Bassmaster Classic kicks off as stars look to break records

Competitors in this year's Bassmaster Classic on Lake Toho near Orlando, Fla., took off at sunrise today with visions of giant bass in the second round of the event generally regarded as the granddaddy of professional fishing tournaments.
The Classic began Friday and features many of the stars of professional bass fishing. Competitors include defending champion Kevin VanDam of Michigan, four-time Classic winner Rick Clunn of Missouri, past champs George Cochran and Larry Nixon, both from Arkansas, and a host of others who have achieved great success in the cast-for-cash sport. The tournament concludes with the weigh-in Sunday evening.
Fishing fans can stay in touch with the action in a variety of ways including live television coverage. ESPN and ESPN2 is broadcasting reports from the Classic throughout the weekend, including this morning.
A number of bass tournament records are in jeopardy this weekend, thanks to BASS's scheduling of the Classic in February in Florida. All of the previous Classics were in summer or autumn.
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Toho has big bass and lots of them. February is a prime to catch big Florida bass. And, as the field of 51 competitors took off Friday, they were itching to hook the lunkers that cruise the weed beds in the sprawling Toho-Kissimmee waterways.
It is likely that this weekend will see the record for biggest Classic bass (8 pounds) shattered. It's possible, too, that the single-day, five-bass limit (more than 45 pounds) will fall. The three-day weight record (55 pounds) also may tumble.
VanDam entered this weekend's event on a three-tournament winning streak and would set another BASS record if he were to notch his fourth consecutive win Sunday on the stage not far from Disney World.
The Classic is the most drama-filled event in professional fishing because so much is at stake. Its winner earns a $500,000 paycheck and becomes a worldwide celebrity -- and not just in the ranks of fishermen.
Sponsors are emerging from a number of industries with no direct connection to fishing. Companies backing anglers this year include Channellock, Toyota, Oberto, Purolator, bourbon maker Evan Williams, Busch and many others. Cleveland pro Frank Scalish is one of the pros riding the wave of nonfishing sponsor interest, with backing from OSI Pro Series adhesives and sealants.
BASS, whose founder Ray Scott ignited the modern version of bass tournaments in the late 1960s, operates one of the sport's major leagues. Until this year, BASS's Bassmaster Classic was the season-ending championship, akin to the NFL's Super Bowl and baseball's World Series.
Kicking off season
Now BASS is launching its tournament season with the Classic, much like NASCAR begins each year with the Great American Race, the Daytona 500.
From Florida, the top pros will journey to Texas' Lake Amistad for the season lid-lifter in the Bassmaster Elite Series.
Tournament competition has attracted a huge fan base, made up historically of anglers who yearn for information about how the pros manage to sack their winning catches. Victors' tactics are emulated on lakes across the United States as well as bass waters in Europe, Africa and Japan.
To catch Classic action updates on TV this weekend, you can flip to ESPN2 between 8 and 11:30 this morning and to ESPN from 4:30 to 6 p.m. today.
Sunday's televised coverage includes ESPN2 broadcasts beginning at 7 a.m. The final weigh-in will air on ESPN from 5:30 to 7 p.m. Sunday.
jwollitz@aol.com