MONTGOMERY, Ala. - The Bassmaster Elite
Series has never been to Montgomery for a regular-season event, but the May
9-12 Alabama River Charge presented by Star brite
will be like a homecoming.
Elite Series owner B.A.S.S., now based in Birmingham, Ala., was founded in
Montgomery in 1968 by Ray Scott, a lifelong resident of the Capitol City. The
birthplace of modern bass fishing, Montgomery has been the site of several
top-tier Bassmaster competitions, including the Bassmaster Classic in 1981 and
1982. Most recently, Montgomery hosted three consecutive Elite Series
postseasons, from 2009 to 2011.
But Montgomery has never seen a regular-season Elite Series event, when 100 of
the world's best bass pros launch their high-tech, wrapped rigs and put on a
four-day show that attracts thousands of fans. At the March 2013 season opener
in Orange, Texas, 33,650 people turned out over four days, setting a new Elite
Series attendance record.
"Montgomery area fans have a chance to challenge Texas for the
record," said Trip Weldon, B.A.S.S. tournament director and native of
Montgomery.
"We've always had super fan interest for Bassmaster tournaments in
Alabama, and Montgomery has the perfect setting for a big event like the River
Charge," Weldon said.
This week the Elite pros are on West Point Lake in LaGrange, Ga., for the
season's fourth event. As soon as it's over, they'll head to Montgomery for
their May 6-8 practice time for the May 9-12 competition days.
Several of the newer Elite pros have never been to the Alabama River, but many
of the others are veterans of the fishery known for feisty spotted bass as well
as largemouth bass. Elite pro Paul Elias won the 1982 Classic on the Alabama,
and he placed seventh in the 1981 Classic, also on the Alabama. Seven-time
Toyota Bassmaster Angler of the Year Kevin VanDam won each of the final two
postseason events in 2009 and 2010 on the Alabama River, clinching the Toyota
Trucks Bassmaster Angler of the Year titles for those years in the process.
The most recent Elite pro to win on the Alabama River was Ott DeFoe, the postseason champ of 2011. He bested Edwin Evers
by 5 ounces in a head-to-head final round of a three-day elimination
competition.
"I have not been back since I won, and I'm definitely looking forward to
it," DeFoe said. "I have good memories of
the time I spent there, and I'm ready to get back and do it again."
By "it" he means hook more of the spotted bass he weighed in for his
first Elite title.
"Where I live, we have Kentucky spots," said DeFoe,
27, who calls Knoxville, Tenn., home. "The spots on the Alabama River are
definitely a lot meaner, no doubt about it. They're very aggressive and
strong."
He said he'll be looking for one key condition: "If you have current, they
bite. If you don't, they don't."
DeFoe noted that a May trip to the river vs. the late
July 2011 postseason means that the bass might have more tricks up their fins.
"Like always, we will have to adjust to the conditions we find when we get
there," DeFoe said.
The Elite field will compete for a first-place prize of $100,000, an instant-in
for the 2014 Bassmaster Classic, and points that count toward a Classic
qualification and the Toyota Bassmaster Angler of the Year award.
Fans are invited to watch the pros kick off the Alabama River Charge presented
by Star brite each day at 6:30 a.m. CT at
Montgomery's Riverfront Park (200 Coosa St., Montgomery, AL 36104). Anglers
return to the park to weigh their catches beginning at 3:15 p.m. CT at the
Riverfront Park Amphitheatre on Thursday and Friday and at the Riverfront Park
Union Station Train Shed on Saturday and Sunday.
While the pros are on the river, fans can enjoy the Bassmaster Elite Series
Expo, which will open at noon Thursday-Sunday. All Bassmaster fan activities
are free and open to the public.
Bassmaster.com will provide extensive online coverage. Features include live,
streaming video and real-time leaderboards during the
weigh-ins; blogs and videos from the water; the Lowrance War Room, which
features data and analysis from the BASSTrakk catch
reports; daily results; photo galleries; news stories and much more.
ESPN2 will air coverage of the Alabama River Charge presented by Star brite on June 2 from 8-9 a.m. ET on The Bassmasters
TV show.
The local host of the event is the Montgomery Area Chamber of Commerce, http://www.montgomerychamber.com/.
For more details, visit Bassmaster.com.
2013 Bassmaster Elite Series Official Sponsors: Toyota, Bass Pro Shops,
Berkley, Evan Williams Bourbon, Humminbird, Mercury, Minn Kota, Nitro Boats,
Skeeter Boats, Triton Boats, Yamaha
2013 Bassmaster Elite Series Supporting Sponsors: Carhartt, Diet Mountain Dew,
Livingston Lures, Lowrance, Luck-E-Strike, Power-Pole, Ramada, Shimano
2013 Bassmaster Elite Series Proud Partner: Mustang Survival
About B.A.S.S.
For more than 45 years, B.A.S.S. has served as the authority on bass fishing.
The organization advances the sport through advocacy, outreach and an expansive
tournament structure while connecting directly with the passionate community of
bass anglers through its Bassmaster media vehicles.
The Bassmaster brand and its multimedia platforms are guided by a mission to
serve all fishing fans. Through its industry-leading publications - Bassmaster
Magazine and B.A.S.S. Times - comprehensive website Bassmaster.com and ESPN2
and Outdoor Channel television programming, Bassmaster provides rich,
leading-edge content true to the lifestyle.
The Bassmaster Tournament Trail includes the Bassmaster Elite Series, Bass Pro
Shops Bassmaster Open Series, Carhartt Bassmaster College Series, B.A.S.S.
Nation events and the ultimate celebration of competitive fishing, the
Bassmaster Classic.
B.A.S.S. offers an array of services to its more than 500,000 members and
remains focused on issues related to conservation and water access. The
organization is headquartered in Birmingham, Ala.
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