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It’s official: The 2017 GEICO Bassmaster Classic is set for March 24-26, 2017, in Houston, Texas.
Houston, Texas, is the fourth most populous city in the U.S. behind New York, Los Angeles and Chicago, and it is the largest city in the South and Texas. According to Bruce Akin, B.A.S.S. CEO, “Of the 500,000 members of B.A.S.S. worldwide, nearly 45,000 — more than any other state — call Texas home. We’re glad to be able to hold the Classic near them.”
Photo: Mapbox
Lake Conroe, a 21,000-acre fishery, is where 52 anglers will compete for Bassmaster Classic glory. Lake Conroe is an impoundment of the San Jacinto River in Montgomery and Walker counties noted for producing big largemouth bass.
Photo: Mapbox
Lake Conroe was ranked 50th in Bassmaster’s Best Bass Lakes of 2015. The lake also appeared in the list in 2013; it was ranked 72nd.
Photo: Trey Perry
Keith Combs, the winner of the 2013 Toyota Texas Bass Classic on Lake Conroe, recently provided a sneak peek of Conroe’s healthy bass population. In Dec. 2015, he caught this 9.7-pound lunker while fishing the lake.
Photo: Keith Combs
The Bassmaster Classic weigh-ins will take place in downtown Houston, an area renowned for dining, special events, arts and professional sports venues.
Photo: Visit Houston
The home of the Houston Astros, Minute Maid Park, will host the Bassmaster Classic’s sizeable weigh-in crowds.
The Major League Baseball park, which hosted its first game in March 2000, has a seating capacity of 40,963, and it is located in the northeast end of downtown Houston.
Minute Maid Park also features a retractable roof that opens to reveal the largest open area of any retractable roofed baseball stadium in existence. A total of 50,000 square feet of glass in the west wall of the roof also give fans a view of the Houston skyline whether the roof is open or closed.
Also during Bassmaster Classic Week in Houston, the nation’s leading fishing tackle and boat manufacturers will take part in the annual Bassmaster Classic Outdoor Expo. The expo will be held March 24-26 in the George R. Brown Convention Center.
Photo: George R. Brown Convention Center
In recent years, tackle and lure companies have used the Classic Expo as the venue to introduce their newest products to bass fishing fans. The 2017 Expo will cover more than 300,000 square feet, the largest in Bassmaster Classic history.
Photo: George R. Brown Convention Center
During its 48-year history, B.A.S.S. has not hosted a tournament on Lake Conroe, which is located north of Houston.
Photo: Bryan Frazier / Texas Parks & Wildlife Department
That said, when the Toyota Texas Bass Classic visited Lake Conroe in October of 2013, the event showed the health of the fishery and how popular professional bass fishing is in the Houston area.
Photo: Alan McGuckin
The 2013 tournament drew many Bassmaster Elite Series pros. Terry Scroggins, Tommy Biffle and Bobby Lane were just a few of the Elites that fished the event.
Photo: Alan McGuckin
During competition, Mike Iaconelli was definitely able to catch ‘em on Conroe…
Photo: Alan McGuckin
…and the event drew impressive crowds for its weigh-ins.
Photo: Alan McGuckin
Here, Kevin VanDam wowed the Texas-sized crowd with his Conroe catch.
Photo: Alan McGuckin
In the end, Texas angler Keith Combs became the only two-time winner of the Toyota Texas Bass Classic. He landed the big paycheck…
Photo: Alan McGuckin
…and the tournament trophy. This win and his familiarity with the fishery should make him an early favorite if he qualifies for the 2017 GEICO Bassmaster Classic.
Photo: Alan McGuckin
With the world championship of bass fishing coming to one of the largest cities in the U.S., 2017 will be remembered as another example of B.A.S.S. bringing the biggest names in bass fishing to one of the nation’s biggest metropolitan areas.
Photo: Greater Houston Convention and Visitors Bureau / Jack Opatrany
