The Bassmaster Classic will return to one of its most exciting venues in March 2016 when the premier bass fishing championship visits Tulsa.
Tulsa hosted the Classic in 2013. In terms of crowds and community enthusiasm, the 2013 Classic was one of the most memorable. Sellout crowds were extremely supportive.
The actual tournament was on Grand Lake O' The Cherokees, where Cliff Pace of Petal, Miss., caught a winning weight of 54 pounds, 12 ounces.
That was a respectable weight, but snow and ice threatened that Classic, just as it threatened the 2015 Classic at Greenville, S.C. So, BASS announced that the Classic will be held March 4-6.
Since 2006, the Classic has been held the third or fourth weekend of February. Chris Akin, BASS chief executive officer, said the dates were shifted to better accommodate anglers' schedules, but he acknowledged that better fishing weather will probably be a side benefit.
"If moving the event improves odds of good fishing weather, that's a bonus," Akin added. "But we proved in 2013 as well as the recent Classic on Lake Hartwell, S.C., that freezing temperatures don't hamper the anglers' fishing success, nor do they hurt attendance."
The Tulsa Classic in 2013 recorded the second-highest attendance in history with more than 106,850 fans visiting one or more of the Classic venues. The attendance record of 137,700 was set at another February Classic, the 2009 event in Shreveport-Bossier City, La.
Ray Hoyt, president of VisitTulsa, one of the Classic's primary sponsors, said that the economic impact of the first Tulsa Classic was $22.7 million.
"We're so excited to finally say the Bassmaster Classic is coming back to Tulsa," Hoyt said. "We worked our tails off in 2013 to ensure this event was a huge success because we wanted to show our partners at B.A.S.S., and other major league events, what a great place the Tulsa region is."
"To land the Bassmaster Classic for the second time truly speaks to the staff at the city of Tulsa, Tulsa Regional Chamber and the BOK Center," Tulsa Mayor Dewey Bartlett said. "Thanks to the hard work by many, the 2013 Bassmaster Classic was an astounding success and speaks volumes to why Bassmaster selected Tulsa for the championship in 2016.
"We hope the region will embrace the championship when it heads back to Tulsa as it is sure to bring more excitement and visitors from around the country and give an economic boost to our community."
As in the first Tulsa Classic, the BOK Center will house daily weigh-ins, and the Cox Business Center will hold the Classic Outdoors Expo. Takeoffs each day will be from Wolf Creek Ramp in Grove, Okla. As many as 5,000 fans braved freezing temperatures to watch the Classic anglers set out on competition days in 2013.
Fifty-five anglers will qualify for the 2016 tournament from various Bassmaster circuits over the next 10 months.
The purse will be more than $1 million, and the winner will receive $300,000. Grand Lake is a 46,000-acre impoundment of the Grand River. It also has hosted two Bassmaster Elite Series events in 2006-07. Mike McClelland of Bella Vista and Kevin VanDam won those events.
Maybe BASS will work out the logistics to bring the Classic to Little Rock or Hot Springs. The Arkansas River might be too small a venue for a championship tournament, but Lake Ouachita would be ideal.
Sports on 03/15/2015