BASS Releases 2010 Schedule Bassmaster Women’s Tour

For the third consecutive year, the Academy Sports & Outdoors Bassmaster Women’s Tour will award a coveted Bassmaster Classic berth to the Toyota Tundra Bassmaster Women’s Tour Angler of the Year. The 2010 WBT schedule will span five events, four regular-season tournaments and a championship, and…

For the third consecutive year, the Academy Sports & Outdoors Bassmaster Women’s Tour will award a coveted Bassmaster Classic berth to the Toyota Tundra Bassmaster Women’s Tour Angler of the Year. The 2010 WBT schedule will span five events, four regular-season tournaments and a championship, and will visit fisheries in Alabama, Texas and Louisiana.

The top 20 WBT anglers, based on their Toyota Tundra Bassmaster Women’s Tour Angler of the Year standings in the regular season, will qualify for the Academy Sports & Outdoors Bassmaster Women’s Tour Championship. The Championship is set for Oct. 15-17 on Sam Rayburn Reservoir out of Lufkin, Texas. From that event, the Toyota Tundra Bassmaster Women’s Tour Angler of the Year will be determined and the winner will receive a coveted qualifying berth into bass fishing’s premier event, the Bassmaster Classic.

“The Bassmaster Women’s Tour continues to receive some incredible exposure,” said Jamie Wilkinson, senior director of event operations and business development, BASS. “Once again, we have scheduled some top-notch fisheries and engaged communities.”

The 2010 season will kick off with the March 18-20 event on Wheeler Lake out of Decatur, Ala. BASS previously has held 10 events on Wheeler, but the season opener will mark the first WBT event on the spacious fishery. The Decatur-Morgan Convention & Visitor’s Bureau will serve as host. In 2009, BASS doubled up on Wheeler with a Bassmaster Central Open event and a Bassmaster Elite Series event, the Evan Williams Bourbon Dixie Duel.

The second event will be held April 22-24 on Sam Rayburn Reservoir out of Lufkin, Texas, which will also host the event. Rayburn, a perennial BASS favorite, has been the site of more than 30 BASS events with the last one, a Bassmaster Central Open, in September. Stephen Johnston of Hemphill, Texas, won the Open with a three-day total of 57 pounds, 5 ounces.

For the third regular-season event of 2010, June 10-12, the WBT will visit Belton Lake and Temple, Texas. Belton, officially impounded in 1954 and just more than 12,000 acres, has never hosted a BASS tournament in the organization’s 40-plus year history. The Temple Convention & Visitors Bureau is the local host.

The final regular-season event is set for Sept. 16-18 on the Ouachita River out of West Monroe, La. Ouachita hosted a WBT event in April, when Texas’ Janet Parker scored victory on the river with a three-day total of 32 pounds, 2 ounces. As in 2008, the Monroe-West Monroe Convention & Visitors Bureau will host the event. After Ouachita, the regular-season AOY standings will be finalized and the qualifying berths for the Academy Sports & Outdoors Bassmaster Women’s Tour will be determined.

The WBT Championship will mark the end of the 2010 season. Spacious Rayburn will provide a set of different conditions for the Championship event from the April WBT tournament. After points are awarded based on Championship finishes, the Toyota Tundra Bassmaster Women’s Angler of the Year will be crowned.

Entry fees will be collected for all five events. Tournament payouts and rules can be found at http://www.Bassmaster.com. Once again, anglers will be able to drop their lowest finish from the four regular-season events before the regular-season standings are finalized and the Championship berths are decided. At each event, the champion pro will receive $1,000 in addition to a fully-rigged boat package valued at $55,000. The winning co-angler will receive $500 plus a boat package valued at $25,000.

The full schedule can be found below. Academy Sports & Outdoors, a Katy, Texas-based sporting goods retailer, continues to reap the benefits of sponsoring the WBT.

“Academy Sports + Outdoors is pleased to sponsor the Bassmaster Women’s Tour again in 2010,” said Anita Sehgal, vice president of marketing at Academy Sports + Outdoors. “The WBT is a great vehicle that grows the sport of fishing by giving woman the opportunity to fish competitively and to be role models for young anglers throughout the United States”.

Registration for the four 2010 regular-season events can be completed at http://www.Bassmaster.com. Priority registration is open to the top 50 pros and co-anglers from the 2009 Toyota Tundra WBT Angler of the Year standings at 9 a.m. ET Monday, Nov. 2.

Registration will open at 9 a.m. Monday, Nov. 9, for all BASS members who wish to sign up for all four regular-season events. Those who wish to sign up for single events can register beginning at noon Monday, Nov. 16.

Fans can visit Academy stores for additional information on the WBT and find out more about the organization at http://www.Academy.com.

For more information, contact BASS Communications at 407-566-2208 or visit http://www.Bassmaster.com. Visit http://www.espnoutdoorsmedia.com for ESPN Outdoors’ latest releases and releases.

Sponsors of the Women’s Bassmaster Tour: Title Sponsor — Academy Sports + Outdoors; Official Sponsors — Toyota Trucks, Berkley, BOOYAH Baits, Mercury, OPTIMA Batteries, Skeeter Boats, Yamaha Marine, Ramada, Triton Boats, LaserLure and Legend Boats.

2010 Academy Sports & Outdoors Bassmaster Women’s Tour Schedule

March 18-20 Decatur, Ala. Lake Wheeler

April 22-24 Lufkin, Texas Sam Rayburn Reservoir

June 10-12 Temple, Texas Belton Lake

September 16-18 West Monroe, La. Ouachita River

October 15-17 Lufkin, Texas Sam Rayburn Reservoir (WBT Championship)

About BASS: For more than 40 years, BASS has served as the authority on bass fishing. The organization advances the sport through advocacy, outreach and its expansive tournament structure while championing efforts to connect directly with the passionate community of bass anglers through its Bassmaster media vehicles.

As the flagship offering of ESPN Outdoors, the Bassmaster brand and its considerable multimedia platforms are guided by a mission to serve all fishing fans. Through its industry-leading publications Bassmaster Magazine, BASS Times and Fishing Tackle Retailer; comprehensive Web properties in Bassmaster.com, BASSInsider.com, ESPNOutdoors.com and ESPN360.com; and ESPN2 television programming, Bassmaster provides rich, leading-edge content true to the lifestyle.

BASS oversees the prestigious Bassmaster tournament trail, which includes the Bassmaster Elite Series, Bassmaster Opens, Academy Sports + Outdoors Bassmaster Women’s Tour, BASS Federation Nation and the ultimate celebration of competitive fishing, the Bassmaster Classic.

BASS offers an array of services to its more than 500,000 members while spearheading progressive, positive change on issues related to conservation and water access. The organization is headquartered in Celebration, Fla.