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16 OutdoorIllinois Urban Classic
This year's Bass Masters Classic was won
in the shadow of the John Hancock Building.
BY GARY THOMAS
In what likely was Chicago's largest single outdoor event in the past 10 years, the BassMasters Classic was held in the Midwest for the first time in July. When it was over, Virginia angler Woo Daves, 54, the oldest professional angler in the competition, had won his first Classic and pocketed the $100,000 cash prize. Fishing in the shadow of the Hancock Building (which he thought was the Sears Tower), Daves caught 14 smallmouth bass weighing 27 pounds, 13 ounces, to beat out California angler Mark Rizk, who brought in 15 bass weighing 26 pounds, 11 ounces. Rizk received $40,000 for his three-day effort. TV angler Shaw Grigsby finished third with 24 pounds, 7 ounces, followed by four-time Classic winner Rick Clunn and Japanese angler Kotaro Kiriyama, each with 23 pounds, 14 ounces. Daves was the only Classic competitor to target smallmouth bass exclusively throughout the 3-day tourney. He battled 3- and 4-foot waves each day, using a pumpkinand chartreuse-colored Zoom tube jig on 6-pound test line to fish a seawall a few hundred yards off the Oak Street Beach.
The tournament was intended to
showcase the growing smallmouth
bass fishery that is developing in
Lake Michigan-an area that has
been known for trout and salmon
fishing the past 25 years. Unfortu-
September 2000 17
nately, high winds throughout the three days of competition kept the majority of anglers from fishing out in the lake. Most turned instead to the Calumet and Chicago river systems for largemouth bass, with a few anglers making runs all the way up into the Illinois River in pursuit of fish.
The BassMasters Classic is considered the Super Bowl of fishing and there were lots of additional activities going on during the week-long celebration for lovers of bass fishing. In addition to the fishing-which was followed on the water by hundreds of fans-thousands of visitors toured a giant free outdoor show at McCormick Place. Held in conjunction with the American Sportfishing Association's ICAST trade show, visitors touring the event had the opportunity to see and purchase fishing and boating products that will reach the market next year.
There also was a Kid's Klassic fishing event that attracted upwards of a thousand youngsters to Jackson Park, a Meet the Pros event where fans could meet, talk and get autographs from the competitors, the Casting Kids national finals, a parachute jump into Soldier Field by the Golden Knight's Parachute Team, fireworks, a laser light show, a drawing giving away a $35,000 Ranger bass boat and trailer, the opportunity for one fan to make a million-dollar cast into a bucket 50 feet away (he missed), and a concert by country singer Trisha Yearwood. Best of all, it was all free.
"The BassMasters Classic is one of the most sought-after sporting events in America," said DNR Director Brent Manning. "I commend Governor Ryan for his efforts in bringing this tournament to Illinois. It not only shows off an emerging fishery in the heart of a major metropolitan area, but is expected to have an economic impact of about $45 million for northeastern Illinois." Sponsors of the 2000 BassMasters Classic include: Ranger Boats, Ranger Trail Trailers, Mercury Outboard, Chevy Trucks, AC Delco Batteries, Worldwaters.com, Humminbird Electronics, Zercom Marine, Pennzoil Marine, Flowmaster Exhaust Systems, First USA Visa Card, MotorGuide Trolling Motors, Gore-Tex Outerwear, GMAC Insurance, the State of Illinois and the City of Chicago.
Four- to five-foot waves on Lake
Michigan kept many of the competitors from fishing prime smallmouth
bass areas on the big lake (below).
18 OutdoorIllinois |
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