FLW, USA Bass to Host Pan-Am Championship
The road to making bass fishing an Olympic sport.
FLW will assist USA Bass in its efforts to showcase the first-ever Pan-American Bass Fishing Championship Feb. 4-9 on Lake Okeechobee in Clewiston, Fla. The championship event, which was awarded to USA Bass by the Pan-American Sportfishing Delegation, will feature anglers from 41 nations and is part of a larger effort by the Confederation Internationale de Peche Sportive (CIPS) to make bass fishing an Olympic sport.
“The international fishing community is thrilled about this event,” says tournament organizer and CIPS Vice President John Knight. “It fits perfectly into the global initiative to increase participation in bass fishing. Steps like this are making bass fishing the frontrunner when fishing becomes an Olympic sport.”
The legendary Roland and Mary Ann Martin’s Marina & Resort in Clewiston is set to host the historic event. Knight says the resort plays an essential role in providing anglers the best bass fishing experience in the world.
“Mary Ann, Scott and Roland Martin are legends of the sport and huge supporters of USA Bass,” says Knight. “Bass anglers from across the Americas are excited about fishing such an important event on one the world’s most famous bass-fishing lakes.”
Teams will arrive Feb. 4 for the opening ceremony, followed by practice Feb. 5-6. Competition kicks off Feb. 7-8 with takeoff scheduled for 7:30 a.m. EST each day from the Clewiston Boat Basin. Weigh-ins each day will be held at 3:30 p.m. at Roland and Mary Ann Martin’s Marina & Resort. A medal presentation will follow the final weigh-in. FLW will cover the Pan-American Bass Fishing Championship on its website, including broadcasting live weigh-ins.
FLW is actively working with USA Bass and CIPS to grow the worldwide bass-fishing audience. FLW currently sanctions bass tournaments in Canada, China, Italy, Korea, Mexico, Portugal, South Africa and Spain. Each country qualifies anglers to compete in the Costa FLW Series Championship, where an International Division angler qualifies to fish the Forrest Wood Cup.
USA Bass is part of U.S. Angling, a 501c3 charitable organization that supports the USA Bass team as it competes around the globe. To learn more about USA Bass, and for a complete schedule of events, visit USABass.org.