Tournament News Powered By Lake Drive Marine
Tuesday, January 13, 2026
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Next year’s Bassmaster Classic Headed to Guntersville March 6-8
BIRMINGHAM, Ala. — The 50th Bassmaster Classic presented by DICK’S Sporting Goods will come home to its Alabama roots in 2020. The world championship bass tournament will be held in Birmingham, Ala., with fishing competition taking place on Lake Guntersville in Guntersville, Ala.
The iconic fishing tournament will be held March 6-8, with daily weigh-ins and the Bassmaster Classic Outdoors Expo taking place in the Birmingham-Jefferson Convention Complex (BJCC) in downtown Birmingham, B.A.S.S. CEO Bruce Akin said during a press conference Monday afternoon at the BJCC.
“It’s fitting that the golden anniversary Classic be held in Alabama, where B.A.S.S. was founded more than 50 years ago,” Akin said. “Our plans are to make this the most spectacular celebration of bass fishing in history.
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BASS Report
Record-Setting Bassmaster Classic was a Boon to Knoxville Economy
KNOXVILLE, Tenn. — Long considered the most important event in sportfishing, the Bassmaster Classic also has established itself as a huge economic boon for host communities, far exceeding economic impacts from every host city for the first weekend of March Madness, according to reports.
The 2019 GEICO Bassmaster Classic presented by DICK’S Sporting Goods generated an economic impact of $32.2 million for Knoxville and east Tennessee, according to a report released today by the Visit Knoxville Sports Commission, host of the 49th world championship.
The impact reflects a 34 percent increase over the $24 million recorded for Greenville and Anderson, S.C., in 2018. The Classic on Lake Hartwell, S.C., drew a record attendance of 143,000. That record was shattered March 15-17, when 153,800 were counted at the various Classic venues in Knoxville, according to officials at each of the locations.
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BASS Report
2019 Toyota Bassmaster AOY Championship Will Be Held On Lake St. Clair
HARRISON TOWNSHIP, Mich. — The Bassmaster Tournament Trail has visited Lake St. Clair six times since the early 1990s, including twice for high-stakes Elite Series events.
But the stakes have never been higher than they’ll be when the trail returns to the massive 275,000-acre fishery in late September.
B.A.S.S. officials announced today that Lake St. Clair will serve as the host venue for the 2019 Toyota Bassmaster Angler of the Year Championship on Sept. 26-29. The tournament, which carries a whopping $1 million total purse, will decide the 2019 Toyota Bassmaster Angler of the Year winner, the 2019 DICK’S Sporting Goods Rookie of the Year and the bulk of the lineup for the 2020 Bassmaster Classic.
“B.A.S.S. has had some great events at Lake St. Clair, and the people there have always been enthusiastic and supportive fans,” said B.A.S.S. CEO Bruce Akin. “This has already been one of the most exciting years we’ve ever had on the Bassmaster Elite Series, and I can’t think of a better place for it to end than on a great smallmouth fishery like St. Clair.”
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R&B Report
Randy Ramsey (Battle Creek) and Trevor Jancasz (Sturgis)
Randy Ramsey (Battle Creek) and Trevor Jancasz (Sturgis) slowly worked finesse lures to boat a mix of largemouth and smallmouth bass to win the R&B Circuit Open on Lake Wawasee last weekend.
The event attracted 40 teams.
The winners caught 10 keepers with their five best that weighed 12.45 pounds, most of which came during the rain and from water deeper than eight feet. They declined to offer details on the lures they used. They won $620.
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Rick Morrison (Niles) and John Gipson Jr. (Battle Ground, Ind.) - 1st Place
Rick Morrison (Niles) and John Gipson Jr. (Battle Ground, Ind.) won the Casting Couples Open at Lake Maxinkuckee last weekend.
The winners ($440) had 14.09 pounds caught early in the morning on jerkbaits.
Steve Prange and Gary Price (Goshen) - 2nd Place
Steve Prange and Gary Price (Goshen) were second ($220) with 12.43 pounds. They used blade baits.
Clay Sterling and Drew Coffel (Bremen) were third ($150) with 11.69 pounds caught on blade baits in 10 feet of water.
Phil Strakowski (LaPorte) won the big bass pot ($125) with a 3.30-pound smallmouth caught on a jerkbait.
The tournament drew 27 teams. The water temperature ranged from 38-42 degrees and most fish were caught in 10 feet or less and seven teams had five-fish limits.
The next Casting Couples Open will be on the St. Joseph River at 6-Span April 13 from 7 a.m. to 1 p.m. Entry fee is $50 with optional $5 big bass pot. For more information, call Rick Kedik 269-240-4917.