CELEBRATION, Fla. – Anglers who fish in the ESPN Outdoors Bassmaster Series in 2006 should be prepared for more opportunity on the water and bigger prize purses.
Next year, BASS is increasing to six the number of regions and increasing to five the number of divisions in the ESPN Outdoors Bassmaster Series. Each division will now have four tournaments instead of five. The changes mean another 40 one-day tournaments for total of 120. And because they stretch from Texas to Maine, BASS will reach more local anglers than ever before.
The divisional tournaments will continue to host 200 boaters and non-boaters each and the top 30 boaters and non-boaters in each division advance to the regional tournament, where the field will be narrowed to the top eight. Those eight boaters and non-boaters from each region will advance to the ESPN Outdoors Bassmaster Series National Championship whose winner will advance to the 2007 CITGO Bassmaster Classic.
“We are very excited about the ESPN Outdoors Bassmaster Series for 2006,” said Bruce Mathis, director of ESPN Outdoors Bassmaster Series and the Women’s Bassmaster Tour. “Based on the feedback we received from anglers throughout the 2005 season, we have expanded our schedule to cover a much larger area of the country and reach an even greater number of anglers.”
With more opportunity comes a larger prize purse. Boaters and non-boaters will compete for a total prize purse of $55,055 in cash and merchandise at each event, including a $7,500 boater top prize and $3,750 non-boater top prize. Overall, BASS will pay 30 percent of the field in 2006, up from 20 percent in 2005.
Additionally, BASS is enhancing its shared-weight program between boaters and non-boaters in the Series. In 2006, non-boaters will need to catch at least one bass to be eligible to share the weight of their boaters. “We listened to angler feedback and they indicated the importance of this new standard,” Mathis said.
Plus, a second-chance tournament will be offered to those anglers who paid to fish in all four one-day tournaments in their division, but did not qualify for the regional tournament. The top eight boaters and non-boaters from the second-chance tournament also will advance to the National Championship and have a chance to qualify for the 2007 CITGO Bassmaster Classic.
Boater entry fees in 2006 will be $250 for each tournament. Non-boater entry fees will be $125.
2006 ESPN Outdoors Bassmaster Series Schedule:
Northeast Region:
Ohio Valley
Columbus, Ohio Alum Creek 4/9/2006
St. Mary's, Ohio Grand lake 4/30/2006
Columbus, Ohio Alum Creek 6/11/2006
Sandusky, Ohio Lake Erie 9/10/2006
Liberty
Warren, Pa. Kinzua Reservoir 6/18/2006
Tafton, Pa. Lake Wallenpaupack 7/16/2006
Erie, Pa. Lake Erie 8/13/2006
Jamestown, N.Y. Chautauqua 9/17/2006
Capitol
Charles County, Md. Potomac River 4/24/2006
South Hill, Va. Lake Gaston 5/7/2006
Charles County, Md. Potomac River 5/21/2006
Charles County, Md. Potomac River 6/4/2006
Adirondack
Seneca Falls, N.Y. Cayuga Lake 6/25/2006
Plattsburgh, N.Y. Lake Champlain 8/6/2006
Clayton, N.Y. 1000 Islands 9/24/2006
Syracuse, N.Y. Oneida Lake 10/8/2006
Patriot
Plattsburgh, N.Y. Lake Champlain 7/9/2006
Mayfield, N.Y. Great Sacandaga 7/23/2006
Plattsburgh, N.Y. Lake Champlain 8/20/2006
Catskill, N.Y. Hudson River 10/1/2006
Northern Region:
North Star
Alexandria, Minn. Lake Le Homme Dieu 6/4/2006
Cross Lake, Minn. White Fish Chain 7/16/2006
Grand Rapids, Minn. Pokegama Lake 8/6/2006
Excelsior, Minn. Lake Minnetonka 9/17/2006
Badger
Pepin, Wis Mississippi River (3-4) 6/25/2006
Oshkosh, Wis. Winneconne Chain 7/30/2006
Madison, Wis. Madison Chain 8/13/2006
Hayward, Wis. Chippewa Flowage 10/1/2006
Wolverine
Grand River, Mich. Grand River 6/18/2006
Mt. Clement, Mich. Lake St. Clair 7/23/2006
Trenton, Mich. Detroit River 8/27/2006
Bay City, Mich. Saginaw Bay 9/24/2006
Prairie
Benton/West City, Ill. Rend Lake 4/2/2006
Shelbyville, Ill. Lake Shelbyville 4/30/2006
Ft. Madison, Iowa Mississippi River 7/9/2006
Savanna, Ill. Mississippi River 8/20/2006
Indy
Bloomington, Ind. Monroe Reservoir 4/9/2006
Bloomington, Ind. Monroe Reservoir 5/7/2006
Cannellton, Ind. Ohio River 6/11/2006
Jasper, Ind. Patoka Reservoir 9/10/2006
Midwest Region:
Hawkeye
Ft. Madison, Iowa Mississippi River 4/23/2006
Dubuque, Iowa Mississippi River 6/11/2006
TBD Mississippi River 7/16/2006
Burlington, Iowa Mississippi River 8/6/2006
GLOC
Grove, Okla. Grand Lake 3/12/2006
Grove, Okla. Grand Lake 5/21/2006
Grove, Okla. Grand Lake 6/25/2006
Grove, Okla. Grand Lake 9/17/2006
Jayhawk
Grove, Okla. Grand Lake 3/19/2006
Junction City, Kansas Milford Lake 4/9/2006
Wilson, Kansas Wilson Lake 9/10/2006
Eldorado, Kansas Eldorado Lake 10/1/2006
Show Me
Kimberling City, Mo. Table Rock Lake 3/26/2006
Stockton, Mo. Stockton Lake 4/30/2006
Warsaw, Mo. Truman Reservoir 8/27/2006
Lake Ozark, Mo Lake of the Ozarks 10/8/2006
Pioneer
Gilbertville, Ky. Kentucky Lake Side 4/2/2006
Eddyville, Ky. Lake Barkley Side 5/7/2006
Gilbertville, Ky. Kentucky Lake Side 8/20/2006
Eddyville, Ky. Lake Barkley Side 9/24/2006
Southeast Region:
Okeechobee
Okeechobee City, Fla. Lake Okeechobee 1/8/2006
Okeechobee City, Fla. Lake Okeechobee 2/5/2006
Clewiston, Fla. Lake Okeechobee 5/21/2006
Clewiston, Fla. Lake Okeechobee 6/25/2006
Cypress
Kissimmee, Fla. Lake Tohopekaliga 1/29/2006
Leesburg, Fla. Harris Chain 3/26/2006
Palatka, Fla. St. John's River 5/7/2006
Leesburg, Fla. Harris Chain 9/10/2006
Peach State
Millidgeville, Ga. Lake Sinclair 2/19/2006
LaGrange, Ga. West Point Lake 3/19/2006
Eufaula, Ala. Lake Eufaula 4/30/2006
Buckhead, Ga. Lake Oconee 6/11/2006
Palmetto
Manning, S.C. Santee Cooper 2/26/2006
Prosperity, S.C. Lake Murray 4/2/2006
Manning, S.C. Santee Cooper 4/23/2006
Prosperity, S.C. Lake Murray 6/4/2006
Granite
Seneca, S.C. Lake Keowee 2/12/2006
Seneca, S.C. Lake Hartwell 3/12/2006
Elberton, Ga. Lake Russell 4/9/2006
Thomson, Ga. Clark Hill Lake 9/24/2006
Southern Region:
Tiger
Alexander City, Ala. Lake Martin 2/12/2006
Eufaula, Ala. Lake Eufaula 4/23/2006
Columbiana, Ala. Lay Lake 6/4/2006
Selma, Ala. Alabama River 9/24/2006
Crimson
Guntersville, Ala. Lake Guntersville 3/5/2006
Rogersville, Ala. Lake Wheeler 3/26/2006
Gadsden, Ala. Neely Henry Lake 5/21/2006
Guntersville, Ala. Lake Guntersville 9/17/2006
Volunteer
Guntersville, Ala. Lake Guntersville 3/12/2006
Silver Point, Tenn. Center Hill Lake 4/2/2006
Smyrna, Tenn. Percy Priest Lake 6/18/2006
Gallatin, Tenn. Old Hickory Lake 8/27/2006
Bluegrass
Russell Springs, Ky. Lake Cumberland 3/19/2006
Scottsville, Ky. Barren River 4/30/2006
Carrollton, Ky. Ohio River 6/25/2006
Brandenburg, Ky. Ohio River 9/10/2006
Tar Heel
Henderson, N.C. Kerr Reservoir 5/7/2006
Henderson, N.C. Kerr Reservoir 6/11/2006
Lexington, N.C. High Rock Lake 7/9/2006
Henderson, N.C. Kerr Reservoir 8/13/2006
South Central Region:
Lone Star (Southeast Texas)
Huxley, Texas Toledo Bend Reservoir 3/5/2006
Huxley, Texas Toledo Bend Reservoir 5/7/2006
Jasper, Texas Sam Rayburn Reservoir 6/4/2006
Jasper, Texas Sam Rayburn Reservoir 10/1/2006
Razorback
Mt. Ida, Ark. Lake Ouachita 2/12/2006
Beaver, Ark. Beaver Lake 3/26/2006
Russellville, Ark. Lake Dardanelle 4/30/2006
Lake Village, Ark. Lake Chicot 9/24/2006
Sooner
Broken Bow, Okla. Broken Bow Lake 3/12/2006
Grove, Okla. Grand lake 4/2/2006
Wagoner, Okla. Three Forks 6/25/2006
Fort Gibson, Okla. Ft. Gibson Lake 7/30/2006
Chaparral (Central Texas)
Lewisville, Texas Lewisville Lake 3/19/2006
Willis Point, Texas Lake Tawakoni 4/9/2006
Corsicana, Texas Richland Chambers 6/11/2006
Log Cabin, Texas Cedar Creek 7/9/2006
Big River
Ridgeland, Miss. Ross Barnett Reservoir 2/5/2006
West Monroe, La. Ouachita River Basin 4/23/5006
Vicksburg, Miss Mississippi River 7/16/2006
Alexandria, La. Red River 9/10/2006
BASS is the worldwide authority on bass fishing, sanctioning more than 20,000 events through the BASS Federation annually. Guided by its mission to serve all fishing fans, BASS sets the standard for credibility, professionalism, sportsmanship and conservation, as it has for nearly 40 years.
BASS stages bass fishing tournaments for every skill level and culminates with the CITGO Bassmaster Classic. Through its clubs, youth programs, aquatic resource advocacy, magazine publishing and multimedia platforms, BASS offers the industry's widest array of services and support to its nearly 550,000 members. The organization is headquartered in Celebration, Fla.
For complete details, contact BASS Communications at (407) 566-2208 or visit www.bassmaster.com.
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