The wind was blowing strong, or “sporty” as the anglers phrased it, on Eagle Mountain Lake Wednesday, but that didn’t stop pro fishermen from braving the waves to participate in the Bassmaster Classic Progressive Celebrity Pro-Am.
The Pro-Am is the precursor to the Bassmaster Classic, known as the Super Bowl of professional fishing, which returns to North Texas this weekend and offers a $300,000 payout for the top prize.
The Pro-Am includes a wide variety of celebrity guests, ranging from NFL, NASCAR, WWE and Olympic athletes to musicians, actors, comedians and other celebrities.
Though bluegrass musician Billy Strings and his partner Mike Iaconelli came up short in terms of the number and size of fish they caught, the plucky guitar wunderkind didn’t get the blues from his time on the white-capped lake.
“I’ve had worse days and dug it,” said Strings.
The pro anglers and celebrities were competing for a top prize of a set of Yokohama tires and a $2,500 Bass Pro Shops gift card.
The wind, which was well over 20 miles per hour with gusts, was the talk of the tournament, at least when competitors could hear over it.
On stage having his fish weighed, Louisiana angler Emil Wagner continued to wear his life jacket.
“I’m not sure I’m still not going to get blown into the water at any moment,” he said.
For fishing fans like Tanner Moulton, 17, the weather was a hindrance and he was glad he wasn’t on the lake. But he still enjoyed the event.
Moulton, a senior at Mascoma Valley Regional High School in Enfield, New Hampshire, was selected as one of 12 Bassmaster High School All Americans and won a trip to the Bassmaster Classic.
“To be honest, even though it would be colder at home, 30 degrees and snowing, I’d like to be there,” he said. “This wind is something.”
The tournament is expected to draw crowds approaching 150,000 to Fort Worth as the anglers compete for a $1 million purse. N expects the events have an expected economic impact of more than $25 million for local businesses.
“You’ve got people that have been coming to this event for 20-plus years,” said Jason Sands, vice president for sports for Visit Fort Worth. “People come from all over. It’s a great event for us.”
This year the expo that is part of the event will take over 250,000 square feet with over 240 vendors in the Fort Worth Convention Center.
“That’s one of their biggest footprints ever,” he said, “and a record number of vendors, so people are excited about it.”
The casts will go into the water for the Bassmaster Classic on March 21 at Ray Roberts Lake State Park. All events are free to the public. Weigh-ins and all of the usual festivities will be held in Fort Worth, with the competition being held on Lake Ray Roberts.
Fort Worth and Lake Ray Roberts hosted the event in 2021, drawing 147,197 fans.
Bob Francis is business editor for the Fort Worth Report. Contact him at bob.francis@fortworthreport.org. At the Fort Worth Report, news decisions are made independently of our board members and financial supporters. Read more about our editorial independence policy here.
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