by B.A.S.S. Communications

09/24/2001 - Montgomery, AL. .... B.A.S.S. today announced its plans regarding two events which were postponed in the wake of the September 11th national tragedy. The CITGO BASSMASTER Tour event previously scheduled to take place in Catskill, N.Y., September 19-22 will now be held on Florida's Lake Tohopekaliga. The lake near Kissimmee will host the event December 12-15.

The CITGO BASSMASTER Open which had been scheduled to take place in Clayton, N.Y., September 13-15 will not be rescheduled.

"When we looked at the calendar, the only time we could hold these events was December or January," said B.A.S.S. National Tournament Director Dewey Kendrick. "In speaking to several anglers we realized January was a time when many of them were already obligated to appearances so we decided to hold the Tour event in December, the week following an already scheduled CITGO BASSMASTER Eastern Open in Palatka, Fla."

Lake Toho which was the site of last season's record-breaking performance by Dean Rojas once again promises to provide an exciting competition.

"The City of Kissimmee has been excellent to work with in this situation," said Kendrick. "Several anglers in the Central Florida area have indicated to me that while we may not see the record breaking catches of last January, the fishing will still be extremely good that time of year."

The decision not to make up the Eastern Open event came down to time constraints for the competitors.

"Many of the competitors in the Eastern Open event also hold down full-time jobs and simply could not afford to invest another two or three weeks preparing for and competing in an event after already investing considerable resources into the event which was canceled," explained Kendrick.

By sanctioning over 20,000 tournaments worldwide, B.A.S.S. is the world's largest fishing organization. The CITGO BASSMASTER Tournament Trail is the oldest and most prestigious pro bass fishing tournament circuit. It continues to set the standard for credibility, professionalism, and sportsmanship after more than three decades. B.A.S.S. is a wholly owned subsidiary of ESPN.

Sponsors of the CITGO BASSMASTER Central Open event include: CITGO, Chevrolet Trucks, Mercury Marine, Yamaha Outboards, Triton Boats, Skeeter Boats, Lowrance Electronics, Pennzoil Marine, Flowmaster Exhaust Systems, Stowaway Batteries, Kumho Tires, Long John Silver's, Gore-Tex Outwear, MotorGuide Trolling Motors, Bass Pro Shops, Armstrong Industrial Hand Tools, GMAC/ B.A.S.S. Vehicle & Boat Insurance, B.A.S.S. Platinum Visa/First USA.

Associate Sponsors include: Bass Cat Boats, G3 Boats and Champion Boats.