What’s with all the fishing boats on Lake Murray? 5 things to know about Bassmaster event
Bass beware. Thursday saw the launch of the latest edition of the Bassmaster Elite Series at Lake Murray, the premier event of professional bass fishing.
The event will feature more than 100 anglers spreading out over the surface of the 78-square-mile lake through the weekend, plus events for the public at Dreher Island State Park.
Even if you don’t care about fishing, hosting the Elite Series is a big deal for the area. The event will see $1.1 million in tourist money spent around the lakeside area, the Lake Murray Country Tourism Board estimates. Tourism officials also estimate $5.5 million in marketing value for all the exposure the Midlands will receive from the event.
Here’s what you should know about the event.
What is the Bassmaster Elite Series?
One of professional fishing’s biggest and most lucrative contests, the Elite Series is held over seven regular season events around the country, plus two “fish-off” events. A purse of more than $6.9 million will be awarded to the winner of the 2023 Elite Series.
It’s one of the main events hosted by the Bass Anglers Sportsman Society, or B.A.S.S., along with the three-day Bassmaster Classic extravaganza hosted at a different time.
The 56-year-old organization also works to promote and advocate for bass fishing and publishes the Bassmaster magazine as well as producing TV content on the sport.
This weekend’s event is the first time the Elite Series has come to Lake Murray since 2011. It’s the ninth Elite Series to play out on the lake.
How many anglers are participating
The event began Thursday with 104 anglers in the competition. Those fishermen will ply the waters of Lake Murray Thursday and Friday, submitting their five biggest catches of the day for weighing.
The field is whittled down to 50 for Saturday’s event, and then to 10 for Sunday’s final, said TV commentator and former professional bass fisher Davy Hite.
The full Elite Series will play out over the course of the summer on lakes and waterways around the country.
Where to go and how to get there
The 104 anglers taking part in the Elite Series will depart daily from Dreher Island State Park, with participants whittled down as the contest goes on. A party-like atmosphere pervaded the state park on the first day of the tournament early Thursday, and more organized public events are planned for Dreher Island this weekend.
Food trucks and interactive exhibits will fill the park for lakeside spectators Saturday and Sunday, highlighted by a free concert by Kristian Bush of country music duo Sugarland at 1 p.m. Saturday. Weigh-ins of each day’s catch will happen daily on Dreher Island at 3 p.m.
Lake Murray Country is operating a shuttle service to and from the island this weekend so visitors have more space to park. The shuttles will pick up spectators from Lowes Foods in Chapin, St. Peter Lutheran Church on Dreher Island Road and Park Road Baptist Church on State Park Road. Shuttles will run every 20 minutes from 11:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m.
How to watch
Eight hours of the tournament will be broadcast on Fox Sports 1 this Saturday and Sunday, and the whole tournament from Thursday to Sunday can be watched online on Bassmaster.com and online streaming platforms.
Thursday and Friday
▪ 8 a.m. - 3 p.m., streaming on Bassmaster.com, Tubi and Fox Sports digital platforms
Saturday
▪ 8 a.m. - 10:30 a.m., Fox Sports 1
▪ 8 a.m. - 11 a.m., Live Mix Show on Bassmaster.com
▪ 10:30 a.m. - 3 p.m., streaming on Bassmaster.com and Fox Sports digital platforms
Sunday
▪ 8 a.m. - 1:30 p.m., Fox Sports 1
▪ 8 a.m. - 11 a.m., noon - 2 p.m., Live Mix Show on Bassmaster.com
▪ 1:30 -3 p.m., streaming on Bassmaster.com and Fox Sports digital platforms
What happens to the fish?
Needless to say, a lot of fish will be caught during the tournament. If each angler catches at least five bass during each day’s competition, that adds up to at least 500 fish a day.
But the Elite Series is a catch-and-release event, and the caught fish will soon find their way back home, said Hite, the retired angler and Bassmaster TV commentator.
“They’ve got pontoon boats with big water tanks” that collect and hold the fish caught each day, Hite said. Once the bass are weighed and registered, “they take them out to different places, not just (release them) at the weigh-in area.”
In previous tournaments, 98% of caught fish are released alive, he said.
Hite said he doubts that any of the competitors will miss out on catching a full five fish for weigh-ins at the end of the day, calling Lake Murray a “bass factory.”
