Eight of the world’s most talented and popular bass fishermen will compete in a three-day sudden-death tournament–with $100,000 awaiting the champion–this weekend in the Toyota Trucks All-Star Week finale on the Alabama River near Montgomery, Alabama.
Attending fans can enjoy weigh-ins, music, festivities and more. Admission is free.
The Evan Williams Bourbon All-Star Championship, July 29-31, features eight Bassmaster Elite Series competitors who advanced from a field of 12 in last weekend’s Ramada All-Star Semi-Final at Lake Jordan near Wetumpka, Ala. Eliminated were Kevin VanDam of Kalamazoo, Mich., Steve Kennedy of Auburn, Ala., Davy Hite of Ninety Six, S.C. and Jeff Kriet of Ardmore, Okla.
Finalists are seeded 1-8 in two different brackets. First-round matchups include:
B.A.S.S. Bracket:
(1) Casey Ashley, Donalds, S.C. vs. (8) Skeet Reese, Auburn, Calif.
(3) Aaron Martens, Leeds, Ala. vs. (6) Edwin Evers, Talala, Okla.
Masters Bracket:
(2) Ott DeFoe, Knoxville, Tenn. vs. (7) Michael Iaconelli, Pittsgrove, N.J.
(4) Terry Scroggins, San Mateo, Fla. vs. (5) Gerald Swindle, Warrior, Ala.
Coverage of Toyota Trucks All-Star Week competition is at www.bassmaster.com.
The public is invited to watch the daily tournament takeoffs and weigh-ins. Anglers will take off each day from Montgomery Riverfront at 7:30 a.m. (CT). Weigh-ins will begin at 5 p.m. (CT) at Montgomery Union Station. Events are free.
Fans are also invited to free concerts by country music stars Darryl Worley on Saturday at 6:30 p.m. (CT) and Easton Corbin on Sunday at 6:30 p.m. (CT) following weigh-ins at Montgomery Union Station.
Other attractions include prize giveaways, casting competitions and more, including:
* Mercury Power of Champions Demo Tour, Friday-Sunday, 8 a.m.-4 p.m. CT
* Mercury Film Festival, Friday-Sunday
* Basscasters Daily Casting Competitions, Friday-Sunday ($50 gift card to each day’s best caster)
* Toyota Trucks Kids Casting Contest and Toyota angler silkscreen T-shirt giveaway, Friday-Sunday
* Evan Williams Bourbon Sampling, Friday-Sunday
* Evan Williams Bourbon & Big Green Egg Grilling with the Greats Cook-off, Saturday, 3 p.m.-4:30 p.m. CT
* Super Retriever Series’ Eukanuba Super Dock dog jumping contest, Friday-Sunday
* Tackle the Storm donation spot for fishing gear, Friday-Sunday
* WSFA Biscuit Syrup Sopping Contest to Benefit the American Red Cross, Saturday, 2:30 p.m. CT
* Hope For The Warriors fishing event, Saturday
* Bassmaster Legends fishing competition featuring Jerry McKinnis and Bill Dance, among others, Sunday
* Bassmaster College Classic, Auburn vs. Alabama, Sunday
More event information is available at www.bassmaster.com or at the URL below:
https://www.bassmaster.com/attend-evan-williams-bourbon-all-star-championship
Additionally, each pro angler has been “virtually” paired with a fan selected randomly from the pool of Toyota Trucks All-Star voters. When the actual champion is crowned July 31, the fan paired with him will win a Triton 18XS bass boat with a Mercury 150 OptiMax engine, together valued at $30,000. All 12 fan-finalists will win a tackle pack from Berkley and Havoc and a replica fishing jersey of the pro they are paired with.
2011 Bassmaster Elite Series Official Sponsors: Toyota, Bass Pro Shops, Berkley, Evan Williams Bourbon, Humminbird, Mercury, Minn Kota, Skeeter Boats, Triton Boats, Yamaha
2011 Bassmaster Elite Series Supporting Sponsors: Lowrance, Luck “E” Strike, Nitro Boats, Power-Pole, Ramada
About B.A.S.S.
For more than 40 years, B.A.S.S. has served as the authority on bass fishing. The organization advances the sport through advocacy, outreach and an expansive tournament structure while connecting directly with the passionate community of bass anglers through its Bassmaster media vehicles.
The Bassmaster brand and its multimedia platforms are guided by a mission to serve all fishing fans. Through its industry-leading publications — Bassmaster Magazine and B.A.S.S. Times — comprehensive website Bassmaster.com, ESPN2 and Outdoor Channel television programming, Bassmaster provides rich, leading-edge content true to the lifestyle.
The Bassmaster Tournament Trail includes the Bassmaster Elite Series, Bass Pro Shops Bassmaster Open Series, B.A.S.S. Federation Nation events presented by Yamaha and Skeeter Boats and the ultimate celebration of competitive fishing, the Bassmaster Classic.
B.A.S.S. offers an array of services to its more than 500,000 members and remains focused on issues related to conservation and water access. The organization is headquartered in Celebration, Fla.