The Bassmaster Classic is Coming to Fort Worth. Here’s Why That’s a Big Deal

by

You’ve probably seen the billboards by now — a giant photo of a bass fish and the words “Bassmaster Classic” written in bold, heralding the event coming to town June 11 – 13.

The Bassmaster Classic is splitting time between Lake Ray Roberts for the tournament and various venues in Fort Worth for the expo, weigh-ins, and parties. Whether you’re a fishing enthusiast or not, the event is a pretty big deal.

For starters, it’s considered the “Super Bowl of Bass Fishing,” when the best of the best from all around the world (coming in from as far as Canada and Japan) compete for a trophy and $300,000. Per the Fort Worth Sports Commission, a division of Visit Fort Worth, it’s also expected to have a significant economic impact — the Classic produces an average economic impact of over $30 million for host communities, and after last year's expo at Birmingham, Alabama, generated a windfall of $35.9 million, Visit Fort Worth is hoping to experience similar success.

That said, the event is more than just going to the lake and watching people fish for hours — it’s a big, Hollywood-style shindig. 

The head honchos from fishing authority B.A.S.S. — CEO Bruce Akin and chairman Chase Anderson — share more about the event, what to expect, and how to best experience it.

This Q&A has been edited for brevity and clarity. 

FW: What made y'all decide that Fort Worth and Lake Ray Roberts were the best places to bring this year's event?

BA: Texas is one of our largest states, as far as our membership — about 40,000 of the members of B.A.S.S. are there; 11% of our online traffic to bassmaster.com and our other digital properties is in Texas. Everything is big in Texas; there's big fishing as well.

CA: Between an arena, an expo facility space, and a lake, it takes a lot to be able to hold the event, and there's not a lot of places that have those, but Fort Worth has it; and Lake Ray Roberts makes for a great formula for a great event, having all the facilities, including the lake, to have an outstanding Bassmaster Classic.

FW: For those unfamiliar, what’s the basic format of the tournament?

BA: Fifty-four anglers have qualified to this year’s Academy Sports + Outdoors Bassmaster Classic presented by Huk. They'll take off at 6:15 in the morning, we'll stage them out in groups of 25, and then they'll fish for eight hours out on the water. The Top 10 will have 10 cameras in their boats to follow the action.

Now, we'll actually be broadcasting Bassmaster live from the expo. Our talent will be there on hand. The best way to follow that action is on bassmaster.com on Friday, Saturday, and Sunday. Then also Saturday morning, we'll have three hours of live television. First time we've had live television for the Classic on Fox Network from 8 ’til 11 Eastern time. On Sunday, we’ll be on FS1 starting at 8 Eastern.

We'll also stream the weigh-in, but if you're in the Fort Worth-Dallas area or traveling in, it's best just to be live there for the weigh-ins. People think, “We’ll just come to watch people fish.” It's really a Hollywood-style show —  lights, music, all that.

CA: It's the dream of most people in the bass fishing community to fish in the Bassmaster Classic. It has been the world championship and the Super Bowl of fishing for 50 years. This would be the 51st Classic.

BA: And with $300,000 to the winner and the total purse over a million dollars as well, that's a pretty big deal. Real big.

FW: Are there any particular anglers folks should keep their eye on?

BA: Well, five of them hail from Texas. The defending champion is Hank Cherry, from North Carolina, who won in Birmingham, the 50th Classic, last year. Clark Wendlandt is from Texas. He was the Angler of the Year, last year, so he was the top performer throughout the season.

Frank Tally is from Texas. Chris Zaldain, who lives in Fort Worth. I'm giving you the locals, but ironically, the locals, when they're from the state, it's a rarity to win. I think we maybe had five or six out of the 50 that won in their home state or on their home waters. You don't really necessarily have a home field advantage on it.

One person that would probably be considered a favorite is Patrick Walters ... if you were picking a favorite right now, he's on a pretty good swing.

CA: Patrick Walters is second in Angler of the Year points. He won at Lake Fork last fall and finished second on Lake Fork in April and caught over 100 pounds in four days both times. He's really on a hot streak right now.

FW: What is it about these anglers that makes them so good at what they do?

CA: The dream and the passion, that's where it starts. Obviously, skill plays a huge role.

There's obviously knowledge of the local lake, but the conditions can change on a lake every day. The changes affect competitors, whether they're from that area or not. It's the competitors that have the experience and the skill to adapt to the changes and how the fish behavior is changing their feeding patterns. And the techniques — where to find them, where they're not and where they are. What they may bite, what baits and lures to use.

BA: [The anglers] are so well versed at using the electronics, too, and just know how to dissect a body of water and figure out where the fish aren't as well, which is just as important as finding out where they are.

But it does start with that passion, that dream, and then people just spend hours and hours on the water. That's what they'll tell you, is you have to spend time on the water, figuring it out.

FW: The families that are going to come out here and experience this, how would you say they should best schedule out their day?

CA: The daily takeoffs, which are at Lake Ray Roberts [at 6:15 a.m.], that's where fans can see the boats. The competitors will have an emcee announcing the anglers. That's a lot of fun to watch for someone who's never seen that. All the anglers will be there. Spectators are welcome. It's free. People can watch the boats leave there to go out to their spots for competition.

At the expo, there will be anglers there in their sponsors’ booths for fans to be able to meet and interact with. As part of the Bassmaster Classic Outdoors Expo, the Go Out{side} Experience will offer fun, free options including inflatable archery, cornhole, jumping dogs, knot tying, and more. Kids can even catch their first fish at an on-site catfish pond.

Then at the weigh-ins, anglers will bring their boats through the arena. Anglers will actually bring the live fish up on stage to see before they're put back in their tanks, monitored by Texas Parks and Wildlife, and returned to the water back to Ray Roberts later that afternoon.

There are so many products on display and for sale, and it's all the newest and latest in fishing gear and equipment, and really all outdoor equipment and gear. It's just a great weekend activity for the whole family.

The full schedule of Bassmaster Classic events is available here.

---FOO BAR