JUNCTION CITY, Kan. – High winds forced tournament officials Friday to postpone the final day of the 2008 BASS Federation Nation Championship. The last day of competition will be Saturday, Nov. 8.
Anglers will launch their boats at 7 a.m. CT on Saturday from Milford State Park South Ramp, 3612 State Park Road, Milford, Kan. The final weigh-in will begin at 3 p.m. CT in Heritage Park in historic downtown Junction City. Fishing fans can log onto http://www.Bassmaster.com for live, streaming video of the final-day weigh-in, a real-time leaderboard and photo galleries. All events are free and open to the public.
Tough weather conditions have been present through the week as BASS officials cancelled the official practice on Tuesday and the first day of the tournament on Wednesday. The tournament will be based on heaviest cumulative weight over the two days of competition.
Matt King of Olathe, Kan., leads the championship with a Day 1 weight of 5 pounds, 4 ounces, and is chasing after the top prize of a Skeeter/Yamaha boat package valued at more than $64,000. Scott Parker of Londonderry, N.H. is in second place with 4-1, and Jay Evans of Corvallis, Mont., is third with 3-4.
Wyoming’s Bubba O’Neill withdrew from the event this morning to return to classes at the University of Wyoming.
The field of 54 are competing within one of six geographical divisions for a coveted Bassmaster Classic berth. The top finisher in each division will advance to the 51-angler Bassmaster Classic field for the Feb. 20-22 Classic on the Red River out of Shreveport-Bossier City, La.
In addition to the final day of the Championship, the 2008 Junior Bassmaster World Championship and Bassmaster CastingKids National Championships will be held Saturday, Nov. 8, in Junction City. The Junior Bassmaster World Championship will launch at 7 a.m. CT, from Geary County State Park Lake, while the Bassmaster CastingKids finals will be held at 9:45 a.m. CT, from Junction City High School. The JWC weigh-in will be held on the Federation Nation stage in conjunction with the Federation Nation Championship.
Bassmaster.com will present live, streaming video and real-time leaderboards throughout the competition beginning daily at 3:45 p.m. ET. Daily results and photo galleries will also be available at Bassmaster.com.
For more information on the premier amateur fishing event, visit bassmaster.com.
Sponsors of the Federation Nation include Toyota Tundra, Purolator, Skeeter, Yamaha, Triton Boats, Mercury Marine, Berkley, MotorGuide, Lowrance Electronics, Advance Auto Parts, Evan Williams Bourbon, Longhorn and Ramada Worldwide.
Local sponsors of the Federation Nation Championship include Junction City and Geary County, Kan.
