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Inside BASS:
Kennedy Finally Reaches His Goal
Dec. 20, 2005 - Steve Kennedy has enjoyed much success
on a national tournament circuit, winning an event and qualifying
for its championship this season. But his career goal always
has been to compete in the big leagues of the CITGO Bassmaster
Tournament Trail.
With an excellent season on the CITGO Bassmaster
Central Open circuit, the 36-year-old from Auburn, Ala., qualified
for the new CITGO Bassmaster Elite Series in 2006. And he will
be among more than 100 Elite pros competing on the lucrative
and highly visible 11-event circuit next year.
"I'm pretty excited about it. It does mean
a lot to me," said Kennedy, who finished eighth in the recent
Open Championship in Alabama. "I've worked really hard to
get there and I'm not going to turn down the opportunity."
Kennedy said he worked tirelessly to qualify, after
not qualifying from the Opens for several years. He first attempted
it in 1992 and then tried again in the early 2000s. "I finally
got to qualify, so I'm not giving it up."
Kennedy, who still is working on a sponsor deal
for his wrapped boat for the Elite Series, is a trained mechanical
engineer. But he's always wanted to fish competitively at the
highest level.
"I was always working toward this," he
said. "When I got out of school, I wanted to do it and I
couldn't get in. I really didn't understand what it took to get
to this level."
CLASSIC PRACTICE. Competitors in the upcoming CITGO
Bassmaster Classic, Feb. 24-26, in Kissimmee, Fla., have just
four days of official practice (Feb. 14-16 and Feb. 22) to scour
Lake Tohopekaliga, instead of the traditional six-day scouting
period. And it will take place just 10 days before the event
instead of the usual 30-day off-limits period.
"It was a request of the anglers," BASS
tournament director Trip Weldon said. "They didn't like
it being a month ahead of time because they felt like the fish
changed, especially at Toho in late February. If they were (scouting)
at the end of January, the fish certainly would change a great
deal by the time the Classic started.
"And, the pros felt like six days of practice
was just too long."
GETTING HOOKED. Arizona pro and former Classic
contender John Murray recalls one of his first BASS tournaments
in 1986.
"It was up in New York in the Catskills,"
he said "I went up there as a young kid who didn't know
any better. I learned a lesson from other anglers and just got
hooked on this sport."
Murray finished 224th out of 288 anglers in that
Hudson River tournament with 7 pounds, 3 ounces.
WEIRDEST CATCH. Women's Bassmaster Tour pro Lucy
Mize has caught "several different shoes" during her
time on the water.
"I've caught shoes on a crankbait," the
Arkansas angler said. "And I caught a shoelace on a Carolina
rig one time."
Mize is expecting a better performance when the
women's tour debuts on Toledo Bend in Texas on March 16-18, 2006.
DID YOU KNOW? Lake Amistad, site of the "Battle
on the Border" season-opener of the 2006 CITGO Bassmaster
Elite Series (March 9-12, Del Rio, Texas), has never hosted a
BASS event.
IF I HADN'T BECOME A BASS PRO 2006 CITGO Bassmaster
Elite angler and Lake Fork guide Brooks Rogers would likely be
working in his family's construction business.
THEY SAID IT. "To me, it's still flattering
every time somebody comes up and asks for an autograph or recognizes
me. And the letters I get from kids and even from grown men.
It's quite an honor and something I never really planned on.
When I got into the sport, I just got into it for the competitive
aspect of it. I didn't go out there for any fame or fortune or
anything. I just wanted to compete." Defending CITGO Bassmaster
Classic champion Kevin VanDam of Kalamazoo, Mich.
News exclusives, audio and video clips of bass
fishing's biggest stars, loads of discounts and more are all
part of BASS Insider, an exclusive membership, now available
at www.bassmaster.com.
BASS is the worldwide authority on bass fishing,
sanctioning more than 20,000 events through the BASS Federation
annually. Guided by its mission to serve all fishing fans, BASS
sets the standard for credibility, professionalism, sportsmanship
and conservation, as it has for nearly 40 years.
BASS stages bass fishing tournaments for every
skill level and culminates with the CITGO Bassmaster Classic.
Through its clubs, youth programs, aquatic resource advocacy,
magazine publishing and multimedia platforms, BASS offers the
industry's widest array of services and support to its nearly
550,000 members. The organization is headquartered in Celebration,
Fla.
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