Bassmaster Classic Returns to Sportsman’s Paradise, Louisiana
OutdoorHub 02.01.12
The world’s premier fishing event will return to Sportsman’s Paradise this February, as Louisiana is poised to host its third Bassmaster Classic in four years. This tournament is the BASS organization’s 42nd annual event, where the best of the best will compete for the heaviest stringer. The Classic will be held on Feb. 24-26, 2012, on the Red River in Shreveport-Bossier City.
The 2009 Classic, also held out of Shreveport-Bossier on the Red River, set new Classic records for the heaviest total weight and the heaviest average catch per day. It also set a new record for attendance at the outdoor expo and weigh-in events, with an attendance of over 137,000 spectators.
The Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries and the Red River Waterway Commission have heavily stocked the Red River with Florida largemouth bass to enhance the bass fishery with genetics that increase potential for record-breaking bass size. Over the last ten years, the two agencies have worked together to stock over one million quality, Florida largemouth bass fingerlings into all five pools of the Red River.
During the 2011 Classic, held in New Orleans, LDWF biologists collected tissue samples from the seven largest fish caught. Six of the seven bass tested positive for Florida genetics, a likely result of the Department’s stocking efforts in the New Orleans area.
LDWF’s extensive efforts to manage habitat, create and enforce regulations and enhance sport fisheries through stocking, position Louisiana as a prime location for the Classic as well as other large-scale fishing tournaments, benefitting both the people and economy of Louisiana.
“Our Florida largemouth bass stocking efforts, in combination with the prime habitat offered by the Red River presents great potential for yet another recording breaking Classic in Louisiana,” said LDWF Secretary Robert Barham.
