Bassmaster Federation Nation Northern Divisional Heads to Bay De Noc

ESCANABA, MI - Wednesday, August 4, 2010 - The upcoming Bassmaster Federation Nation Northern Divisional presented by Yamaha Outboards and Skeeter Boats, set for August 9-13, will be played out on Little and Big Bay De Noc from Escanaba, Michigan. The tournament will send eight competitors, the top finisher in each of eight competing states, to the prestigious Bassmaster Federation Nation Championship, set for October 27-29, on Louisiana’s Red River.

The participants in the event are derived from eight states that comprise the Northern Division. Those are Michigan, Wisconsin, South Dakota, Ohio, Iowa, Minnesota, Illinois and Indiana.

In addition to the individual competition, each state will be competing for the top prize of a Skeeter boat with Yamaha outboard, valued at $41,000. That competition will be scored based on the total weight from each state’s 12-angler team contingent. In 2009, Michigan wrapped up the team competition with a cumulative weight of 388 pounds. The 2009 event was held on the same fishery with Wisconsin’s Wes Haney taking top honors with a three-day total of 52 pounds, 0 ounces.

Weigh-ins will be held at the Escanaba Harbor (201 Loren Jenkin Memorial Drive, Escanaba, Michigan, 49829) for the Wednesday-Friday event beginning at 2:30 PM ET. Tournament launches will be held at Escanaba Harbor each competition day beginning at 6:30 AM ET. Before competition, the 96 competitors will have a two-day practice period on August 9-10.

Also set for the Divisional and held in conjunction with the Federation Nation competition is the Junior Bassmaster Divisional. The Junior Bassmaster Divisional caters to BASS’ Youth members to provide a qualifying avenue into the Bassmaster Junior World Championship, which will be held in conjunction with the Federation Nation Championship.

About BASS

For more than 40 years, BASS has served as the authority on bass fishing. The organization advances the sport through advocacy, outreach and its expansive tournament structure while championing efforts to connect directly with the passionate community of bass anglers through its Bassmaster media vehicles.

As the flagship offering of ESPN Outdoors, the Bassmaster brand and its considerable multimedia platforms are guided by a mission to serve all fishing fans. Through its industry-leading publications Bassmaster Magazine, BASS Times and Fishing Tackle Retailer; comprehensive Web properties in www.Bassmaster.com, www.BASSInsider.com, www.ESPNOutdoors.com and www.ESPN3.com, and ESPN2 television programming, Bassmaster provides rich, leading-edge content true to the lifestyle.

BASS oversees the prestigious Bassmaster Tournament Trail, which includes the Bassmaster Elite Series, Bassmaster Opens, BASS Federation Nation and the ultimate celebration of competitive fishing, the Bassmaster Classic.

BASS offers an array of services to its more than 500,000 members while spearheading progressive, positive change on issues related to conservation and water access. The organization is headquartered in Celebration, Florida.