CELEBRATION, Fla. - Due to unsafe conditions that currently exist on Toledo Bend Reservoir, BASS is relocating the first Women’s Bassmaster Tour stop, originally scheduled for March 16-18, and the second CITGO Bassmaster Southern Tour event, originally scheduled for March 2-4.
The Women’s Bassmaster Tour event will now take place in conjunction with “The Rock,” the final 2006 CITGO Bassmaster Elite Series tournament, on Table Rock Lake, Sept. 14-17, in Kimberling City, Mo. The official tournament waters are Bull Shoals Lake in Theodosia, Mo. and the event will be held Sept. 14-16. The official ramp, housing and weigh-in will be at the Theodosia Marina-Resort. Practice days will be Sept. 11-13 and the registration site will be announced at a later date.
All women who were registered for the event at its original location will be informed of the change and will have the opportunity to transfer their registration to another Women’s Bassmaster Tour tournament or receive a full refund.
“We have been in serious drought conditions for a while now and in fact, in December, we reached an all-time lake level low,” said Jim Pratt, executive director of the Louisiana Sabine River Authority. “For those unfamiliar with the waters, it can be a dangerous situation and we have to be extremely cautious.”
We certainly support BASS’ decision to move the events and we look forward to hosting some BASS events in the future,” Pratt continued.
Also, the CITGO Bassmaster Southern Tour event on Toledo Bend will be relocated to Sam Rayburn Reservoir in Jasper, Texas. It will still take place on March 2-4 and the practice period will be Feb. 27-March 1. The Jan. 31 entry fee deadline remains the same.
Weigh-ins for the relocated CITGO Bassmaster Southern Tour event will be at the Umphrey Family Pavilion in Sam Rayburn and registration will be at Jasper High School. The local sponsor of the event is the Jasper/Lake Sam Rayburn Area Chamber of Commerce. The official ramp and housing will be announced at a later date.
Any CITGO Bassmaster Southern Tour angler who wishes to receive a refund must make the request by Jan. 31.
“We are happy to be able to accommodate BASS and we are looking forward to hosting the event,” said Susan Stover, executive director of the Jasper/Lake Sam Rayburn Area Chamber of Commerce.
Also of note, BASS has changed the off-limit dates for the “Lone Star Shootout” Elite Series event on Sam Rayburn Reservoir, taking place on March 16-19. Sam Rayburn Reservior now is off limit to Elite Series pros from March 5-12. This change allows Elite pros to fish both events without violating off-limits restrictions.
“It is an unfortunate situation, as we were excited to visit such a great fishery as Toledo Bend,” said Don Rucks, BASS vice president and general manager. “But the safety of our anglers is our first priority and we hope to hold an event on Toledo Bend in the near future. The Huxley Bay Marina and the City of Shelbyville were so helpful with the originally scheduled events and we want to thank them for it.”
Anglers interested in participating in any of the CITGO Bassmaster Tour or Women’s Bassmaster Tour events can visit www.bassmaster.com or call 1-877-BASS-USA.
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 more information, contact BASS Communications at (407) 566-2208 or visit www.bassmaster.com.
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