Photo: BassFan
Big crowds turned out every day for BASSFest in Dayton, Tenn.
By BassFan Staff
By all accounts, the first BASSFest at Lake Chickamauga in Dayton, Tenn., was a success.
From decent fishing, which produced plenty of mammoth bass, including the biggest fish weighed in this season, to the festive atmosphere surrounding the event, it would be hard to imagine B.A.S.S. not trying to bring this type of event back in the future.
To get a look at some of the memorable sights from BASSFest, take a look at our photo gallery below.
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The (Really) Big Show
Terry Scroggins employed a finesse technique (shaky-head) to catch fish like this and post an 8th-place finish. (Photo: BassFan)
Second-Chance Steve
Steve Kennedy struggled on day 2 and was one of 10 anglers who re-qualified at Nickajack Lake. He eventually finished 50th. (Photo: BassFan)
Clay's In The House
Clay Dyer enjoyed himself at the BASSFest weigh-in. (Photo: BassFan)
Look At That One!
Kelly Jordon caught this giant on day 2 and nearly tripled his weight from day 1 to make the top-50 cut. (Photo: BassFan)
Good Start
Dave Smith was in the Top 10 heading into day 3, but zeroed and tumbled down to 44th. (Photo: BassFan)
Fresh Face
Stephen Mui was one of 33 anglers from the Bassmaster Opens to compete at BASSFest. He more than held his own as he finished 18th, the best result for a non-Tour level angler. (Photo: BassFan)
Building Block
With fish like this, Jason Williamson took 11th to post his second top-12 finish of the season. (Photo: BassFan)
Hack's Back – Again
After winning at Lake Pickwick the week before, Greg Hackney keep the momentum going at Chickamauga with a 6th-place finish. (Photo: BassFan)
Second To None
Kevin VanDam made his presence felt at BASSFest with three 20-pound stringers that led him to a runner-up finish. (Photo: BassFan)
Two Toads
Edwin Evers had a tremendous day 1 with a 24-03 stringer that had him in 2nd place. He only weighed in four bass the rest of the event and slipped to 38th. (Photo: BassFan)
Magic Mike
Mike Iaconelli crammed more than 25 pounds of fish into his day-1 weigh-in bag and held the early lead at BASSFest. Unfortunately, like Evers, he struggled the rest of the way and finished 38th. (Photo: BassFan)
Hero's Welcome
Parker Hite, the son of Elite Series pro Davy Hite, gives tournament director Trip Weldon a lift after he was invited on stage after returning home from his third year at West Point. (Photo: BassFan)
Welcome Back
2006 Bassmaster Classic winner Luke Clausen, who qualified for BASSFest via the Opens, came away from his first Elite Series event with a 9th-place finish. (Photo: BassFan)
Cherry On Top
Hank Cherry put a charge into the day-2 weigh-in when he pulled this 10-11 brute out of his weigh-in bag. He caught it off a bed and it stands as the biggest bass weighed in this season. (Photo: BassFan)
More The Merrier
Even though he had to share his primary area with VanDam and Jeff Kriet, Russ Lane continued to climb the leaderboard throughout the tournament. His offshore program led him to a 10th-place finish. (Photo: BassFan)
On A Roll
Fresh off a runner-up showing at Lake Dardanelle, Gerald Swindle focused his efforts on shallow water at BASSFest and came away with a 4th-place finish. (Photo: BassFan)
Bait of Choice
Hackney's go-to bait for fishing around Chickamauga's grass was a bladed jig with a Lake Fork Live Magic Shad. (Photo: BassFan)
Day 1 Dynamite
Jacob Wheeler caught some of his best fish on day 1 with this Rapala DT Metal 20. After that, though, the crankbait bite for pretty much everybody went away. (Photo: BassFan).
One Last Time
Competitors get lined up to blast off on the final day of BASSFest. (Photo: BassFan)
Talking The Talk
Wheeler gives his thoughts on what he plans to do on the final day of BASSFest prior to leaving the dock. (Photo: BassFan)
Father's Day Fun
When Cherry arrived on stage on the final day, his son Christian was waiting for him with a hug. (Photo: BassFan)
Falling Short
Matt Herren was consistently strong over the first 3 days, but he falted slightly on day 4 and slipped to 3rd place. (Photo: BassFan)
Showing Off
When Wheeler arrived at the stage, he was anxious to show off one of his key fish from the final day. (Photo: BassFan)
Moment of Truth
Wheeler was pumped when his final-day weight was more than enough to eclipse Kevin VanDam for the win. (Photo: BassFan)
Another Mantelpiece
Wheeler collected his first Elite Series trophy along with $125,000 and a berth in next year's Bassmaster Classic for his victory at Chickamauga. (Photo: BassFan)
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2014 Lake Chickamauga Elite Series BASSFest