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Friday, February 15, 2008
Bass tournaments: Hooking fish for big dough
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
You may not know this, those are some pretty valuable bass in Lake Hartwell.
The big reservoir (55,000 acres at full poll) located on the Georgia-South Carolina line two hours northeast of Atlanta is hosting the the most prestigious event in the sport of tournament bass fishing.
The 38th Bassmaster Classic, a three-day spectacle that includes dramatic weigh-ins in big arenas, begins next weekend. The winner, who can weigh in no more than five bass each day, gets $500,000. That’s more than $33,000 a fish.
It’s quite remarkable what this tournament has meant to fishing in general. When Ray Scott started the Bass Anglers Sportsmen Society in 1967 he wanted to bring fishermen together. He didn’t know he would launch a sport that attracts such big money and sponsorship.
More importantly, Scott’s efforts increased conservation awareness among anglers. Catch-and-release fishing took off, mainly because Scott’s tournaments took the lead on weighing in, then releasing fish caught in tournaments. Bringing a dead fish to the weigh-in resulted in a penalty.
Scott’s first B.A.S.S. tournament offered the winner $2,000 and a trip to Acapulco. Now, six-figure payouts for first place are common, and this summer’s Forrest Wood Cup (held by Bassmaster rival, the FLW Tour) is paying $1 million.
These days, bass tournaments are common from the smallest lakes with electric-motor powered competitors to major lakes all over the country. I’ve even competed in a few — even placed third once. There may be a sideshow-carnival element to the Classic, but I think anything that promotes fishing and being outdoors is a good thing
But what do you think?
