Stationed out of the Sunset Station Hotel and Casino in Henderson, Nevada, the U.S. Open, now in its 24th year is scheduled for September 6th through 12th 2007. Last year’s champion, Scott Nielsen of Cedar City Utah parlayed 37.02 pounds of bass into a $141,000 payday. Nielsen bested his second place competitor by nearly 10 pounds, working jigs and crankbaits from the Meadows to the back of Overton arm. Scott will have to watch out though as some of the top names in bass fishing will be looking to keep him from a repeat victory this September.
For 2007, the Pro entry fee will be $2,000 while AAA anglers will pay $750 to play. Daily big bass options paying $1,000 for the top 5 bass each day and daily big stringer options which will pay $1,500 to both the pro and AAA angler each day are included in the entry fee. Additionally, the largest bass caught at this year’s U.S. Open will not only win the custom big fish trophy from High Sierra Woodcarvings, but will be taking home a brand new TYM T233 light duty tractor valued at $16,000! All told, $40,000 in options will be awarded back to the angling field.
“I’m really excited about the new payback that we have worked out for the Open”’ noted WON BASS tournament director Bill Hutcheson. “We talked to guys at this past year’s Anglers Marine Bass-A-Thon about what they wanted to see in the Open. The U.S. Open has been successful for many years and is the marquee event in the west. We were not trying to re-invent the wheel, just make it more appealing and as such, we melded the ideas we gleaned from participants into our program for this year. Not only do you get to fish for a greater first place prize at half the entry fee of other circuits, but you get to fish with some of the best anglers in the business. This should be a great U.S. Open.”
Check in for the Open will be held at the Sunset Station tournament headquarters room on Thursday, Friday, and Saturday. Sponsor’s Row with the Ranger Boats hosted angler appreciation dinner will take place on Sunday prior to the opening ceremonies and partner pairings. Official pre-fish days will be September 6th, 7th, and 8th with the lake being off limits on September 9th. Special WON BASS rates are offered for Sunset Station rooms. You may contact them by calling (888) SUNSET-9 and mentioning “WON BASS”. Callville Bay will serve as the host marina during the U.S. Open.
AAA anglers are encouraged to sign up with a pro to guarantee your entry. For further information, contact Bonnie Froehlich at (949) 366-0030 ext 38 or log on to www.wonbass.com