CELEBRATION, Fla. — Lake Tohopekaliga, site of next year’s CITGO Bassmaster Classic in February, will host the final CITGO Bassmaster Southern Open Oct. 27-29 — an event that ultimately could send one or more of those anglers to that coveted world championship.
In addition to the $50,000 top prize, at stake are invitations to the Open Championship, Dec. 1-4 in Prattville, Ala.., for the top 25 pros in the season-long standings. And the top five finishers in the championship receive invitations to Classic XXXVI on Lake Toho, Feb. 24-26 in Kissimmee, Fla.
But the Southern Open pros will see a different lake from the one expected at the Classic, which will be held during the annual spawning season.
“It’s a little slow right now. They’re not catching anything like they should,” said Terry Segraves, an Open pro from Kissimmee and former Classic qualifier. “We’re kind of struggling, but we’ve still got some time before it starts and I’m hoping the weather cools off a little bit and the fishing starts picking up.
“It only took 46 pounds to win a regional tournament last weekend for three days of fishing. A 15-pound stringer was pretty strong. I think we’ve had so many fronts and high pressure coming through, the fish are acting funny.”
Charlie Youngers, a veteran Florida pro from nearby Oviedo, is more hopeful of the fishing prospects. “It’s been pretty good, actually,” the former Classic contender said. “It’s been tough for some people, but I’ve been catching them down there.
“There’s a lot of shad in the grass right now and you’ve just got to keep running until you find the fish. Once you find them, you find a wad of them. Just keep covering water.
“The fish are kind of mixed up right now. There are some fish out on the shell bars that you can catch on a Carolina rig and there are some big fish in the grass. I caught one that was 10-plus pounds recently.”
Youngers predicts the winning weight will be around 50 pounds on Toho, the northernmost body of water on the Kissimmee Chain of Lakes. The Osceola County lake is 13 miles long and has a maximum width of more than 4 miles.
“I think it’s going to be a decent tournament,” Youngers added. “It just depends on the weather. If we get a front between now and the tournament, it might shut everything down. But with all of the rain we had a couple of weeks ago, the fish seem to be stabilizing a little bit.”
It was on these Central Florida waters in January of 2001 that the 22,750-acre Toho provided what may have been the two most remarkable days in competitive fishing history.
It began when Dean Rojas opened with a five-bass record catch of 45 pounds, 2 ounces and then followed it up with a 34-9 stringer. The next day, Arkansas’ Mark Davis brought in 41-10. Eight more limits of more than 30 pounds were posted and another 29 limits of 20 pounds or more were caught. An estimated 21 bass weighing more than 10 pounds (up to 12 1/2 pounds) were brought to the scales. Rojas also set the four-day tournament record (108-12).
Anglers – hoping for a similar experience - will launch and weigh-in at Kissimmee Lake Shore Park, 69 Lakeshore Blvd. Kissimmee, Fla.
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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.
CITGO Bassmaster Open Series sponsors include CITGO Petroleum Corp., Toyota, Busch Beer, Purolator, Triton Boats, Mercury Marine, Berkley, Lowrance Electronics, MotorGuide, Bass Pro Shops and Cialis (tadalafil).
Local sponsors include the Central Florida Sports Commission.
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