Registration Opens For Bass Pro Amateur Fishing Event On Grand Lake

Calling all anglers! Registration opens Wednesday morning if you want to hit the water in Bass Pro's first-ever amateur fishing tournament.

Wednesday's registration is for the qualifying event on Grand Lake, which is set for October 16.

The winning team will take home $50,000 and get a spot in the championship on Missouri’s Table Rock Lake in November, where one million dollars is on the line.

The U.S. Open National Bass Fishing Tournament is the first of its kind. It's for the "regular folks" who love to bass fish and it's designed for families to compete and make memories together.

Several qualifying events have already been held at other lakes across the country. Bass Pro Broken Arrow General Manager Jeff Warren said the events are unlike any other.

"You had dads and daughters, moms and sons, you had married couples fishing -- I think the couple I talked to had been married 50 years and they were fishing together in the tournament and they'd never fished a tournament before," Warren said. "They felt like celebrities, the people who fished in the one I saw in Texas. The weigh-in was amazing, they got to come up on stage for the weigh-in and the winners were two life-long fishing buddies.”

Two cousins from Oklahoma, Alan Barton and Tanner Barton, won a qualifying event in Texas, which means they'll be in the championship on Table Rock Lake. 

Related Story: Grand Lake Set As Qualifying Lake For BassPro's First Amateur Fishing Tournament With $1 Million Payout

There are only 250 spots for the qualifying event on Grand Lake. Anglers will be picked through a lottery system and will find out if they were drawn within a week.

Entry fees are $450 per person, $250 for kids 12 through 17 and free for kids under 12.

Bass Pro founder Johnny Morris said he will donate 100% of all the entry fees back to the National Fish Habitat Initiative.

“Johnny really has, I think, two purposes with the amateur series. Number one is to show appreciation to our customers that have been loyal over the years,” said Warren. “I think his second purpose is to give back to the community through conservation, through improving fish habitat, along with many other conservation efforts we make at Bass Pro.” 

In order to registers, anglers have to own one of the Bass Pro brand boats (Tracker, Ranger, Nitro, Triton, Sun Tracker, Tahoe or MAKO).

Registration for the U.S. Open National Bass Fishing Tournament qualifying event at Grand Lake opens at 10:00 a.m. Wednesday morning.