1. Harris Chain of Lakes, Fla. "We had a very successful event there last year from a fan standpoint. Fishing should be better toward the end of January."
2. Smith Lake, Ala. "This is a unique challenge to the anglers. At one time, Smith held five consecutive world-record spotted bass. It contains deep water and challenges that the anglers may not have seen in quite some time."
3. Lake Guntersville, Ala. "Two years ago, this was probably our most successful stop on the CITGO Bassmaster Tour. Guntersville continues to rank as one of the best lakes in the nation."
4. Table Rock Lake, Mo. "This is another mountainous-type lake containing large numbers of spotted, smallmouth and largemouth bass."
5. Lake Eufaula, Ala. "Take a look at Edwin Evers' winning catch last year (73 pounds, 5 ounces) and you'll see that Eufaula ranks second to none."
6. Santee Cooper Lakes, S.C. "Zell Rowland brought in 98-plus pounds for last year's victory - with 59 sacks over 20 pounds on the second day. Think about that and you'll understand why Santee is one of the anglers' favorite stops."
The Elite 50
1. Lake Dardanelle, Ark. "Lake Dardanelle on the Arkansas River ranks as one of Arkansas' top lakes. I've heard great things about Dardanelle from Arkansas pros Ron Shuffield and Doug Garrett."
2. Tennessee-Tombigbee Waterway, Miss. "The people of Columbus, Miss., are very excited about tournament bass fishing. While the 2003 Open is BASS's first visit there, the warm reception we received there will make sure it's not our last."
3. Alabama River, Ala. "After last year's successful final stop on the Tour, the anglers were sure hoping we'd schedule another stop here."
4. Ohio, Cumberland and Tennessee Rivers, Ky. "Paducah is ecstatic about us coming. It's another diverse fishery that will produce good catches of largemouth and smallmouth."
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