Anyone interested in splashing or slogging through the 2015 Chattanooga Mud Run has five more days to save money on entering the Aug. 15 event at Greenway Farm in Hixson.
One entry-discount deadline has passed, and the last one is Tuesday. At that time the fee goes from $60 to $65 for individuals and $250 to $275 for a team of five. But registrations will continue until the day of the 5-kilometer (3.1-mile) military-style obstacle race, which benefits Habitat for Humanity of Greater Chattanooga Area.
The age minimum is 14.
There were about 3,000 participants for the fifth Mud Run last year, the most ever, and "probably about 1,000 spectators," Karlene Claridy said Wednesday on behalf of Habitat, which received $80,000 from the 2014 event. There is no admission charge for spectators.
And while organizers know many entries will be received in the last couple of weeks before the race, including walk-ups that morning, "one advantage of registering early is that you can identify your time to start the race," Claridy said. The choices are 7:30 or 8 a.m. for individuals; 8, 8:30 or 9 for competitive teams; and 9, 9:30, 10, 10:30 or 11 for noncompetitive teams.
An after party will begin when the first finisher completes the course - about 9 a.m., Claridy said - and last until 2 p.m., complete with live music.
One other thing: Outlandish outfits are welcome and abundant.
"We encourage teams to wear costumes," Claridy said. "They don't have to, of course, but it adds to the fun. They're very creative."
Visit chattanoogamudrun.com to register.
Chickamauga No. 41
Lake Chickamauga is No. 41 on Bassmaster magazine's 2015 rankings of 100 Best Bass Lakes in America after what the publication referred to as "several months of research." And Lake Guntersville in northeastern Alabama is No. 6.
"The rankings this year are more reliable than ever," editor James Hall said in a release this week. "The past three years we released the list in May. However, we waited to include it in our July/August issue so we could collect catch-rate data from the spring to evaluate the health and productivity of each fishery."
The research included information from state fishing agencies, bass fishing clubs and tournament organizers and polling of the 630,000 B.A.S.S. Facebook fans and the 3,500 members of the B.A.S.S. Council of "super-avid bass fishermen." A 15-member "blue-ribbon panel from the fishing industry" completed the rankings, according to the release.
Toledo Bend, which spans the Texas-Louisiana border, is No. 1. The Kentucky/Barkley lakes combination that dips into Tennessee is No. 12, and Pickwick Lake, which reaches into Tennessee, Mississippi and Alabama, is No. 36.
Dale Hollow Reservoir on the Tennessee-Kentucky border is No. 81. Old Hickory Lake in Middle Tennessee is 90th.
The blurb concerning Chickamauga found at Bassmaster.com says the lake "can make you feel like a hero - or a zero. When it's good here, very few lakes in the country can rival its big-fish potential. This is a fickle Chick; but if you catch her in a good mood, she will change your life."
The description of Guntersville includes: "This lake defies logic. There may be more tournaments and more 'educated' fishing pressure on this Tennessee River impoundment than on any other lake in the country, but it keeps producing. Many believe the Big G is the best fishery in the country (on some days, it most definitely is); others believe it is over-pressured, and therefore overrated. That said, you can't deny the fertility of Lake Guntersville."
The Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency recently completed its 2015 stockings of Florida largemouth bass in state lakes, and Chickamauga got 183,830 fry of about two inches while Watts Barr got 187,045 and Nickajack got 105,121.
TFWC meets Friday
The Tennessee Fish and Wildlife Commission will hold a one-day meeting Friday at the TWRA's Ray Bell Region II Building in Nashville, and it is open to the public.
It will begin at 9 a.m. CDT and include a presentation by Responsive Management executive director Mark Duda and a TWRA proposal to include African clawed frogs and Marmokrebs (marbled crayfish) among non-native species that should not be added to state waters.
As usual, there will be no July meeting for the TFWC. The next gathering is set for Aug. 21 in Morristown.
Contact Ron Bush at rbush@timesfreepress.com or 423-757-6291.