Kimball will host 2012 bass tourney

KIMBALL, Tenn.—On the heels of successfully holding the Bass Federation’s National Championship fishing tournament in April, Kimball officials announced the town will host a similar event for American Bass Anglers in October 2012.

Mayor David Jackson said the tournament will include 200 boats and 400 fishermen.

“These folks will be here for a whole week around the first or second week in October,” he said. “They’ll be staying in our motels. [The American Bass Anglers] is where these folks get their start on the way to the Bass Masters.”

Kimball will pay a $6,000 hosting fee and must provide a 40-foot by 60-foot tent for the weigh-in events at Kimball Park, officials said.

The town paid $10,000 to host the Bass Federation tournament, officials said.

“It’s less money [compared to hosting the last tournament] and a lot less of a commitment for Kimball,” Alderman Jerry Don Case said. “It’s a lot more boats, which means a lot more people and a lot more buying.”

The people who came for the last tournament spent a lot of money in Kimball, Alderman Johnny Sisk said.

“This tournament has a lot more people,” he said.

The American Bass Anglers tournament will be fished on Nickajack Lake, and the participating boats will be put in the water at Shellmound Park, officials said.

Even though Jackson said the Bass Federation tournament “went very well,” he knows the American Bass Anglers tournament will be more than four times larger.

Some city administrators questioned whether Shellmound Park could accommodate 200 boats, but Jackson said American Bass Anglers officials recently toured the site and approved it.

“Their people felt that there was plenty of room to put 200 boats into the water [there],” he said. “They are the experts at it. It’ll be interesting.”

Ryan Lewis is based in Marion County. Contact him at ryanlewis34@gmail.com.