When the Bassmaster Classic comes to Knoxville March 24-26, it will pit 55 of the world’s best anglers against each other in heated competition on the Tennessee River. It is the championship weekend for the world’s premier bass tournament circuit, the B.A.S.S. Elite Series, and while professional anglers are on the water, more than 150,000 fishing fanatics will descend on K-Town to take part in the spectacle.
This is the 2023 Academy Sports+Outdoors Bassmaster Classic, “The Superbowl of Bass Fishing.” Since 1971, this tournament has featured the best-of-the-best in the tournament world, and it has made heroes of the professional anglers who rise to the top after a grueling tournament season. On the water for three tournament days, pros fish with artificial lures for their heaviest five-fish daily limit. Fish are kept alive and healthy in aerated livewells on board high-tech bass boats and after daily weigh-ins, are released back to the river under the supervision of Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency. On Championship Sunday, the angler with the heaviest cumulative weight of bass will be crowned Classic Champion.
While the pros are on the water, spectators from around the world take part in Bassmaster Classic events. Fan favorites include early morning blastoffs when high-powered fishing boats race away from Volunteer Landing in downtown Knoxville; daily weigh-ins when anglers tow their boats and live fish into the University of Tennessee’s Thompson-Boling Arena for a tension-filled results show; and the Bassmaster Classic Outdoors Expo, which will fill the floors of the Knoxville Convention Center and the World’s Fair Exhibition Hall with all things bass fishing. All Classic venues and events are open and free to the public.
Last time the Classic came to Knoxville in 2019, it generated an economic impact of $32.2 million for East Tennessee, according to the Visit Knoxville Sports Commission. Local favorite and Knoxville native, Ott Defoe, won the 2019 tournament, the $300,000 check and a giant championship trophy delivered on stage in a shower of glittering confetti.
A Classic championship has a way of setting up professional anglers for life. The big check is nothing to sneeze at, and the title of Classic champion comes with untold sponsorships and endorsements. It’s the pinnacle of the sport, the achievement every young tournament angler dreams of while fishing pot tournaments at their local reservoir.