BIRMINGHAM, Ala., July 20, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- With this year's
Bassmaster Elite Series schedule barely written into the history
books, B.A.S.S. officials are already looking toward a bright
future with Tuesday's announcement of the Elite Series slate for
2022.
"It'll provide an incredible variety of entertaining scenarios for
our fans, both in attendance and watching live."
The top professional bass fishing circuit in the world will once
again kick off its season in warm, sunny Florida, with events on the St. Johns River in
Palatka, Feb. 10-13, and the Harris Chain of Lakes in
Leesburg, Feb. 17-20.
From there, the trail will visit six more states in seven months
while working its way to a season-ending event on the Mississippi
River in La Crosse, Wis.,
Aug. 26-29.
"We're proud to have the kind of schedule that allows fans from
so many areas to enjoy and celebrate the great sport of
professional bass fishing," said B.A.S.S. CEO Bruce Akin. "With events in seven states from
Florida, north to New York, and west to South Dakota, it will be a true test of our
anglers' ability to compete on all types of fisheries.
"It'll also provide an incredible variety of entertaining
scenarios for our fans, both in attendance and watching live on the
multiple platforms that are now available to them."
This will mark the fourth-straight year the Elite Series has
held its season-opener on the St. Johns River — a quintessential
Florida fishery that features vast
shoreline cover, big Florida-strain largemouth and breathtaking
scenery with Spanish moss-covered trees, alligators and manatees.
The 2021 event on the St. Johns
was won by North Carolina rookie
pro Bryan New with a four-day total
of 79 pounds, 7 ounces.
The trip to the Harris Chain — a collection of eight lakes
connected by rivers and canals — will be the first for the Elite
Series since 2011. The fishery, which ranked 10th in the
Southeastern Division of Bassmaster Magazine's list of 100
Best Bass Lakes released earlier this summer, has been a common
destination for other B.A.S.S. events in the past, however, with
the most recent being a Basspro.com Bassmaster Southern Open won by
Keith Tuma this past spring.
"We're thrilled to host the Bassmaster Elite Series on the
Harris Chain of Lakes right here in Lake
County," said Steven Clenney,
interim director of Visit Lake. "Our lakes have some of the best
bass fishing in the country, and as Bassmaster tournaments return
year after year to our area, it reminds us how thankful we are to
have this resource in our backyards."
After a pause for the Academy Sports + Outdoors Bassmaster
Classic presented by Huk on South
Carolina's Lake Hartwell, March
4-6, the Elite Series schedule will resume right there
inside the Palmetto State with the third regular-season event on
the Santee Cooper Lakes in Clarendon
County, S.C., March 17-20.
B.A.S.S. held 13 major events on the gigantic Santee system, which is comprised of Lakes
Marion and Moultrie, from 1975-2009. Then after an 11-year hiatus
from the fishery, the Elite Series held a tournament there in
October of 2020 that was won by Idaho pro Brandon
Palaniuk with 72-2.
"We are so excited to be able to bring the Bassmaster Elites
back in 2022," said Tiffany B.
Myers, director of tourism, Clarendon County Chamber of Commerce. "It had
been over 10 years since they came to Clarendon County prior to the 2020 tournament.
It was a great event, but the pandemic drastically changed plans
and logistics. So, we are thrilled to have another opportunity to
bring them back during the ideal time of year and with a lot more
spectators."
After Santee, the trail will
shift to Chickamauga Lake in Dayton,
Tenn., April 7-10. "The
Chick," as it's known by avid bass anglers from around the country,
is a 36,240-acre Tennessee River fishery known for producing giant
largemouth.
The next lake on the schedule — Lake
Fork in Quitman, Texas — is
perhaps known as the country's largemouth mecca. The Elite Series
will drop in on Fork May 19-22 for
only the fourth major event B.A.S.S. has ever held on the
giant-bass paradise. The lake was ranked No. 1 overall in the
country for 2021 in Bassmaster's list of Top 100 Best Bass
Lakes.
That stretch of the schedule should be especially attractive to
Lee Livesay — the Texas pro who won the Elite Series' most
recent trip to Chickamauga in October
2020 and the trail's most recent trip to Fork in
April 2021. He won the latter event
with a whopping total of 112 pounds, 5 ounces that was capped by a
final-day catch of five bass that weighed 42-3.
Details on an event June 2-5 will
be announced in the coming weeks.
Another destination that has become a staple for the Elite
Series, the St. Lawrence River (fourth overall, 100 Best Bass
Lakes), will be the next stop. The event, which is likely to be
dominated by big smallmouth, is scheduled for July 14-17 out of Clayton, N.Y. This will be the sixth-straight
year the Elite Series has visited the St.
Lawrence and the 21st time B.A.S.S. has called on the
fishery to host a major event.
Unlike the 2021 season that ended in mid-July, the 2022 slate
will push into August with events at two fisheries where fans have
been clamoring for the trail's return.
On Aug. 18-21, massive
370,000-acre Lake Oahe will host the next-to-last event of the
season out of Mobridge, S.D.
B.A.S.S. has visited Oahe only once, for an Elite Series event in
2018 won by Alabama pro Mark
Daniels Jr. B.A.S.S. Nation angler and 2015 Classic
qualifier Troy Diede recently caught
a 7-4 smallmouth from Oahe that was certified as the South Dakota state record.
The season will conclude on Aug.
26-29 on the Mississippi River in La Crosse, Wis. (16th Central Division, 100
Best Bass Lakes). The Elite Series last visited La Crosse in 2018 during a Midwestern stretch
that was paired similarly with Oahe.
"We are thrilled to welcome back the Bassmaster Elite Series to
the La Crosse region on the famed
Upper Mississippi River," said A.J. Frels, executive director of
Explore La Crosse. "We expect phenomenal fishing for both
largemouth and smallmouth bass, and the anglers will showcase the
region at unprecedented levels thanks to the partnership between
B.A.S.S. and FOX Sports. The Bassmaster LIVE coverage will promote
and attract new audiences to our incredible fishery while on-site
engagement, launches and weigh-ins are sure to draw big crowds. The
greater La Crosse region looks
forward to hosting the anglers, their families, fans and spectators
in the area!"
After an exciting debut season in 2021, once more, all nine
Bassmaster Elite Series events as well as the Academy Sports +
Outdoors Bassmaster Classic presented by Huk will feature live
television coverage on the FOX Sports platforms.
Visit Bassmaster.com for more details.
2022 Bassmaster Elite Series schedule
Feb. 10-13, St. Johns
River, Palatka, Fla.
Feb. 17-20, Harris Chain of
Lakes, Leesburg, Fla.
March 4-6, Academy Sports +
Outdoors Bassmaster Classic presented by Huk, Lake Hartwell,
Greenville, S.C.
March 17-20, Santee Cooper
Lakes, Clarendon County, S.C.
April 7-10, Chickamauga Lake,
Dayton, Tenn.
May 19-22, Lake Fork, Quitman,
Texas
June 2-5, TBA
July 14-17, St. Lawrence
River/1000 Islands, Clayton,
N.Y.
Aug. 4-7, Make-up
date
Aug. 18-21, Lake Oahe,
Mobridge, S.D.
Aug. 26-29, Mississippi
River, La Crosse, Wis.
Bassmaster Elite Series Platinum Sponsor: Toyota
Bassmaster Elite Series Premier Sponsors: Berkley,
Humminbird, Mercury, Minn Kota, Nitro Boats, Power-Pole, Ranger
Boats, Skeeter Boats, Yamaha
Bassmaster Elite Series Supporting Sponsors: AFTCO,
Bass Pro Shops, Garmin, Huk Performance Fishing, Marathon,
Rapala
Bassmaster Elite Series Conservation
Partner: AFTCO
About B.A.S.S.
B.A.S.S., which encompasses the Bassmaster tournament leagues,
events and media platforms, is the worldwide authority on bass
fishing and keeper of the culture of the sport, providing cutting
edge content on bass fishing whenever, wherever and however bass
fishing fans want to use it. Headquartered in Birmingham, Ala., the 515,000-member
organization's fully integrated media platforms include the
industry's leading magazines
(Bassmaster and B.A.S.S. Times), website
(Bassmaster.com), TV show, radio show, social media programs and
events. For more than 50 years, B.A.S.S. has been dedicated to
access, conservation and youth fishing.
The Bassmaster Tournament Trail includes the most prestigious
events at each level of competition, including the Bassmaster Elite
Series, Basspro.com Bassmaster Opens Series, TNT Fireworks B.A.S.S.
Nation Series, Carhartt Bassmaster College Series presented by Bass
Pro Shops, Mossy Oak Fishing Bassmaster High School Series
presented by Academy Sports + Outdoors, Bassmaster Team
Championship, Bassmaster B.A.S.S. Nation Kayak Series powered by
TourneyX, Yamaha Bassmaster Redfish Cup Championship presented
by Skeeter and the ultimate celebration of competitive fishing, the
Academy Sports + Outdoors Bassmaster Classic presented by Huk.
Media Contact: Emily Harley,
B.A.S.S. Communications Manager, 205-313-0945,
eharley@bassmaster.com
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SOURCE B.A.S.S.