2018 BassMaster Angler of the Year Tournament to be held in North Georgia

[mygreenihc]

I saw this on the BassMaster website and thought I would post it here.  Lake Chatuge is a beautiful lake and should be a good host for this tournament.

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. — For the first time in its five-year existence, the Toyota Bassmaster Angler of the Year Championship will be held south of the Mason-Dixon Line — on Lake Chatuge on the Georgia/North Carolina border, B.A.S.S. announced today.

The championship will be held Sept. 20-23, 2018, and will feature the 50 top-ranked Bassmaster Elite Series anglers, based on Angler of the Year points earned during the nine-event Elite season, said Bruce Akin, CEO of B.A.S.S.

Akin also revealed that the 2018 Classic Bracket tournament will be held Oct. 23-26, also in northern Georgia, at 3,200-acre Carters Lake near Ellijay.

Earlier today, Akin announced that the 2018 Toyota Bassmaster Texas Fest tournament, one of the nine regular-season events of the Bassmaster Elite Series, will be held May 17-20 on Lake Travis near Austin, Texas.

"The AOY Championship is one of our three 'majors' — along with Toyota Bassmaster Texas Fest and the GEICO Bassmaster Classic — that pay out $1 million or more and have developed a huge and loyal following," Akin said. "This year's championship was super exciting in that Brandon Palaniuk didn't wrap up his AOY title until the very last day of competition."

In addition to the $100,000 prize that goes to the Toyota Angler of the Year, the contestant who weighs in the heaviest total catch of the event will receive $25,000. The rest of the $1 million prize fund will be awarded to the Top 50 pros based on their final standings in AOY points. The event also determines at least 36 qualifiers for the Classic from the Elite Series.

Previous AOY championships have been held at Escanaba, Mich.; Sturgeon Bay, Wis.; and, for the past two years, Mille Lacs Lake in Minnesota. All three areas are renowned for their trophy smallmouth fishing.

The AOY Championship will mark the first time for a professional Bassmaster tournament to be held on Lake Chatuge, a 7,500-acre Tennessee Valley Authority impoundment, but it hosted Carhartt Bassmaster College Series Championship tournaments in 2013 and 2014. Weigh-ins and other activities will be at the Towns County Conference and Recreation Center in Young Harris, Ga.

"We are excited to be hosting a tournament of this caliber, and we look forward to showcasing the beauty of our small mountain community to people from all over the world," said Candace Lee, president of the Towns County Chamber of Commerce. "We want to put Lake Chatuge on the map as one of the best fishing lakes in the Southeast — as well as the most beautiful."

The four-day Classic Bracket tournament provides one final opportunity for one Elite angler to qualify for the 2019 GEICO Bassmaster Classic presented by DICK'S Sporting Goods. Conducted entirely in front of Bassmaster LIVE cameras, the Classic Bracket follows a catch-weigh-release format. Anglers compete head-to-head, trying to compile a heavier five-bass catch than their opponents, until only one is left standing. Qualifiers are the first eight anglers in AOY points below the cut to the Classic.

Jacob Powroznik, an Elite Series angler from Virginia, prevailed in this year's Bracket to earn an invitation to the 2018 Classic, to be held March 16-18 on Lake Hartwell at Anderson, S.C.

Carters Lake is a U.S. Army Corps of Engineers impoundment of the Coosawattee River in Gilmer and Murray counties in the Blue Ridge Mountains of north Georgia. With a maximum depth of 547 feet, it's the deepest reservoir in the state, and one of the most scenic.

"We are thrilled to be a first-time host community for a top tier B.A.S.S. event," said Paige Green, president and CEO of the Gilmer Chamber. "Carters Lake and Ellijay look forward to welcoming eight of the world's Elite anglers to our beautiful mountain community. It is our hope that everyone experiences exciting fishing, nature's beauty and true southern hospitality."

For information about the Lake Chatuge area, visit golakechatuge.com, and for more on Carters Lake and Ellijay, go to explorethemountains.com

[jocko]

Both awesome lakes.  I am super excited since its going to be close.  Sept doesn't work well as it's a busy time for my work.  Maybe I can arrange a sick out and be a marshal. 

Hope these guys are good at catching spots.  Otherwise,  it could be tough. 

mygreenihc,  have you gone to Bell Mountain overlooking Chatuge?  Amazing view of the lake,  but the road up there is frightening.  Haven't fished Chatuge yet.  Wonder if it has much of a largemouth fishery or is mainly spots? 

[Lipripper]

This sounds like it could be a good one to watch and jocko if I lived that close and could get on as a marshal I would take a sick day also. Just hope they don't get you on film.

[jocko]

None of the folks I work with would be any wiser!  They don't fish or watch fishing!

It's gonna be great!  Here's Lake Chatuge from the top of Bell Mountain.  It used to be a jeep only trail, but they now have a road and parking lot to the top of the mountain.  It's such a steep road with switch backs and drop offs,  my wife will never go up it again.  She was going to walk down! 

I like the view. 

[Lipripper]

That view would be worth the trip up.

[mygreenihc]

Hi Jocko,
No, I have never seen that view.  I used to have to go to Blue ridge quite often and would go by it on my way.  It is a beautiful place up there.  It sounds like you are familiar with the area.


I have never fished the lake,  but my understanding is that it is predominantly a spotted bass lake.  i need to just pick up and go fish it.  I could be there in a little over an hour,  if my truck can manage to pull my boat up the hill to Blairsville. =)


Brad