BASSMASTER Tour Begins Its 2003 Season

LEESBURG, Fla. - Dec. 30, 2002 - The BASSMASTER Tour begins its 2003 season Jan. 9-11 on the Harris Chain of Lakes near Leesburg. The event will mark the dawn of a new era on pro bass series as anglers compete for more money than ever in a redesigned format.

   The world's top 175 bass anglers will battle to qualify for the BASSMASTERS Classic presented by Busch Beer, the world championship of professional bass fishing, but for the first time ever they will be facing the possibility of elimination as each event and the season progresses.

  Following the second day of competition at each event the field will be reduced to just the top 12 pros and amateurs. The pros will also be attempting to be among the top six following the third day, so that they can advance to the lucrative final round of competition. The field will also be cut from the initial 175 anglers to 100 competitors after the sixth Tour stop, then cut again to just 50 anglers for the final two events.

   "I'm excited and really looking forward to the season," said reigning B.A.S.S. Angler of the Year Davy Hite. "This has been the longest break (I've had) from fishing tournaments since I started competing professionally 10 years ago. Being away from it for a while lets it kind of build up in you. I'm ready to start competing again."

   The event on the Harris Chain has another new twist as well; it is a BASSMASTER Showdown event. In the four BASSMASTER Showdown events this season, anglers making the cut to 12 will have their weights cleared and will then fish a links-style series of "holes" with a set amount of time on each location.

  Hite added, "Since ESPN has become involved in the sport, a lot of new ideas to help it grow have been developed. It is great to see new formats like the Showdowns. It is good to have some variety rather than the same old thing year after year."

   Perhaps the most important consideration to the anglers, though, is how the fishing will be on the Harris Chain.

   "I think it will be a good event," said Hite, who won the first two events last season. "The last time B.A.S.S. traveled to Harris Chain was the year before I started fishing professionally and that tournament has the unfortunate distinction of having produced the lowest weight in a B.A.S.S. event. I think things have turned around a lot and even though fishing in Florida in January can be iffy, I think it will be good."

Television

The season-opening event on the 2003 BASSMASTER Tour will air on ESPN2 in two parts. Part one will be telecast Jan. 18 at 10:30 a.m. and part two will air Jan. 25 at 10:30 a.m. (ET).

Up Next

This is the first event of 10 on the 2003 BASSMASTER Tour schedule. The next event takes place Jan. 16-19 on Lake Okeechobee near Okeechobee City, Fla.

Origins Of The Tour

Since the beginning of the Tour, Denny Brauer has claimed four victories, including the season finale last year, to rank first in wins.

Points Race For B.A.S.S. Angler Of The Year

Pros will be competing for valuable Busch B.A.S.S. Angler of the Year points throughout the 2003 season. Points are awarded based on each angler's finish in an event, with 175 points awarded to the first-place angler and one fewer point as positions descend. An angler must catch at least one bass to earn points.

 Florida's Roland Martin leads a distinguished pack with nine titles.

Classic Qualifiers

The following list of anglers have already qualified for this August's BASSMASTERS Classic in New Orleans, La. through the BASSAMSTER Open series which took place last fall.

From the BASSMASTER Northern Division:

Koby Kreiger

Lee Bailey

Michael Iaconelli

Randall Romig

David LeFebre

From the BASSMASTER Central Division:

Greg Hackney

Edwin Evers

Mike Gough

Homer Humphreys

Chad Morganthaler

From the BASSMASTER Southern Division:

Jason Quinn

Wesley Strader

Todd Auten

Michael Johnson

Tom Hamlin

The Last Time Out

During the most recent BASSMASTER Tour event, Missouri's Denny Brauer earned his 14th BASSMASTER win. Brauer claimed victory in last season's finale with 55-13 on Alabama's Lake Eufaula, just a single ounce over fellow Missourian Randy Blaukat. South Carolina's Davy Hite claimed the B.A.S.S. Angler of the Year award during the event, marking him as the series champion for the second time in his career.

The Bassmaster Tour In The Sunshine State

The two B.A.S.S. events in Florida during January will increase the number of events held there to 45 since B.A.S.S. began holding tournaments nearly 35 years ago, second only to Alabama, where 54 tournaments have been held.

The Last Time In Florida

Alabama's Tim Horton claimed victory on Lake Toho near Kissimmee the last time the BASSMASTER Tour traveled to the Sunshine State, in December 2001. Horton, the 2000 B.A.S.S. Angler of the Year, earned his second-ever B.A.S.S. victory with a four-day total of 61 pounds, 4 ounces.

The Last Time On The Harris Chain Of Lakes

The last time B.A.S.S. visited the Harris Chain of Lakes was in January 1992, when Mike Folkestad claimed victory with a three-day total of 14 pounds, 10 ounces, which stands as the B.A.S.S. record for the lowest winning weight in a three-day tournament.

Other Florida B.A.S.S. Records

Perhaps the best remembered B.A.S.S. event in the state of Florida was the January 2001 BASSMASTER Top 150 event on Lake Toho. During that event Dean Rojas, then of Arizona, shattered previous B.A.S.S. records for single-day weight and four-day tournament weight. Rojas' day one catch was an amazing 45 pounds, 2 ounces, and his total for the tournament was 108-12!

Chevy Pro Night

Chevy Pro Staff team members will be available for autographs, fishing tips and conversation on Jan. 8 from 6-8 p.m. at Cecil Clark Chevrolet in Leesburg. The Chevy pro staff consists of Tommy Biffle, David Fritts, Tom Mann Jr., Larry Nixon, Kim Stricker, Kevin VanDam and Jay Yelas, as well as Jimmy Houston of the long running ESPN fishing show "Jimmy Houston Outdoors."