Fishing News - 7/14/00
Bassmasters Classic Info
From BASS
BASS MASTERS CLASSIC RIDES INTO CHICAGO
World's Best Anglers Head For Windy City
CHICAGO, Ill. - Forty-six of America's brightest fishing stars will descend
on Chicago July 20-22 for the 30th BASS Masters Classic and, in the
process, likely open the fishing world's eyes to the quality largemouth and
smallmouth bass fishery that exists in the shadow of the nation's
third-largest city.
Chances are, the average fishing fan doesn't realize the kind of bass
population that exists in the Windy City's portion of Lake Michigan, as
well as throughout the Chicago and Calumet River systems. But that could
change after fishing's biggest event comes to Chicago.
"It's going to surprise a lot of people," said George Liddle, Jr., a past
Classic qualifier, who grew up in a Chicago suburb. "There's a lot more
fish there than people who have never been to Chicago are even expecting."
"I've fished that area my whole life. The last 10 or 12 years, the
lakefront and the rivers have been pretty good. The rivers have a lot of
largemouth in them. Lake Michigan is primarily smallmouths. Plus, the pros
will get to fish in some of the harbors in Chicago that have been closed to
fishing for years and are now open to the public. In the harbors, there's
no telling what they'll catch," added Liddle.
Liddle acknowledges, however, that even the slightest wind from the wrong
direction could eliminate big Lake Michigan for the day.
Liddle predicts that the winning weight will be between 30 to 40 pounds.
"It will be a decent tournament," he added. "It won't be the best catch
they ever had in a Classic, but it certainly won't be the worst."
Fishing the big-city watery environment was an eye-opening experience for
most of the Classic field. Instead of the serene, often picturesque setting
that they enjoy along the BASSMASTER Tournament Trail throughout the
season, these Classic waters provide a gritty, hard-scrabble backdrop for
professional fishing's Big Show.
The Classic pros spent six days exploring the area last month during the
official Classic practice period. When they return for the actual
tournament, the contenders will enjoy just a single day of practice before
the three-day competition. Most of the pros are predicting challenging
fishing conditions and a highly competitive tournament,
"I think it's going to be a tough tournament," said defending Classic
champion Davy Hite of South Carolina. "But that should make for a real
interesting tournament where it could be anybody's ballgame."
"I think the fishery is OK," added Missouri's Rick Clunn, the four-time
Classic winner who will be making a record 27th consecutive appearance in
the world championship event. "It's not anything great, but we've fished
worse places before. I think it will be a very good tournament, to be
honest with you, if the smallmouths will do anything.
"I think one of the most unusual aspects of this Classic is going to be the
different seasonal patterns that the fish were in during the practice
period and the seasonal pattern they will be in when the Classic starts.
Most all of the classics we've fished since (the event was) moved to the
summer, there hasn't been much difference between practice and the Classic
in terms of the summer pattern. It's been a fairly stable situation with
only minor differences. But with this Classic, we were dealing with a
spawning pattern during practice and the fish will be on a summer pattern
when the tournament starts. And that's going to make things interesting
because that's a much more major transition than what we've dealt with in
the past."
The 46 Classic contenders will be fishing for a $100,000 top prize and the
most important title in the sport. Winning the Classic is the high-water
mark in professional fishing and an accomplishment that has rewarded past
winners with as much as $1 million in residual earnings.
Classic XXX is a week-long celebration for those who love the sport of bass
fishing: Notable activities during the 2000 Classic Week in Chicago
include:
On Wednesday, Jackson Lake Park will be the site of the Kids Klassic
contest (10 a.m. to 2 p.m.) and a Meet the Pros Autograph session (8 a.m.
to 11 p.m.)
Soldier Field will host the daily weigh-ins that will crown the new Classic
champion. Also, the annual BASSMASTER CastingKids national finals,
sponsored by Chevy Trucks and Zebco, will be held at McCormick Place
Friday.
Country music star Trisha Yearwood will perform a free concert immediately
after the 2000 Classic champion is crowned.
The popular Classic Outdoor Show will be open to the public Thursday
through Sunday at McCormick Place. There is no admission charge.
Sponsors of the 2000 BASS Masters Classic include: Ranger® Boats,
RangerTrail® Trailers, Mercury® Outboard, Chevy Trucks, ACDelco® Batteries,
Worldwaters.com, Humminbird® Electronics, Zercom® Marine, Pennzoil® Marine,
Flowmaster® Exhaust Systems, First USA Visa Card, MotorGuide® Trolling
Motors, Gore-Tex® Outerwear, GMAC Insurance, the state of Illinois and the
city of Chicago.
