Fishing News - 9/5/00
From BASS
EASTERN INVITATIONALS KICK OFF AT OLD HICKORY LAKE
Tennessee Lake Hosts BASSMASTER Season Opener
HENDERSONVILLE, Tenn., Sept. 14-16 - Major-league bass action returns to
the Nashville area and Old Hickory Lake Sept. 14-16 as the Eastern Invitational division of the BASSMASTER Tournament Trail kicks off its 2000-01 season.More than 300 of America's best bass anglers will converge on the city
of Hendersonville and the 22,500-acre impoundment of the Cumberland River for only the fourth time in B.A.S.S. history to compete for the $51,000 top prize in the $227,000 Tennessee BASSMASTER Eastern Invitational.If a sampling of pros who explored Old Hickory's off-colored water and abundant shallow cover in preparation for the season opener is any indication, the fishing could be challenging as the tournament unfolds. "I think it's going to be a tough, tough tournament," said veteran Florida pro Walt Reynolds, who made two scouting trips to Old Hickory. "Don't
get me wrong, there are lots and lots of fish that will be caught. I caught as many as 30 or 40 in a day. But it's tough to catch keepers right now."I don't see any reason why 10 pounds a day wouldn't win the tournament."
The BASSMASTER competitors catch Old Hickory during a difficult
transition period when much of its largemouth population has just begun to make its annual migration from deep to shallow water. That has made the larger fish more difficult to locate. Finding the small bass, though, should be easy as they continue to school along the surface chasing baitfish."It's a fickle lake, especially if the conditions are changing," added Arkansas pro Doug Garrett, who won the 1998 BASSMASTER MegaBucks event on the lake. "I think the fish tend to move a lot there, probably because they
have so many choices of places to go."The daily weigh-ins will be held at Rockland Park in Hendersonville at 3
p.m. CT each day.A free BASSMASTERS CASTINGKIDS event, sponsored by Chevy Trucks and
Zebco, will be held on Saturday from 10:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. This fun-filled national program designed by B.A.S.S. CEO Helen Sevier encourages children to perfect the basics of fishing - casting, pitching and flipping. Local B.A.S.S. clubs conduct the events and provide instruction when requested.The 32-year-old BASSMASTER Tournament Trail is the oldest and most prestigious pro bass fishing tournament circuit. It has set the standard for credibility, professionalism, and sportsmanship for more than three decades.
Sponsors of the 2000 Tennessee BASSMASTER Eastern Invitational include:
Ranger Boats, RangerTrail Trailers, Mercury Outboards, Chevy Trucks, ACDelco Batteries, Worldwaters.com, Humminbird/Zercom Marine, Pennzoil Marine, Flowmaster Exhaust Systems, First USA/B.A.S.S. Platinum Visa, MotorGuide Trolling Motors, Gore-Tex Outerwear, GMAC Insurance.The event is sponsored locally by the United Chambers of Sumner County.
B.A.S.S. Web site: http://www.bassmaster.com.
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