WON Bass announced today that the winner of its 2019 U.S. Open at Nevada's Lake Mead will receive a $100,000 cash payout, plus a new 2019 Bass Cat Puma FTD/Mercury ProXS 250 rig for a total package valued at $164,000. This year's edition will take place Oct. 14-16.
“It's time we take the WON Bass U.S. Open to the next level here for the West Coast,” said tournament director Bill Egan. “The U.. Open has a rich history and deserves nothing more than to be recognized as one of the nation’s premier events; this is proof of that position.”
The U.S. Open Livestream will continue in 2019 with new sponsors for its eighth year. This year, the live broadcasts will be sponsored by Brigford Foods and Lifesource Water Systems. Brigford has long been a partner of the U.S. Open and will be expanding its role for 2019, and Lifesource is operated by Jay Wright, a longtime Western angler.
The maximum field size has been increased from 225 boats to 250. Payouts will remain on a traditional one-in-five structure, amounts will be increased over previous years.
“The West’s pros are some of the most amazing anglers in the game,” Egan said. “We realized that nobody fishes this tournament to finish in second place, so we added to the champion’s purse. and spread some down the field as well. It shows our organization’s commitment to its anglers.”
Along with the additional purse, WON Bass announced the creation of an Angler of the Year award for 2020 for anglers who compete in the Arizona Open at Lake Havasu, the California Open at Clear Lake and the U.S. Open at Lake Mead. Details are still being finalized, however, there will be a cash payout to the angler who has the highest points total after all three events.
