05-23-2006, 11:26 AM
Not much of a fan personally, but it's good publicity and good for tourism.
Quote:B.A.S.S. returning with two Classics
Tuesday, May 23, 2006
MIKE BOLTON
News staff writer
Lay Lake will play host to the 2007 Bassmaster Classic in February and the first-ever Women's Bassmaster Classic will be held during the same time on Lake Mitchell.
ESPN has called a 10:30 a.m. press conference today at the Alabama Sports Hall of Fame to make the announcement.
B.A.S.S. General Manager Don Rucks, Alabama Gov. Bob Riley and B.A.S.S. founder Ray Scott will be on hand to make the announcement.
The men's Classic will be a three-day event on Lay Lake Feb. 23-25 with the women's Classic a four-day tournament on Lake Mitchell.
The weigh-ins of the men's Classic will be held at the BJCC and part of the women's weigh-ins will also be held on the BJCC stage, an ESPN official said Monday.
Birmingham has played host to five Bassmaster Classics with two of those on Lay Lake. The others were on Lake Logan Martin. It will be the first Classic in Birmingham since 2002.
"I'm tickled to death," said former Bassmaster Angler of the Year Tim Horton of Muscle Shoals when told the Classic was returning to Birmingham. "It's always a feel-good crowd in Birmingham. There's a lot to do in Birmingham. Bass fishing is big in Alabama."
The announcement means that Birmingham, which earlier this year was named the Bass Capital of the World in a poll conducted on ESPN.com, will play host to the world's two largest bass tournaments in a period of seven months.
The FLW Tour Championship, which features a purse of $1.5 million with $500,000 going to the winner, will be held later this summer, Aug. 2-5, with its weigh-ins at the BJCC.
The interest in professional bass fishing has soared since ESPN purchased B.A.S.S. in 2001. ESPN has increased its fishing coverage since that purchase.
Live coverage of this year's Classic in Orlando in February averaged 368,000 households, up 21 percent from coverage of the 2004 Classic.
E-mail: mbolton@bhamnews.com