Outdoors: Bassmasters Hit the Red River
Written by playerpress.com, Tuesday January 20 2009
The 2009 Bassmasters Classic will be staged on the Red River in Shreveport-Bossier City, LA. To say the event has grown from its 1971 inception would be an understatement. For instance, in ’71 winner Bobby Murray walked away with the entire pot of prize money which was $10,000. Now the top three anglers share a pot with the winner pocketing $500,000. Even in these troubled times that will buy a lot of bait.
The distribution of prize money has been in place for awhile, but one change this year will be the elimination of the women’s category. This year Kim Bain–Moore will challenge the men as she competes in the official Bassmasters Classic. Interest is high to see if she has the physical strength necessary to compete with her male counterparts. She won her entrance when she captured the Women’s Bassmaster Angler of the Year.
She is joining a field that was finalized in November and is waiting out the time until they can practice on the river. The event is scheduled from February 20-22 and the anglers have the opportunity to become familiar with the waters on February 13-15 and a final wet run on February 18. The pre event chances to drop a line are important because the Red River undergoes serious changes in the winter.
The Red River is a confluence of waters from Texas and Oklahoma. Clay in the water from Texas is what gave the river its name. The water is powerful and five dams were built to contain the flow. The dams that were constructed to make the water safer for boat traffic also created a reservoir for sports fishers. The change from wild water into a controlled flow spurred a spawning ground that stocks the river for just such an event.
The area around Shreveport contains five pools that will be employed for the Classic. The anglers will launch from pool 5, but once out on the water can choose their location. Pool 5 has been the site of the biggest bass caught on the river, 13 lbs, 8 ozs, but pools 3 and 4 rate high with local anglers for the amounts available in their waters.
February weather could bring on rains that will cloud the water and run off that could cause current changes and force bass to seek another location on the river. On the other hand, a warming of temperatures could result in pushing the fish into a pre spawn mode making them more likely to remain in home waters.
In terms of bass to be had the local largemouth and spotted types have been enforced with bass from a Florida largemouth strain in an effort to produce a larger fish. This will not only increase size, but provide more fish for the competitors.
The 2008 Champion, Alton Jones, is a certified invite and the remainder of the field consists of winners from tournaments held throughout ’08. These include the Elite Series, Bassmaster Weekend Series, Southern Opens, Central Opens, B.A.S.S. Federation National Championship and the previously mentioned Women’s Bassmaster Tour. The 51 anglers were ruled off limits to the Red River from December 15 until next month when they test the waters then angle for the $500,000 grand prize.
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2 comments
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I agree with you BUT, like any other sport, these guys are given the opportunity to pick their spots, find out what works and go fish. Why? My guess it has a lot to do with sponsorship. If these 'pro' fisherman get zero days to practice, they won't be reeling in the big ones. Not having big fish to show off your sponsors products doesn't look very good from a marketing perspective. So yes, the best way for pure sportsmanship would be to have them be ready at day one. But for marketing and sponsors, it's practice makes our stuff look perfect.
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I AM 65 YEARS OLD AND FISHED ALL MY LIFE. MY QUESTION IS WHY DO THE TOP 50 BASS FISHERMAN GET FOUR DAYS PRACTICE, WHEN THEY ALREADY KNOW HOW TO FISH FOR BASS. THEY ARE THE TOP OF THEIR PROFESSION AND SHOULD BE READY AT DAY ONE. THEY PRACTICE ALL YEAR LONG FOR THIS ONE GREAT TOURNMENT. PUT THEM OUT THERE FOR THREE DAYS AND LET'S SEE JUST WHO THE REALLY GOOD ONES ARE.