The site of the June 28-July 1 Bassmaster Elite Series mystery event won't be officially announced until next week, but evidence suggests it'll be either Lake Winnebago or the Green Bay portion of Lake Michigan, both in Wisconsin. The circuit will fish the Mississippi River out of La Crosse, Wis. during the week leading up to the mystery derby.
B.A.S.S. has applied for permits for that week at both Winnebago and Michigan, according to information available on the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources fishing tournament application website. Worth noting is that the Michigan event has been approved (the application was made in late April), while the Winnebago application was logged just this week and approval is still pending, according to the site.
B.A.S.S. tournament manager Chuck Harbin is listed as the contact person on both applications.
The Winnebago site seems to make sense from several angles, including the proximity of B.A.S.S. sponsor Mercury. Perhaps as important as the business tie-in is that the Mercury facilities in Fond du Lac and/or Oshkosh could provide the organization with ready-made storage for its tournament equipment.
Another factor that might point to Winnebago: Two salmon/trout tournaments, consisting of as many as 950 boats between them, are set for Green Bay that weekend. That could create some major logistical issues there.
Information on the Winnebago application can by found by clicking here. For info on the Michigan application, click here.
BassFan has requested comment from B.A.S.S. communications officials, but the organization has not yet responded.