The 2018 Bassmaster Opens Series will again include nine tournaments, but the series format will be markedly different from recent seasons, B.A.S.S. announced today.
“We are excited about the new Opens format,” said B.A.S.S. CEO Bruce Akin. “It’s designed to provide opportunities for the best bass fishermen to prove their fishing skills on a variety of waters as they earn their way into the Bassmaster Classic and Elite Series.”
Instead of three divisions of three tournaments each, B.A.S.S. will conduct two divisions – Central and East –— comprising four tournaments each. As was last done in 2005, a season finale Opens Championship will be held. It will determine qualifiers for the 2019 Bassmaster Elite Series and for the Bassmaster Classic.
The Opens Championship winner and the top 5 in points from each division – determined by an angler’s finish in all four divisional tournaments and the Championship – will be invited to the Elites. The winner of the Championship and the top 3 anglers in points from each division following the Championship will be invited to the Classic.
In addition, fisheries in the two new divisions are more geographically diverse, requiring a greater commitment from Opens pros who want to qualify for the championship. The Eastern Opens Division, for example, includes one tournament in central Florida and another in Upstate New York.
“These changes to our Opens Series are bound to qualify a very diverse and versatile group of anglers for the Elite Series and the Classic,” said Chris Bowes, Opens tournament director. “They will have to prove their abilities on a variety of fisheries and at different seasons. And, to get to the Classic, they will have to perform throughout the season, not just in one event.”
Akin expects the Opens Championship to become a marquee event for aspiring pros and other tournament anglers.
“The (Opens Championship) will be a no-entry-fee tournament pitting some of the nation’s best bass anglers against one another,” Akin said. “The smaller, more elite field of championship qualifiers can be expected to create more excitement, attract a bigger fan base and generate more media coverage than ever before in Opens competition.”
The championship is tentatively scheduled to be held Oct. 18-20. The location will be announced later. The field will include the four winners of Opens tournaments as well as the top 10 in points standings, not including the winners, from each division, for a total of 28. In addition, the four winning co-anglers from each division tournament and the top 10 in points standings, not including winners, will compete alongside the pros for a share of their own prize fund.
Thanks to the “win-and-you’re-in” provision of the Opens, pros and co-anglers will have a shot at making the Championship even if they’re not at the top of the points standings toward the end of the season, Bowes noted.
Following are the schedules for the Opens divisions:
Eastern
> Feb. 1-3 -- Kissimmee Chain of Lakes -- Kissimmee, Fla.
> May 10-12 -- Lake Norman -- Cornelius, N.C.
> Aug. 2-4 -- Lake Champlain -- Plattsburgh, N.Y.
> Sept. 13-15 -- Douglas Lake -- Dandridge, Tenn.
Central
> March 1-3 -- Ross Barnett Reservoir -- Ridgeland, Miss.
> April 19-21 -- Arkansas River -- Muskogee, Okla.
> June 14-16 -- Red River -- Shreveport, La.
> Sept. 6-8 -- Logan Martin Lake -- Pell City, Ala.
Entries for the 2018 Opens will be accepted beginning Oct. 31, 2017. See Bassmaster.com for a full schedule of registration dates, deadlines and payouts.
Entry fees are $1,500 per event for pros and $425 per event for co-anglers. Payouts are based on a full field of 200 pros and 200 co-anglers.
