 14 beginning at 9 a.m. CT.
Anglers interested in fishing only one or two events may
register online beginning Nov. 19 at 9 a.m. CT and may call in beginning Nov.
21 at 9 a.m. CT.
The cost for pros to participate in each event is $1,500. The
cost for co-anglers is $425. For more details, visit Bassmaster.com/Open.
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