The two-tournament West Coast swing planned for the Elite Series in 2019 has been canceled, according to a report in the Tri-Cities (Wa.) Herald on Tuesday.
It’s an unprecedented move aimed at appeasing anglers who voiced their displeasure about the travel expenses such a trip would’ve incurred.
The first leg of the western swing was scheduled for June 13-16 at the California Delta, based out of Sacramento, Ca., with the Columbia River out of Tri-Cities, Wa., hosting a tournament the following week (June 20-23). The Elite Series last visited the west in 2015 with tournaments at the Sacramento River and Lake Havasu in Arizona.
B.A.S.S. has yet to announce replacement venues, but stated in literature distributed to anglers this week that the 2019 schedule would be “angler-inspired.” It’s not known if other schedule changes are being considered.
“Although the community was looking forward to hosting the Elite Series and sharing the incredible bass fishing experience available here in the Tri-Cities, we understand the organization made this difficult decision in order to support the anglers,” said Michael Novakovich, President & CEO of Visit Tri-Cities. “We will continue to seek opportunities to partner with B.A.S.S. to host future tournaments in the Tri-Cities.”
A B.A.S.S. communications official declined to comment on the report.
