Beginning today, 208 professional anglers and their triple-A partners will blast off onto the waters of Nevada's Lake Mead for the 35th WON Bass U.S. Open. The 2017 field has broken the record set last year for the largest field in the modern history of the event. As with any U.S. Open, the field includes past champions, current and former tour-level anglers and established Western pros.
With the record field and the addition of Bass Cat Boats as a partner, the payout for the event should be one of the richest in the history of Western tournament fishing. The pro angler who outlasts the competition this year will receive the keys to a 2018 Bass Cat Puma FTD powered by a Mercury 250 Pro XS outboard valued at $61,000 in addition to cash awards.
Headlining the list of competitors are three-time champion Clifford Pirch and two-time winners Rick Clunn and John Murray. Joining them are fellow Elite Series anglers Josh Bertrand, Brett Hite, Chris Zaldain Luke Clausen and Jared Lintner, along with Bass Cat marketing manager and two-time Elite Series winner Kevin Short.
The FLW Tour contingent includes Kurt Dove, Carl Jocumsen, Andrew Upshaw, Matt Stefan, Chad Randall, Randy Blaukat, and Jim Moynagh, as well as Western-based Tour pros Jimmy Reese, Aaron Britt, Billy Hines and Gary Yamamoto.
For the past 5 years, the Costa Live broadcasts of the event have allowed fans and industry members to follow along with the three-day event with daily updates, weigh-ins from Calville Bay Marina and the post-game shows from the host hotel at Boulder Station Casino. To connect, go to www.wonbass.com.
Streaming event coverage will run from 9 to 11 a.m. PST today through Wednesday. Weigh-ins will be broadcast from 2 to 5 p.m., with the post-game report running from 7 to 8.
The awards ceremony will be streamed from 6:30 to 9 p.m. on Wednesday.
