From the lakes of central Florida in mid-January to the Ozark Plateau of Oklahoma in early October, bass tournament anglers will find a variety of dates, locations and fisheries to challenge them in the 2017 Bass Pro Shops Bassmaster Opens Series schedule, which B.A.S.S. announced Wednesday.
The winner of each Open earns a berth in the 2018 GEICO Bassmaster Classic presented by GoPro, contingent upon his or her fishing the other two events in that Opens division.
The tournaments feature fields of 150-200 pros and the same number of co-anglers fishing trying to amass the heaviest limits of bass — five for the pros and three for the co-anglers — for two days. The field is cut to the Top 12 in each division for the final day.
CENTRAL OPENS
No. 1 — Table Rock Lake, Branson, Mo., March 2-4
Bassmaster Elite Series pro Mike McClelland broke a six-year drought by winning a tour stop here in 2014. Table Rock, which at 43,000 acres is plenty big enough for Open anglers to spread out, also was host to a Central Open in 2015. The fishery offers some compelling side trips for visitors, including the popular tourist destinations in Branson and the flagship Bass Pro Shops store in Springfield. The massive Wonders of Wildlife museum and aquarium at Bass Pro Shops should be open by tournament time. Host organizations are Branson/Lakes Area Chamber of Commerce and Convention & Visitors Bureau.
No. 2 — Sabine River, Orange, Texas, June 15-17
This river forming the southern portion of the border between Texas and Louisiana is a playground for Elite Series anglers, and it will welcome competitors in the second Central Open in 2017. Just navigating the network of bayous, sloughs, canals and backwaters is a challenge. Catching the heaviest limits of black bass can be tricky as well. Opens anglers will want to study the tactics of Elite Series standouts Chris Lane (who won in 2015) and Todd Faircloth (winner in 2013). The Greater Orange Chamber of Commerce is hosting the event.
No. 3 — Grand Lake O’ the Cherokees, Grove, Okla., Oct. 5-7
Grand Lake has been home to not one, but two Bassmaster Classics (in 2013 and again in 2016). In 2013, Cliff Pace won the Classic with a three-day total of 54 pounds, 12 ounces. Earlier this year, it was Oklahoma’s own Edwin Evers earning a Classic win with a 60-pound, 7-ounce total. Kevin VanDam and Mike McClelland have won previous Elite Series events on this 46,500-acre impoundment, which ranks eighth in the central divisions of Bassmaster’s Best 100 Lakes listing. Hosting the tournament is the City of Grove, Okla.
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