Major fishing tournament coming to northeastern Oklahoma next spring

Wednesday, October 29th 2003, 12:00 am

By: News On 6

A major sporting event comes to Green Country. The national organization that showcases bass fishing announced Wednesday afternoon it will host its championship fishing tournament at Keystone Lake next spring.

News on 6 anchor Scott Thompson says northeastern Oklahoma has hooked a big one. The Citgo-Bass Pro Federation Championship comes to Keystone Lake next April.

Organizers say the tournament could be a big money maker for the region. The Bass Anglers Sportsmen Society, or BASS, made their announcement at the Oklahoma Aquarium in Jenks Wednesday afternoon. About 50 amateur anglers from 46 states and six different countries will fish for the title.

The championship tournament is known as the world championship for amateur fishing. There's more at stake than just prize money. The champion gets to fish the Bass Master Tournament and wins a chance to compete in the Bass Master Classic, thatâ€™s the Super Bowl and World Series of bass fishing. The tournament is expected to draw fans from all over the country and spotlight one of Green Country's natural treasures.

Don Engle with the Mannford Chamber of Commerce, "we're here to thank you for this opportunity to let Mannford and Keystone Lake shine. Its gonna be an honor to work with you on this and we're very excited about this tournament and we are going to make this the best stop this year."