BIRMINGHAM, Ala. — High school anglers on the western side of the country now have another way to qualify for the 2017 Costa Bassmaster High School National Championship presented by DICK’S Sporting Goods.

On April 29 on Lake Oroville in Oroville, Calif., high school anglers from all of the western states can compete in a one-day tournament, the 2017 Costa Bassmaster High School Western Open presented by DICK’S Sporting Goods, for a chance to compete for the national title.

“We are pleased to offer a Western Open for our high school series,” said Hank Weldon, B.A.S.S. High School senior tournament manager. “Partnering with the California and Arizona B.A.S.S. Nations has been a very smooth and professional experience. I have no doubt this will be a fantastic event.”

High school anglers from Arizona, California, Colorado, Idaho, Montana, New Mexico, Nevada, Oregon, Utah, Washington and Wyoming are eligible to compete. One two-person team for every 10 teams that participate will be offered a berth in the national championship.

The tournament was previously scheduled to host California clubs, but B.A.S.S. sanctioned it as a High School Western Open as an opportunity to get more high school anglers involved.

“We are proud to get to host this event,” said Mike Landy, California B.A.S.S. Nation youth director and tournament director for this Open. “We are also excited to see what the young anglers catch out on Oroville. It’s a great fishery.”

Lake Oroville made national headlines earlier this year when heavy rains in California threatened to destroy the dam.

Previously scheduled High School Opens are the Central Open in Louisiana that took place in March, the Midwest Open in April in Missouri, and the Southern Open in Tennessee. The Southern Open and the Western Open will take place on the same day, filling the last Open spots in the championship. Other berths are filled by state championships across the country.

“We want to get more of our Western high school anglers involved,” said Weldon, “and I definitely don’t think this will be our last Open out there.”

Takeoffs and weigh-ins will be held at Bidwell Marina in Oroville. The registration deadline is April 15. A tournament briefing will be held April 28 at 6 p.m. at North Valley Tackle in Oroville.

To register, contact Mike Landy, tournament director, at 916-233-7797 or [email protected].

2017 Costa Bassmaster High School Title Sponsor: Costa

2017 Costa Bassmaster High School Presenting Sponsor: DICK’S Sporting Goods

2017 Costa Bassmaster High School Platinum Sponsor: Toyota

2017 Costa Bassmaster High School Premier Sponsors: Huk, Humminbird, Mercury, Minn Kota, Nitro Boats, Power-Pole, Shell Rotella, Skeeter Boats, Triton Boats, Yamaha, Berkley

2017 Costa Bassmaster High School Supporting Sponsors: St. Croix Rods, ABU Garcia, Academy Sports + Outdoors, Advance Auto Parts, Carhartt, Lowrance, Phoenix Boats, Shimano

About B.A.S.S.
B.A.S.S. is the worldwide authority on bass fishing and keeper of the culture of the sport, providing cutting edge content on bass fishing whenever, wherever and however bass fishing fans want to use it. Headquartered in Birmingham, Ala., the 500,000-member organization’s fully integrated media platforms include the industry’s leading magazines (Bassmaster and B.A.S.S. Times), website (Bassmaster.com), television show (The Bassmasters on ESPN2), social media programs and events. For more than 45 years, B.A.S.S. has been dedicated to access, conservation and youth fishing.

The Bassmaster Tournament Trail includes the most prestigious events at each level of competition, including the Bassmaster Elite Series, Bass Pro Shops Bassmaster Open Series, Academy Sports + Outdoors B.A.S.S. Nation presented by Magellan, Carhartt Bassmaster College Series presented by Bass Pro Shops, Costa Bassmaster High School Series presented by DICK’S Sporting Goods, Toyota Bonus Bucks Bassmaster Team Championship and the ultimate celebration of competitive fishing, the GEICO Bassmaster Classic presented by DICK’S Sporting Goods.