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College Bass Tour

2010 Season Of The College Bass Tour Kicks Off With CBT’s Largest Tournament Ever 
 
college bass 2010ATLANTA (April 5, 2010) – The College Bass Tour heads to Alabama’s capital to kick off its 2010 season with the College Bass East Super Regional during the second annual Bite the Tail off of Cancer Crawfish Boil Saturday, April 10-Sunday, April 11. The College Bass tournament gets underway with daily morning launches at 6 a.m. CDT at the Riverwalk Amphitheatre docks and culminates with the afternoon weigh-ins at the College Bass stage at 3 p.m. CDT.

The College Bass Tour is tournament series consists of three regional events and one national championship. With more than 70 teams registered for the East Super Regional from more than 30 colleges and universities, this event is expected to be the biggest College Bass tournament to date. Plus this is the first time the state of Alabama will host a College Bass tournament.

This is why Alabama is blessed when it comes to bass fishing and we’re thrilled to have the best collegiate anglers here to showcase it,” said Branch Kloess, director of Riverfront Facilities for the city of Montgomery. “We’re very excited to welcome the College Bass Tour to Montgomery as part of our second annual Bite the Tail off of Cancer Crawfish Boil.”

The ultimate state bragging rights are on the line as nine Alabama schools compete in the East Super Regional, including Auburn University, Auburn University at Montgomery, Birmingham-Southern University, Faulkner University, Montevallo University, Troy University, University of Alabama, University of Alabama-Birmingham and University of North Alabama. These nine schools will send 30 teams for a shot at the East Super Regional title and more than $7,000 in scholarship monies and prizes.

The Eastern Kentucky University team, Richard Cobb and Tyler Moberly, secured the 2009 College Bass East Super Regional title by more than five pounds on Clarks Hill Lake in Evans, Ga. with a two-day total weight of 24.84 pounds. But two Alabama teams landed in the top five; including Richard Peek and Mason Craver of Auburn placed second with 19.83 pounds and Kyle Tindol and Michael Eubanks of Faulkner claimed fifth with 16.8 pounds.

“We’re excited that the East Super Regional will be held on home waters. It’s a great way for the state to show off our excellent fishing,” said Tindol of Faulkner University.

Two-person teams from colleges and universities all over the Eastern region will fish for the 2010 College Bass East Super Regional title, more than $7,000 in scholarship monies and prizes and the ultimate college bass bragging rights. Teams will fish the Alabama River, known for giant spotted bass, largemouth bass, striped bass and white bass. Anglers from each participating school will fish for large-mouth and spotted bass 12 inches or longer, with a five-fish limit. The heaviest two-day weight will determine the East Super Regional winner.

“We’re delighted to bring the College Bass Tour to Alabama for the first time,” said Hank Weldon, College Bass tournament director. “It’s an honor for College Bass to be a part of the Cancer Crawfish Boil and help raise money for such a great cause.”

The Bite the Tail Off Cancer Crawfish Boil is presented by the American Cancer Society Junior Executive Board and Riverfront Facilities, City of Montgomery. Money raised at the event will go to cancer research, education programs, advocacy efforts and patient support programs. In 2009, the Bite the Tail off of Cancer Crawfish Boil raised more than $22,000 and offers fun for the whole family with live entertainment, arts and crafts vendors and interactive games for kids of all ages. The Cancer Crawfish Boil will take place Saturday, April 10 from 11 a.m.-3:30 p.m. CDT.

In its sixth season, College Bass will receive extended television coverage on ESPNU that will include coverage of the College Bass Super Regionals for the first time ever. ESPNU reaches more than 64 million households across the United States. Additionally, all Super Regional events will be live Web-streamed on www.CollegeBass.com.

For more information, please visit www.CollegeBass.com.

College Bass East Super Regional

Dates: Saturday, April 10-Sunday, April 11

Morning Launch: 6 a.m. CDT at the Montgomery Riverwalk Amphitheatre docks

Daily Weigh-Ins: 3 p.m. at the College Bass stage at the Riverwalk Amphitheatre

Participating Colleges and Universities
Schools

Number of Boats
Abraham Baldwin Agricultural College

5
Auburn University

7
Auburn University at Montgomery

4
Birmingham-Southern College

1
East Carolina University

3
Eastern Illinois University

1
Eastern Kentucky University

2
Faulkner University

2
Gardner Webb University

1
Georgia College & State University

3
Kennesaw State University

1
LSU

1
Louisiana State University at Shreveport

1
Mississippi State University

5
Missouri State University

1
North Carolina State University

1
Purdue University

1
Radford University

2
Southern Mississippi University

2
Troy University

2
University of Alabama

8
University of Alabama at Birmingham

2
University of Georgia

3
University of Louisiana at Lafayette

1
University of Mississippi

2
University of Montevallo

2
University of North Alabama

2
University of North Carolina at Charlotte

1
University of South Carolina

2
University of Tennessee

1
University of Tennessee at Chattanooga

2
Virginia Tech University

2
Young Harris College

1

About College Bass:
Since its inception in 2005, College Bass has been the pioneer in the emerging sport of competitive fishing at the college level with a nationally televised national championship comprised of a qualified field of student anglers. With more than 220 participating colleges and universities from more than 30 states and Canada, College Bass is a rapidly growing property with a mission of supporting student anglers and bass fishing at the club level. The 2010 season marks the sixth anniversary of the national championship event and will also feature three Super Regional events, an increase from two in 2009. Fans can follow the 2010 College Bass Tour online at www.CollegeBass.com and on ESPNU, which will televise nine hours of coverage beginning next summer.

Sponsors of the 2010 College Bass Tour include Mercury Marine, Triton Boats, Plano Molding Company, Strike King, Ardent Reels, Carrot Stix, Vicious Fishing, Gemini Sport Marketing and Motorguide.

 

Media Contact
Cama Poffenberger CSE 770.955.1300 (office) 404.290.5906 (cell) or cpoffenberger@groupcse.com

Women’sInvitational Bass Tournament

Women’s Invitational Bass Tournament hosted in Kentucky

A new chapter in the history of professional bass fishing unfolds on Kentucky Lake May 5th – 7th as women anglers from all corners of the United States converge on Moor’s Resort and Marina in Paducah, Kentucky to discuss the future of women’s bass fishing and compete in a two-day draw tournament pairing boaters and non-boaters.

When ESPN/BASS announced the termination of the Women’s Bassmaster Tour in early January, women anglers were left in limbo. While many of the ladies scrambled to enter other predominately male fishing events before the fields were full, they were still saddened by the fact that they could no longer compete with the life-long friends they had made over the years fishing with “just the girls.”

Two respected touring pros decided it was time the women took charge of their own future. Cheryl Bowden of Texas and Secret York of Kentucky went to work immediately with a plan to organize a new women’s trail. “Our goal is to establish a trail run by women anglers for women anglers,” Bowden said. “We invite women and potential sponsors interested in a women’s trail to attend a meeting on May 5th at 10:00 A.M. to establish a board of directors and discuss a 2011 Women’s trail, locations, format, entry fees, rules, payouts, publicity, sponsorship opportunities and more.”

Bowden and York see this as a “win win” situation for everyone. “Not only will this create the opportunity to continue fishing professionally with other women, but as women anglers we have a voice in the direction of a future tour and the means of creating quality sponsorship opportunities.” York said.

The two-day Kentucky Lake fishing event May 6-7, 2010 is open to all women who have a passion for bass fishing and the desire to compete with other women anglers. Women must pre-register by April 14th. Entry forms and other information can be obtained by going to the link listed below. All entries will be time stamped to identify and create a balanced field of pros and co-anglers. Final registration and pairing of pros and co-anglers will be held on May 5th.

“We are thrilled with the support we have received to make this event possible,” Bowden said. “It is not too late for additional companies to show their support and to be involved in establishing the trail,” Bowden said. Sponsors to date include: BassCat Boats, Castaway Graphite Rods, Dave Stewart’s Big Bass Guide Service, Legend Boats, Moors Resort and Marina, Murray Ledger and Times, Nite Owl Media Productions, Necessity Jigs, North Texas Marine Triton dealership, Ray Barga and Associates, Inc., SHE Outdoor Apparel, Skeeter Boats, Sportsmen’s Edge Triton Boat dealership, Todali Lures, Triton Boats, and West Kentucky LED.

For more information go to www.cherylbowden.net and select the link – Women’s Trail Invitation or call Cheryl Bowden at 214-738-7518 or Secret York at 270-748-9041. It is not too late to sign up and be a part of history in the making for women bass anglers.

 

Media Contact
Cheryl Bowden
Phone: 214-738-7518

Bassmaster Elite Coming Back to Virginia

Bassmaster Elite Coming Back to Virginia’s Smith Mountain Lake

In postcard-pretty southern Virginia, Smith Mountain Lake promises to fish as good as it looks during the April 15-18 Evan Williams Bourbon Blue Ridge Brawl.

The lake’s beauty, however, has nothing to do with the amount of looking Bassmaster Elite Series pros will be doing. Most pros will be busy watching for bass on their way to, or already on, spawning beds.

Smith Mountain Lake out of Huddleston, Va., will be the 2010 Elite Series’ third stop. There the pros will compete for a $100,000 first-place prize. They also will be after points to qualify for the Bassmaster Elite Series Postseason in July, when the $200,000 Toyota Tundra Bassmaster Angler of the Year contest will play out in Alabama. Points also count towards elusive berths in the 2011 Bassmaster Classic.

Without warming temperatures, not much sight fishing will happen in mid-April in Virginia. But if the spawn is on, the 2010 Brawl would start looking more like last year’s version. Then, most pros cast to largemouths they could see on beds in backwaters. But the winner – five-time AOY Kevin VanDam of Kalamazoo, Mich. – finessed smallmouth spawners on main-lake points. He posted 61 pounds, 13 ounces, over four days.

This year’s Blue Ridge Brawl lands a week earlier on the calendar. That timing, combined with the unusually cold winter, might nix a sight fishing tournament, VanDam said. And that, he pointed out, could be all for the good.

“A lot of fish in spawning mode don’t want to feed, don’t want to bite at all,” he said. “We saw a lot of that last year during the event. It was hard to get the fish to commit to a bait. So this year could be better if they’re pre-spawn, if they’re in a feeding pattern.”

VanDam said that even if the weather cooperated and triggered a spawn, he would not try to replicate his winning Smith Mountain Lake smallmouth pattern.

“Last year it was perfect timing for those smallmouth for me. For that to happen again, you’d have to be pretty lucky. Even if it were the same week, things change a lot year to year,” said VanDam, who earned his 15th BASS victory at the 2009 Brawl. He has since earned two more: No. 16 at the Postseason event when he took his fifth AOY crown; and No. 17 as 2010 Classic champ.

He is focused on another high finish at Smith Mountain Lake to help make up for his very un-VanDamlike finishes, a 29th and a 59th, at this season’s first two events in California. The slow start has him in 42nd place in the AOY points standings.

Greg Hackney, Elite pro from Gonzales, La., is looking for a finish in Virginia that will help him into the postseason. He’s currently in second place in the AOY standings.

“I started the year off in the right direction,” said Hackney, a three-time BASS winner. “But it’s still a long ways until the end; there are six events left.”

He’s headed to a lake on which he’s excelled. At the 2007 and 2009 Elite events there, Hackney finished 14th and fourth, respectively.

“If it stays warm like it is now, it will be a full-blown sight fishing tournament,” he said. “The whole lake should have fish spawning from one end to the other. But we’re subject to have a cold front – that happened last time we were there. It warmed up in practice, and the fish came out, a lot of big ones. Then the cold front went through and shut them down.”

Bassmaster.com will follow the Brawl each day with BASSCast, BASSCam, real-time leaderboards during weigh-ins, photo galleries, daily results, and Hooked Up with ESPN Outdoors personalities Mark Zona and Tommy Sanders. Live, streaming video will be carried by ESPN3.com. Click here closer to tournament time for a complete coverage schedule.

At the event, all spectator activities are free and open to the public, including the Thursday-Sunday launches and weigh-ins at Parkway Marina, 16918 Smith Mountain Lake Parkway, Huddleston, VA 24104. Takeoff is set for 6:20 a.m. ET; weigh-ins will begin at 3:30 p.m. ET.

Other fan events include a Friday tailgate party with live music and a “corn hole” tournament. The party will begin after weigh-in. Likewise, Saturday’s Karaoke contest will begin after weigh-in.

Special events for kids include a Saturday tournament, “Fish Like the Pros,” and Saturday and Sunday activities hosted by the U.S. Sportsmen’s Alliance. Also for young fans is the Toyota Kids Casting Challenge.

Saturday and Sunday, fans can check out the Yamaha VMax SHO Demo Tour and the Berkley Demo Tank. Contests include the Revo Reel Giveaway at the BASS booth.

Click here for complete event information.

Local sponsors are the counties of Franklin and Bedford. Click here for Smith Mountain Lake information.

Bassmaster Elite Series Official Sponsors: Toyota, Berkley, Evan Williams Bourbon, Humminbird, Mercury, Minn Kota, Skeeter and Yamaha.

Bassmaster Elite Series Supporting Sponsors: Lowrance and Triton Boats

About BASS
For more than 40 years, BASS has served as the authority on bass fishing. The organization advances the sport through advocacy, outreach and its expansive tournament structure while championing efforts to connect directly with the passionate community of bass anglers through its Bassmaster media vehicles.

As the flagship offering of ESPN Outdoors, the Bassmaster brand and its considerable multimedia platforms are guided by a mission to serve all fishing fans. Through its industry-leading publications Bassmaster Magazine, BASS Times and Fishing Tackle Retailer; comprehensive Web properties in Bassmaster.com, BASSInsider.com, ESPNOutdoors.com and ESPN360.com, and ESPN2 television programming, Bassmaster provides rich, leading-edge content true to the lifestyle.

BASS oversees the prestigious Bassmaster Tournament Trail, which includes the Bassmaster Elite Series, Bassmaster Opens, BASS Federation Nation and the ultimate celebration of competitive fishing, the Bassmaster Classic.

BASS offers an array of services to its more than 500,000 members while spearheading progressive, positive change on issues related to conservation and water access. The organization is headquartered in Celebration, Fla.

 

Media Contact
Doug Grassian, 407-566-2216, doug.grassian@espn.com

Professional Anglers Association

Observer Registration Open for PAA Bass Pro Shops Tournament Series 
 
paa bass proBENTON, KENTUCKY- Registration begins March 22 for anyone wishing to participate as an official Observer in the 2010 PAA Bass Pro Shops Tournament Series presented by Carrot Stix.

The Series consists of four tournaments comprised of the best touring professional bass fishermen from the PAA, Bassmaster Elite Series and FLW Tour. A non-fishing observer will accompany each angler to assure the ethics of the PAA are followed and the integrity and validity of the rules are adhered to by all contestants.

As an official member Observer, you can spend up to three days learning from the nation’s top pros while they compete with one another. There is no better way to learn tournament tactics, decision-making or how to win than to watch an event from the boat.

Observers must be at least a General Member of the PAA. There is a $50 entry fee, paid one time per tournament, which entitles the observer to participate up to all three days in each event.

In addition, Observers who participate in Days 1 and 2 will be eligible to participate in a shared-weight competition for Bass Pro Shops gift cards and prizes. The weight of the Observer’s Pro from the first two days will be combined, with gift cards and prizes for the top 20 Observers.

Although official Observers cannot fish in the Tournament Series, there will be unique opportunities to fish with the pros.

The PAA Bass Pro Shops Tournament Series Pro-Am will be a small event open to amateur anglers who will be paired with a pro for an event on a nearby lake on Saturday. Pro-Am participants will not be able to observe on Saturday, should they decide to compete in the Pro-Am.

The Pro-Am will use the Catch, Weigh, Release format and be regulated as a paper tournament. Anglers will police themselves and keep track of the weight in their respective boats. Tournament finishes will be based on the total weight in pounds and ounces, up to the tournament limit.

Amateurs must enter the event in pairs, making for a total of three team members per boat. Each team will consist of two amateurs and one pro, and the catches of all three anglers will be recorded on the score card and counted towards the tournament limit.
All amateur contestants must be at least a General Member of the PAA.

For more information or to register as an Observer, contact Lisa Bell at lisa@fishpaa.com

About the PAA: The Professional Anglers Association is a non-profit organization that gives professional anglers a unified voice in order to aid in the growth of the sport of professional bass fishing. The PAA also aims to administer educational programs to the average angler, to increase enjoyment of the sport, and to embrace sound conservation practices to further the future of the sport. Web: www.FishPAA.com

 

Media Contact
PAA Contact: Lisa Bell, lisa@fishpaa.com or (270) 527-2030

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