ESPN Outdoors, Bassmasters teaming up for tourney in city|[6/11/06]

Published 12:00 am Monday, June 12, 2006

ESPN Outdoors and Bassmasters will put on a bass fishing tournament on the Mississippi River at Vicksburg in July and will announce the boat launch and weigh-in location Tuesday.

The tournament is one of 120 district events nationwide, four in the Big River Division of the Southern Region and will be on July 16, according to a public relations spokesman for Bassmasters. The first two were on the Ross Barnett Reservoir near Jackson and the Ouachita River at West Monroe, La. The fourth will be on the Red River at Alexandria, La.

The top finishers in each division will compete in the six regional tournaments, and the top eight finishers in the regionals will compete in the championship.

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The winner of championship qualifies for the Bassmasters Classic and a chance to compete for the top prize of $500,000.

The district tournaments are open to anyone wanting to enter as a boater or a non-boater. A boater is the fisherman who owns the boat and a non-boater is a fisherman without a boat. Boaters and non-boaters are paired in a blind drawing.

Entry fees are $250 for boaters and $125 for non-boaters, the spokesman said. The tournament will be limited to a maximum of 200 boaters and 200 non-boaters.

Prize money will be paid to the top finishers with first place earning up to $7,500 for a boater and up to $3,750 for a non-boater. The actual payout will depend on the number of entries. Thirty percent of the field will also earn points toward competition in the regional tournament.

Bass fishermen wanting to enter the tournament can call 1-877-BASSUSA or log onto Bassmaster.com.