The Michigan B.A.S.S. Federation Nation hosted the Big Fish Festival Tournament with teams of the Michigan B.A.S.S. Federation junior clubs. Teams consisted of a boater accompanied by two junior anglers in each boat, making up nine teams altogether.
“This is a public relations and educational tournament that is hosted by the Keego Harbor, Mich., Big Fish Festival annually,” explained Paul Wagner.
As part of an overall fishing weekend, the goal of this event is to expose the public to what bass tournament fishing is all about. The club held a live weigh-in seen by hundreds at the festival. The weigh-in provided a great recruitment opportunity for both the junior and adult bass clubs.
The tournament had 200 spectators, and 20 members of the Michigan BFN volunteerd their time, about five hours per person.
This article is part of the Conservation Education segment of the larger report, 2011 Annual Achievements in B.A.S.S. Conservation.