Operation Bass just announced that this year's FLW Championship -- scheduled to start Sept. 12, but postponed when terrorists attacked America on Sept. 11 -- is canceled.
In making its decision, Operation Bass said it talked with anglers and sponsors, and that television commitments also played a role.
"We are managing our business in a manner consistent with our desire to accommodate as many of our anglers and sponsors as possible, while remaining sensitive to the unspeakable human tragedy unfolding around us," said Operation Bass president Charlie Hoover.
"As Americans, our thoughts and prayers go out to all the victims and their families. We will now move forward with our business, making adjustments as the situation dictates."
No Alternative
With fall's harsh weather rapidly coming on in the Northeast, rescheduling the tournament for Lake Champlain probably wasn't an option. And several pros have told BassFan that they didn't want to fish the championship anywhere else, noting that they geared their entire FLW seasons to making and fishing the Champlain event.
Money Divided Equally
Operation Bass said that the $450,000 purse will be divided equally among the 50 pro and 50 amateur contestants. Pros will receive $7,700 each (of $385,000 total), and amateur "co-anglers" will each receive $1,300 of the $65,000 purse.
TV Change
As a result of the cancellation, the FLW Championship show originally scheduled to air on ESPN at 3 p.m. EST Oct. 14 and ESPN2 at 10 a.m. Dec. 21 will be replaced by the Operation Bass RCL Walleye Circuit championship to be held in Green Bay, Wis. Oct. 3-6.
