PONCA CITY, Okla. (Nov 2, 2015) – The Bass Federation, FLW and the Student Angler Federation announced today the Table Rock Lake Chamber of Commerce and Kimberling City, Mo., will host the 2016 TBF Federation National Championship and the TBF/FLW High School Fishing National Championship on April 12-17.
“We’re thrilled The Bass Federation has chosen Kimberling City on Table Rock Lake to host its national championship,” Executive Director of Table Rock Chamber of Commerce, Sheila Thomas, stated. “Our community is very excited to welcome this great organization and all of its anglers next April.”
Both events will be held on Table Rock Lake launching out of Port of Kimberling in down town Kimberling City and will be held in conjunction with the Walmart FLW Tour event being held just down the road in Rogers, Ark.
“Table Rock is a diverse fishery with something for everyone and a great place to host these championship events,” TBF National President, Robert Cartlidge, said. “There are many things for the anglers and their families to do in the area. The fishing is exceptional and the community is welcoming the anglers with open arms; we’re looking forward to a great event.”
The TBF championship is the culmination of more than two years of competition against tens of thousands of members in TBF clubs across the United States and Canada. Only the top anglers from each state federation and the Canadian champions earn slots. Anglers will compete for more than $200,000 in cash and prizes.
High School Fishing National Championship qualifiers have fished through a state championship and one of five conference championships to earn the opportunity to compete for $10,000 in college scholarships.
The TBF National Championship will consist of three competition days, held April 14-16. The entire field will compete Thursday and Friday, with weigh-ins lakeside at Port Of Kimberling. The final day field will then be cut to the top boater and co-angler from each of the seven TBF divisions. The final weigh-in will be held at the FLW Expo at Prairie Creek Recreation Area in Rogers, Ark. High School championship anglers will fish two days. The full field will fish on Saturday, April 16. Then, the field will be cut for Sunday’s final round, and the finalists will be presented on stage at the FLW Tour event.
TBF National Championship anglers will compete for 15 berths in two of the sport’s most coveted events – the Forrest Wood Cup and the BFL All-American. The top boater and co-angler from each of the seven TBF divisions will advance to the 2016 BFL All-American. The TBF Federation National Champion boater will also advance to the world championship of bass fishing, the 2016 Forrest Wood Cup, for a shot at winning the biggest payday in bass fishing.
The winning boater also will receive the $100,000 “Living the Dream” prize package to include a prize check, fully paid entry fees on the 2017 FLW Tour as a pro, travel expense stipends for each event, and use of a “Living the Dream” wrapped Ranger boat for the year. The top co-angler will receive fully paid entry fees into the FLW Series division of choice.
Coverage of the TBF National Championship will be broadcast in high-definition on the NBC Sports Network and streamed live on bassfederation.com.
For more information about, The Bass Federation, visit bassfederation.com or call 580-765-9031. Look for TBF on facebook at Facebook.com/thebassfederation and on twitter at Twitter.com/bassfederation, @bassfederation.
For more information about the Table Rock area, contact Sheila Thomas, Table Rock Chamber, 417-739-2564.
TBF will name a host hotel and handle all booking for pre-practice and the week of the event. But, if you plan to travel in the months leading up to the event to practice, visit visittablerocklake.com for accommodation info.
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About TBF
The Bass Federation Inc. is the oldest and largest, organized grassroots angling organization in America. TBF is 100 percent owned by those it serves and is dedicated to the sport of fishing. TBF affiliated state federations and their member clubs conduct more than 20,000 fishing, youth and conservation events at the local level each year, and have provided the foundation for the entire bass fishing industry for nearly 45 years. For more information about TBF or High School Fishing visit bassfederation.com or highschoolfishing.org and look for us on Facebook and YouTube.
About FLW
FLW is the industry’s premier tournament-fishing organization, providing anglers of all skill levels the opportunity to compete for millions in prize money nationwide in 2015 over the course of 240 tournaments across five tournament circuits, four of which provide an avenue to the sport’s richest payday and most coveted championship trophy – the Forrest Wood Cup. FLW tournament fishing can be seen on the Emmy-nominated “FLW” television show and is broadcast to more than 564 million households worldwide, making it the most widely distributed weekly outdoors-sports television show in the world. For more information about FLW visit FLWFishing.com and look for FLW on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram and YouTube.
