 | BASS FISHING NEWS AND VIDEOS FROM AROUND THE WORLD  |
 | Watch Now button becomes active one hour prior to event broadcast
A high-speed connection is recommended for the live video stream |
| Walmart FLW Tour | |
Scheide's shocker 17.May.2009 Rob Newell FLW Live Reel Chat with Ray Scheide coming May 26 19.May.2009 Quick Bites: FLW Tour, Beaver Lake Day 4 17.May.2009 Gary Mortenson Bridgeman's fishing fantasy becomes reality 16.May.2009 Rob Newell Bass master 20.May.2009 Brianna Keddell | |
Exclusive InterviewsWatch videos of the top bass fishing pros that you'll only see here!Shaw Grigsby talks about tournament tactics, practical jokes, and reveals the story behind his beard! In HD! Mike McClelland talks about tournament tactics and life as a pro. In HD! Mike Iaconelli Reveals His Classic Patterns. In HD! Bass Pros Reveal Their Fishing Patterns at the 2009 Bassmaster Classic In HD! Why is Rick Clunn using a tin boat at the Bassmaster's Classic? In HD! Gerald Swindle Casey Ashley Ish Monroe John Crews Jeff Kriet Mike Iaconelli Greg Hackney |
Bassmaster Classic will return to Birmingham area in 2010 and to be at Lay LakeColumbiana is home to area's seventh event
Wednesday, March 18, 2009
MIKE BOLTON
News staff writer
The Bassmaster Classic, a professional fishing event that officials say brings in tens of millions of dollars to Birmingham, returns to the Magic City again in 2010, BASS officials confirmed Tuesday. It was first announced in 2008 that the Classic would return to Birmingham in 2010. Missing from the puzzle was what lake would host the event. BASS filled in the blanks Tuesday, saying the event will be held Feb. 19-21 at Lay Lake. Lay, located primarily in Shelby County, was the site of
Classics in 1996, 2002 and 2007. The launch site for the
2010 Classic will take place at the Beeswax Creek Boat Ramp
in Columbiana. Previous Classic launches on the lake have
taken place at Paradise Point. Birmingham, voted the "Bass Capital of the World" in an ESPN online poll in 2006, is a favorite site of the Classic. It has played host to the Classic six times, more than any other city. In addition to the Classics at Lay Lake, Birmingham also hosted Classics held at Lake Logan Martin in 1992, 1993 and 1997. Alabama has hosted the event 10 times with other Classics being held on Wheeler Lake in 1974, Lake Guntersville in 1976 and on the Alabama River in 1981 and 1982. Birmingham has also played host to the FLW Tour World Championship on two occasions. The FLW Tour is a rival organization to BASS. More than 50,000 people attended the Birmingham weigh-ins, launches and Outdoor Expo at the 2007 Classic on Lay Lake. Birmingham officials estimated that tournament brought an economic impact to the city and surrounding area of more than $19 million. BASS is owned by ESPN and the television network provides hours of coverage of the event, city and the lake. "Shelby County is excited about the opportunity to showcase our natural resources and attract an international audience as we host our fourth Bassmaster Classic," said Shelby County Manager Alex Dudchock. "Lay Lake continues to be a destination for anglers and water recreation enthusiasts, and Shelby County will continue to promote tourism through these types of events in our local, regional and state economy." Reigning Classic champion Skeet Reese, who finished second to Demopolis' Boyd Duckett in the 2007 Classic on Lay Lake, was thrilled by Tuesday's announcement. "Another Classic on Lay Lake is great news," he said. "I will get the opportunity to go back to Lay Lake and try to win. Finishing second to Boyd in 2007 was a little tough to swallow." By virtue of being the reigning champion Reese is the only one of 51 eventual competitors to qualify for the Classic in Birmingham. "Birmingham is excited to host the 40th Bassmaster Classic and we anticipate another fantastic event," said Mike Gunn, vice president of the Greater Birmingham Convention and Visitors Bureau. "This is our seventh time hosting this prestigious, major sporting event." |  The Bass Pros TV
Bass fishing on TV has been reinvented! It's about bass fishing. It's about helping people to become better at bass fishing. It's the latest techniques being used today. This show will be like nothing else on TV today. With its cerebral, well thought out topics, excellent presentations from today's top pros and with state-of-the-art graphics, animation and underwater photography, you will not only be entertained, but also learn more about how to be successful on the water fishing for bass. No other show on TV brings you Kevin VanDam and Rick Clunn weekly, but also features Stacey King, Edwin Evers, Woo Daves, and Jason Quinn. This is the hottest lineup of pro fisherman found on TV anywhere.
TROPHY BASS FISHING AT IT'S FINEST  Click Here |
SHOP OUR OUTDOOR STORE | |
Fishing Fridays: Tank ponds loaded with big bass
by
Bob Marshall, The Times-Picayune
E.J.
Plaisance of Jean Lafitte Fishing Charters caught this six-pound bass
bass in Tank Ponds area of Lake Cataouatche. He says the wave of big
bass will continune if anglers practice catch-and-release. E.J. Plaisance wasn't surprised that more than 100 boats were jammed into the Tank Ponds area of Lake Cataouatche one recent morning.
And that's because he wasn't surprised that anglers in that spot recently caught bass weighing six, seven, eight and even 10 pounds.
"It's all about those Florida-strain largemouths the state put in there a few years back, and all that river water coming in from Davis Pond Diversion," said Plaisance, master of Jean Lafitte Charter Service, and an angler who has been casting for bass in Cataouatche for more than 25 years.
Continue reading "Fishing Fridays: Tank ponds loaded with big bass" »
| Bass-fishing Lessons |
|
|
| Written by James Straub | |
ELLSWORTH — Whether searching for a new hobby or looking to learn more
about a longstanding pastime, everything you need to know about bass
fishing in Maine could be as close as your nearest adult education
center.
 Ken Hoehlein poses with a largemouth bass he pulled out of Sebasticook Lake in Newport. The eight-week course, which begins March 17 in Ellsworth and March 19 in Bangor, will cover the multiple facets of the sport through classroom lecture, videos, demonstrations and guest speakers, including biologists from the Maine Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife. Classes will be held each Tuesday beginning March 17 at Ellsworth High School and each Thursday beginning March 19 at Bangor High School. Each class runs from 6:30 to 9 p.m. The course is offered through adult education centers in Ellsworth and Bangor. For information about Ellsworth classes, call Ellsworth Adult Education at 667-6499. To register for classes in Bangor, call 992-5523. A resident of Trenton, Hoehlein is president of the Bangor Bass Club. He said bass fishing is the fastest growing type of fishing in Maine, adding that statistics from Inland Fisheries and Wildlife indicate that an overwhelming majority of fishing licenses sold last year were to people wanting to fish for bass. Hoehlein said the course would appeal to novices and those who want to enhance their bass-fishing experience. “Maine is the best-kept secret in the country regarding bass fishing,” he said. “When spring comes around, the fishing here is unbelievable.” |
FLW Fantasy Fishing makes splash with multiple FSTA awards
Fantasy Sports Trade Association bestows awards at winter conference
Thursday, Jan. 29, 2009, 9:25 AM
MINNEAPOLIS — FLW Outdoors announced Thursday that FLW Fantasy Fishing clinched awards in both categories in which nominated at the 2009 Fantasy Sports Trade Association (FSTA) Winter Business Conference and Research Symposium Sponsored by RotoExperts.com.
The FSTA presented FLW Fantasy Fishing with the awards at Tuesday’s awards ceremony in St. Pete’s Beach, Fla. FLW Fantasy Fishing received awards in two categories: Live Fantasy Event or Contest and Unique Contest. Other nominees in these categories consisted of industry heavyweights such as AOL Sports, ESPN, Head2Head Match Play Madness and Pay the Fan Fantasy Sports.
“The FSTA is proud to recognize FLW Fantasy Fishing’s achievements,” said FSTA Association Manager Justin Cleveland. “Their innovative contest has set the bar high for the industry both in terms of competition and the prospective reach of fantasy sports into new markets. I am excited to see this contest continue to grow.”
In 2008, FLW Fantasy Fishing’s inaugural year, it crowned Michael Thompson of Minneapolis as fantasy sports’ historical first $1million cash winner. Additionally, there were seven $100,000 cash winners during the seven FLW Tour tournaments along with more than 4,000 additional prizes ranging from a $39,565 Chevy Silverado to a $51,495 Ranger Z19 bass boat to hundreds of thousands of cash cards from Walmart to BP gas cards.
“FLW Fantasy Fishing is something we have worked tirelessly on, and we are proud to be recognized with these awards, especially competing against AOL, ESPN and many other fantasy game operators,” said FLW Outdoors Chairman Irwin Jacobs. “Participation in FLW Fantasy Fishing has grown exponentially, and excitement about it is breaking barriers and reaching people who aren’t necessarily fishermen. The FLW Fantasy Fishing game has positively transformed many individuals’ lives and their families’ lives all over the world.
“In 2009 we've created additional opportunities by offering an additional $3 million in cash, plus enhanced features and tools such as Player’s Advantage for the unbelievable price of only $10 for the entire season,” Jacobs added. “In 2008 Player’s Advantage proved to be the invaluable advantage to its members by winning four times more often than those who weren’t Player’s Advantage members. Visit fantasyfishing.com to see and hear directly from last year’s Fantasy Fishing winners, how their lives were changed in 2008 by playing the richest fantasy sports game in the world.”
On Aug. 21, 2008, in a suspense-filled moment at the Colonial Center in Columbia, S.C., before a throng of fishing and fantasy sports fans, Thompson ripped open a three-foot card to reveal that he had come in first place in the season-long chase for the FLW Fantasy Fishing $1 million grand prize (watch the video in the News section at FantasyFishing.com; click on OnDemand Video).
“FLW Fantasy Fishing obviously changed mine and my family’s life forever in the most positive way,” said Thompson, who recently purchased his dream house on 40 acres in Minnesota thanks in large part to his FLW Fantasy Fishing Player’s Advantage membership. “I can’t wait for the 2009 season to begin, as I have already signed up for Player’s Advantage and recruited many more of my family and friends to also play the game.
“The prizes being offered by FLW Fantasy Fishing are unbelievable, and to think that someone again will win a guaranteed $1 million in cash, or possibly $3 or even $5 million in cash, is truly amazing, if not remarkable. Playing the world’s richest and largest fantasy sports game not only offers tremendous prizes, but also improves relationships and camaraderie among family and friends who can and will enjoy playing Fantasy Fishing together.”
There is an additional new game to Fantasy Fishing in 2009: “The $3 Million Power Hook” in the Forrest Wood Cup championship. FLW Fantasy Fishing will be offering this amazing additional bonus prize of $3 million in cash to any individual who selects the first- through fifth-place anglers in their exact winning positions at the Forrest Wood Cup championship, which begins July 30 and concludes Aug. 2, 2009. There will be only 77 professional anglers competing in the Forrest Wood Cup, whereas in all of the other six FLW Tour qualifying events, there will be approximately 150 professional anglers. Participants will also have the opportunity to win an additional guaranteed $5 million in cash in the “Rank 7 Exacta Bonus Game” for any player who selects the first- through seventh-place top finishers in any one of the FLW Tour qualifying events in 2009 in their exact winning positions.
Another new addition and very exciting opportunity to win thousands of dollars in cash for those playing Fantasy Fishing in 2009 will be a newly developed referral program allowing participants to earn back $2 in cash for every $10 Player’s Advantage membership they are responsible for referring and signing up. Basically, participants earn 20 percent cash payback for all Player’s Advantage cash memberships they register. If an individual signs up five players, they will receive their own Player’s Advantage for free. If they register 100 Player’s Advantage members, they will receive $200 in cash. If they sign up 1,000 members, they will receive $2,000 in cash. Or imagine being responsible for registering 10,000 people and earning $20,000 in cash. There are no limits to the amount one can earn in recruiting Player’s Advantage members. All recruiting cash due to those individuals will be paid within 30 days upon conclusion of the Forrest Wood Cup on Aug. 2, 2009.
FLW Outdoors, named after Forrest L. Wood, the legendary founder of Ranger Boats, is the largest fishing tournament organization in the world. FLW Outdoors also is taking fishing mainstream with FLW Fantasy Fishing, offering the largest awards possible in the history of fantasy sports, $10 million in cash and prizes. Sign up for Player’s Advantage for only $10 to get your edge and win.
For more information about FLW Outdoors and its tournaments, visit FLWOutdoors.com or call (270) 252-1000. For more information about FLW Fantasy Fishing and Player's Advantage, visit FantasyFishing.com.
