CELEBRATION, Fla. – Due to recent unsafe conditions on the Arkansas River, BASS will relocate the Bassmaster Legends presented by Ramada Worldwide, set for Aug. 23-26, to Lake Dardanelle in Russellville, Ark.
Dardanelle most recently hosted a Mercury Marine Women’s Bassmaster Tour presented by Triton Boats event in March and was the site of a 2005 Bassmaster Elite 50 tournament.
The third and final 2007 Bassmaster Major, the Legends is held in honor of BASS founder Ray Scott, who will attend the event. Daily weigh-ins and tournament launches will take place at Lake Dardanelle State Park, at 100 State Park Drive in Russellville. Daily tournament launches will begin at 9 a.m. CT and weigh-ins will start at 6 p.m. CT.
The full field of 51 qualifying anglers will fish Lake Dardanelle during the first two days of competition. After the field is cut to the top 12 anglers Saturday, the third day of competition, the tournament will move to a six-hole course with anglers fishing each hole in rotating fashion. The top six will compete on the final day of action on the six-hole course for the $250,000 top prize.
The list of qualifiers will be set after the upcoming Bassmaster Elite Series event, the Capitol Clash presented by Advance Auto Parts, scheduled for Aug. 9-12 on the Potomac River out of La Plata, Md.
Three Elite Series anglers already have qualified for berths in the Legends: 2007 Bassmaster Classic champion Boyd Duckett of Demopolis, Ala.; 2006 Toyota Tundra Bassmaster Angler of the Year Mike Iaconelli of Runnemede, N.J.; and Scott Rook of Little Rock, Ark., winner of the 2006 Bassmaster Legends. The leader of the Toyota Rookie of the Year after the Potomac event also will qualify. Derek Remitz of Madison, Ala., presently leads the rookie standings.
Tournament coverage of the event will air at 9 a.m. ET Saturday, Sept. 1, on ESPN2. Lake Dardanelle is off-limits to Elite Series anglers until the official practice period, Aug. 20-22.
As always, live, streaming video of the weigh-ins and real-time leaderboards can be accessed on www.ESPNOutdoors.com. On the final day of competition, www.ESPNOutdoors.com will provide updates throughout the day and preview the weigh-in with Hooked Up hosted by Tommy Sanders and ESPN2 Outdoors personality Mark Zona.
Bassmaster Majors Sponsors: Sponsors of the Bassmaster Elite Series include Toyota Tundra, Purolator, Triton Boats, Mercury Marine, Berkley, Advance Auto Parts, Lowrance Electronics, MotorGuide, Costa Del Mar, Ramada Worldwide and Evan Williams Bourbon.
For more information, contact BASS Communications at (407) 566-2208 or visit www.bassmaster.com. Visit www.espnmediazone.com for ESPN's latest releases, schedules and other news, plus photos, video and audio clips and more.
BASS is the worldwide authority on bass fishing, sanctioning more than 20,000 events through the BASS Federation Nation 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 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 530,000 members. The organization is headquartered in Celebration, Fla.
2007 Bassmaster Majors
May 17-20 Bassmaster American, High Rock Lake Gree nsboro, N.C.
July 26-29 Bassmaster Memorial, Oneida Lake Syracuse, N.Y.
Aug. 23-26 Bassmaster Legends, Lake Dardanelle Russellville, Ark.
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