COMPETITION DAYS: April 27-30, 2005
Wednesday & Thursday, April 27-28
FISHING SITE: Lake Tohopekaliga
LAUNCH SITE: Kissimmee Lakefront Park South, 6:30 a.m.
WEIGH-IN: Kissimmee Lakefront Park South, 3:00 p.m.
Friday & Saturday, April 29-30
FISHING SITE: Disney’s Bay Lake
LAUNCH SITE: Disney’s Bay Lake, 6:30 a.m.
WEIGH-IN: Downtown Disney, 3:00 p.m.
The BASS Federation:
The BASS Federation comprises 2,800 locally organized clubs whose members participate in a range of activities including tournaments, youth programs and conservation initiatives. The local clubs are organized into 46 states, the District of Columbia and six international Federations (Canada, Italy, Japan, Mexico, South Africa and Zimbabwe), which are in turn organized in five geographic divisions (North, South, Central, East and West).
The BASS Federation tournament system is highly competitive and can take nearly three years from club-level tournaments to the Classic. By participating in local and state competitions, anglers can qualify for a 12-member state team, which competes in one of the five annual BASS Federation Divisional tournaments. Each state Federation’s top-finishing angler at the Divisional will qualify for a berth in the BASS Federation Championship presented by Busch Beer.
Tournament Format:
First two days of competition will take place on Lake Tohopekaliga. After two days, the three anglers with the highest cumulative weight total in each of the Federation’s five geographic divisions (for a total of 15 anglers) will make the cut and fish Saturday and Sunday at Disney’s Bay Lake. Weights will carry over from first two days of fishing and a winner will be crowned based on the four-day total.
At the end of four days, the top angler from each of the five geographic divisions will earn a berth into the 2005 CITGO Bassmaster Classic in Pittsburgh, Penn.
The Federation Championship contender who brings in the heaviest single-day catch is eligible for the Busch Shootout.
The overall winner of the BASS Federation Championship will also earn a spot on the 2006 CITGO Bassmaster Tour.
2005 BASS Federation Championship Payout Schedule
1st place $15,000
2nd Place $7,000
3rd Place $3,000
4th Place $2,000
5th Place $1,500
6th Place $1,300
7th Place $1,300
8th Place $1,200
9th Place $1,100
10th Place $1,000
11th – 15th $700
16th – 55th $300
TOTAL $50,000
Purolator Big Bass Award
Day One $1,000
Day Two $1,000
Day Three $1,000
Day Four $1,000
TOTAL $4,000
Total Tournament Payout = $54,000
2005 B.A.S.S. National Federation Championship contenders
Dewey Allen Indiana
Greg Alexander Delaware
Bill Bennett Maryland
Jim Bishop Utah
Justin Booth South Africa
Doss Briggs Oklahoma
Randy Burch Wisconsin
Eddie Camara Oklahoma (PVA Champ)
Joe Conway Colorado
Richard Cottone Nations Capitol
Ed Cowan New Jersey
Michael DiChiaro Rhode Island
Bob Ellis Georgia
Jay Evans Montana
Jami Fralick South Dakota
Marc Gilliland Kansas
Donald Gossett Missouri
Jeff Hager North Carolina
Russell Hosick Kentucky
Grant Johnson Arkansas
Jimmy Johnson Texas
Gerry Jooste Zimbabwe
J.J. Judd Vermont
Dennis Kotas Nebraska
Jason Lambert Tennessee
Robert Lechel New Mexico
Jamie Long Alabama
Greg Lownds Connecticut
Joe Lucarelli New Hampshire
Joshua Mabee Maine
Franco Mancini Italy
Mike Mapes New York
Paul McKenney Washington
Bryan McNeal Ohio
Dave Mehalechko Arizona
Dave Palmer Oregon
Jason Pittman Louisiana
Brian Plank Illinois
Gary Pope South Carolina
Michael Rold California
Leon Roy Florida
Reid Paul Sanders Mississippi
Yoshikazu Sato Japan
Todd Schaaf Virginia
Brent Shores Idaho
Andy Sommerfelt Iowa
Chuck Steinbauer Minnesota
Eric Stewart West Virginia
Tyler Swaney Wyoming
Thad Takes 2004 B.A.S.S. National Federation Champion
Bill Todd Ontario
Javier Villareal Mexico
Nate Wellman Michigan
Richard Witushynsky Pennsylvania
Jamie Worth Massaschusetts
Did You Know?
The following data comes from the American Sportfishing Association's “Today's Angler Report:”
* 15.6 million bass anglers in the U.S.
* 80.5% of the bass anglers are male
* 69.5% of bass anglers are married
* The average annual household income for a bass angler is $54,392
* 25.5% of bass anglers have completed 4+ years of college
BASS is the world's largest fishing organization, sanctioning more than 20,000 tournaments worldwide through its Federation. The CITGO Bassmaster Tournament Trail, which includes the Bassmaster Elite 50 series, is the oldest and most prestigious pro bass fishing tournament circuit and continues to set the standard for credibility, professionalism and sportsmanship as it has since 1968.
For more information, contact BASS Communications at (407) 566-2208 or visit www.bassmaster.com.
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