Morgantown Dominion Post
28 July 2007
By Michaey Casazza
In reality, the inaugural West Virginia BASS Federation Invitational Championship begins at 7 a.m. both today and Sunday on the Monongahela River.
In truth, the fun each day begins with the weigh-in.
All 40 teams participating in the event must be at the Hazel Ruby McQuain ampitheater by 4 p.m. to submit their six heaviest fish for weighing.
"The interesting thing about a weigh-in is the fact you get to see the people bring their fish to the scales, especially if they've caught some big fish, and everybody gets an up close look as the weight goes up on the scale," said Chris Lawrence, co-anchor of Metro News' morning news and host of West Virginia Outdoors, who will emcee the weigh-in. "It can be an exciting time, particularly if on Sunday two guys are pretty close and both come up with a big sack of fish. Everybody is watching the scales and literally one ounce can be the difference between first and second place."
The weigh-in and the venue are the signature touches for this first-of-its-kind event in Morgantown.
"I think it would be fantastic to see that place filled," Lawrence said. "I know ESPN has really helped take the sport to the next level and most people in West Virginia have probably never had an opportunity to go see something like this. They may have seen it on TV, but they haven't actually been there to be a part of it. It's a really exciting thing to watch these guys competing by the fish they catch."
The Championship comes to Morgantown after a series of events determined who qualified. Six tournaments preceded this one and a performance-based points system ultimately ranked the top 40 teams.
Each two-person boat can keep up to six bass that must be at least 12-inches long. The boat with the largest fish each day earns a $250 prize. The highest total weight after two days earns the top prize in a purse of $14,000.
However, since the fishing occurs over nine hours and across the vast Monongahela River, much of the action will evade spectators.
"It's really hard for the spectators to actually watch the tournament," West Virginia BASS Federation president John Burdette said. "[Anglers] can fish the entire river for as long as they want as long as they get back by 4 o'clock, so following the tournament is difficult. That's what makes the weigh-in so big for the audience. It's really the only part they get to see."
The push back to the ampitheater can be difficult. Every boat has to be be back before 4:01 p.m. If not, the boat is penalized one pound per minute up to 15 minutes, when a boat is then disqualified.
"If you come in at 4 o'clock and 59 seconds, you're not late. If you're there at one minute after, then you're late," Burdette said. "The penalty can be devastating, too. And there are no excuses. If you get blocked because they're running barges and you're late because of that, that's too bad."