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Media Release
Thursday, April 3, 2008
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Women’s Bassmaster Tour returning to Lewisville on April 10-12
The Women’s Bassmaster Tour will visit Lewisville Lake for the third time in four years when the 2008 season kicks off on April 10-12.
Previous stops in Lewisville included a preview event in October 2005, won by Pam Martin-Wells, and a 2006 regular-season event in May 2006, won Dianna Clark, the 2006 Toyota WBT Angler of the Year.
This year’s WBT tour features a few changes, including new presenting sponsor Academy Sports + Outdoors. The local store, located on the east side of Interstate 35E just south of FM 3040, will be the site of the final-day weigh-ins.
Another exciting change next year is that the 2008 Toyota WBT Angler of the Year (the top angler in the season-long points standings) will receive an automatic berth in the 2009 Bassmaster Classic. To accommodate the WBT Angler of the Year, BASS will extend 51 invitations to the Classic.
“This promises to be a historic year, with the first female angler qualifying for the Bassmaster Classic,” said Tom Ricks, vice president and general manager of BASS. “The WBT continues to receive some well-deserved attention and we are excited about this opportunity for the circuit to grow.”
The chase for that coveted Classic berth will start April 10-12 on Lewisvillle Lake, which has developed a growing reputation as an outstanding bass fishing lake through such events as a Bassmaster Elite 50 tournament in June 2005, the National Collegiate Bass Fishing Championship in 2006 and 2007, and an FLW Outdoors Bass Fishing League last month.
“When the Bassmaster Elite 50 tour came to Lewisville back in 2005, a lot of people wondered whether this was really a good fishing lake,” said Lewisville Mayor Gene Carey. “But those professional anglers proved to the world what those of us around the lake already knew – there are some big lunkers in the water if you know where to look.
“We’re very excited to welcome the lady anglers back to Lewisville, and it’s good that the champion will get to compete in the Classic. Those fish don’t have any idea of it’s a man or woman holding the pole, the bait still looks the same.”
At each regular tour event, the champion pro will receive $1,000 in addition to a fully-rigged boat package valued at $50,000. The winning co-angler will receive $500 plus a boat package valued at $25,000. The championship event, the fifth and final tournament of the season, is scheduled for Lake Hamilton in Hot Springs, Ark., and will determine the first stand-alone championship in WBT history.
Fans can follow the competition at www.Bassmaster.com with live streaming video and real-time leader boards during the weigh-ins starting each day at 3 p.m.
Sponsors of the Women’s Bassmaster Tour include Academy Sports + Outdoors, Toyota Tundra, Mercury Marine, Triton Boats, Lowrance Electronics, MotorGuide, Advance Auto Parts and Mustang Survival.
Lewisville Lake, declared the “Urban Bass-Fishing Capital of Texas” by the state legislature and Gov. Rick Perry, is located 15 minutes north of downtown Dallas along Interstate 35E. Created in 1954 on the Elm Fork of the Trinity River, the lake covers nearly 30,000 acres of surface area and reaches depths of up to 67 feet. Lewisville Lake is rated as “excellent” by Texas Parks & Wildlife for catfish, crappie and white bass, and “good” for largemouth bass and striped/hybrid bass.
Lake Park is situated on 350 acres of land leased by the City of Lewisville from the U.S. Corps of Engineers. Park features include overnight and day camping sites, picnic areas, swimming beaches, playgrounds and a state-rated disc golf course. Visitors to Lake Park from Interstate 35E will use the Valley Ridge exit east to Mill Street, then north on Mill to the park entrance.
BASS is the worldwide authority on bass fishing, sanctioning more than 20,000 events through the BASS Federation annually. Guided by its mission to serve all fishing fans, BASS sets the standard for credibility, professionalism, sportsmanship and conservation, as it has for nearly 40 years. Through its clubs, youth programs, aquatic resource advocacy, magazine publishing and multimedia platforms, BASS offers the industry’s widest array of services and support to its nearly 550,000 members. The organization is headquartered in Celebration, Fla.
For complete details, contact BASS Communications at (407) 566-2208 or visit www.bassmaster.com.
2008 Women’s Bassmaster Tour tournament schedule:
April 10-12 Lewisville Lake, Lewisville, Texas
May 22-24 Lake Neeley Henry, Gadsden, Ala.
June 19-21 Old Hickory Lake, Gallatin, Tenn.
Sept. 18-20 Clarks Hill Lake, Evans, Geo.
Oct. 23-25 Lake Hamilton, Hot Springs, Ark.
Media contacts:
BASS / ESPN Communications
Publicist Jenny Zimmerman
(407) 566-2213 or (407) 319-5014
jennifer.j.zimmerman@espn.com
http://www.bassmaster.com
City of Lewisville
Community Relations Manager James Kunke
(972) 219-3726
jkunke@cityoflewisville.com
http://www.cityoflewisville.com
