Midwest’s Finest Bass Fishermen to Compete in New Champions Tour
OutdoorHub Reporters 05.02.17
Since 1994, the mission of Classic Bass has been to support bass tournament anglers of all skill levels with access to comprehensive information on tournaments, techniques, results and products. To further support tournament anglers, Classic Bass has recently added a new tournament series to its portfolio.
The Classic Bass Champions Tour, presented by Skeeter Boats and Yamaha Outboards, has four regular season events, plus a year-end Championship on its schedule for its inaugural season. The tournament series will culminate with the champion taking home a brand-new Skeeter boat equipped with a Yamaha Outboard.
The tournament series was created by Classic Bass owner and longtime bass tournament angler, Scott Bonnema (below). The goal of this circuit is to bring the finest anglers from various regions of the Midwest together to compete.
“For several years now, anglers have expressed interest for new, fresh and exciting tournament concepts,” said Bonnema. “With the Champions Tour, we aim to bring the finest Midwest bass anglers together to compete on some phenomenal fisheries.”
The Classic Bass Champions Tour is an individual tournament series, where each angler is paired with a boat official who will track and record each legal fish and enforce the Champions Tour regulations. Every smallmouth or largemouth bass that meets the 12-inch minimum length requirement will count toward the angler’s weight/score. At no time will any bass be placed in the boat’s livewells or brought to a weigh-in.
Well-known lakes make up the schedule, with anglers opening up the circuit June 10, 2017, on Mille Lacs Lake, perhaps the best trophy smallmouth lake in the world. The second stop will be in Starbuck, Minnesota, on Lake Minnewaska on July 8, where anglers can search out great populations of largemouth and smallmouth. The Champions Tour will the pull a doubleheader in Brainerd, the weekend of August 5 and 6, with Gull Lake on the 8-5 and Whitefish on 8-6.
The high-caliber roster of anglers competing during the inaugural season of the Classic Bass Champions Tour is composed of individuals that have successfully competed at the national level, as well as anglers that have garnered some of the top regional accolades. The competing anglers represent some of the finest sportsman and advocates for the sport of competitive bass fishing.
“We are very fortunate to have so many experienced bass tournament anglers and advocates for the sport of fishing in our area,” said Bonnema. “Our goal is to attract as many top anglers as possible during this inaugural Champions Tour season.”
Some of the noteworthy anglers competing in Classic Bass Champions Tour events this year include: NHL All-Star Dustin Byfuglien; James Lindner of the famed Lindner family; current BASS Elite Series Pro Seth Feider; Hall of Fame angler and Director of Rapala Field Promotions, Mark Fisher; In-Fisherman magazine editor Steve Quinn; current FLW Tour Pros Austin Felix and Jim Moynagh; and 2015 BASS Collegiate Champion Trevor Lo.
Visit ClassicBass.com for detailed biographies on all 37 anglers and event previews.
The grand finale of the 2017 season will take place on Friday, September 1, where the top six finishers from the four regular season events will converge on a to-be-announced lake, to compete for the grand prize – a brand new Skeeter boat equipped with a Yamaha Outboard. The qualifying anglers will not know the location of the Championship until it is announced following the final regular season event on August 6.
Joining Skeeter Boats and Yamaha Outboards as sponsors of the Champions Tour this season will be industry icons Minn Kota and Humminbird. Complementing these partners will be the local icons Kruger Farms and Grand Casino Mille Lacs. Additional Support will be provided by All-Terrain Tackle, Formula Propeller & Marine, Quarterdeck Resort, Rocky Reef Resort, Skeeter Boat Center, Stowmaster Nets, and Team503.
For a full schedule and details on the 2017 Classic Bass Champions Tour presented by Skeeter Boats and Yamaha Outboards, visit www.classicbass.com
