BATAVIA, N.Y. – Castrol pro angler Bobby Curtis, who claimed the Big Bass Award by hauling in a whopping 11-pounder on Lake Okeechobee in a 2005 FLW Tour event, will be on hand to sign autographs and answer consumer questions as a highlight to the May 8 grand opening ceremonies at Castrol Premium Lube Express, 50 Liberty St., in Batavia, N.Y., from 8 a.m.-6 p.m.

Curtis will be on-site from 12-6 p.m. In addition to signing autographs, he will host a fishing seminar in which they will demonstrate fishing techniques and offer tips for the everyday fisherman and will coordinate a casting contest for special door prizes. Consumers will also be invited to register for a win-a-trip promotion in which the grand prize is a day of fishing with Curtis.

Curtis, whose home is in Siloam Springs, Ark., became a professional fisherman quite by accident. Although he fished for perch and catfish as a youngster, he wasn’t introduced to competitive fishing until he suffered a broken neck in a bull-riding accident. While recuperating, a friend took him bass fishing, and he has been perfecting his craft ever since.