“There is a chance of rain on Sunday, but it is looking like we may get lucky and have pretty decent weather for the tournament this weekend with just a little bit of rain Sunday,” Jones said.

“This is year two for the Smith Mountain tournament and all the reports I have been getting indicate the fishing is going pretty good right now. I’d say we will get a 5-, 6-, 7- or possibly an 8-pound fish as the overall winner.”

JD Perdue won the 2011 Smith Mountain tournament with a 5.54-pound bass but that tournament was held in May, a month later than this year’s event.

Jones described the Oakley-sponsored tournaments as a “big bass format, with seven hourly weigh-ins on Saturday and seven hourly weigh-ions on Sunday.”

Hourly weigh ins will be held daily: 8-9 a.m., 9-10 a.m., 10-11a.m., 11a.m.-12 p.m., 12-1 p.m., 1-2 p.m. and 2-3 p.m.. Anglers must be declared before the end of the respective hour or their weight will count for the next hour.

The Oakley Big Bass Tour is the nation’s premier open big bass tournament series designed exclusively for amateur anglers, providing anglers of all skill levels an exciting tournament format and event experience on some of the nation’s best bass fisheries. Established in 2007, the tour is focused on the promotion of bass fishing and bass conservation at the amateur level.

Anglers not eligible to fish the Oakley Big Bass events include those who have guided professionally on the host lake during the 12 months before the tournament, those who have competed professionally in three or more tournaments with an entry fee of $1,000 or more in the preceding 12 months, and those who have career fishing tournament earnings of $250,000 or more.

Entry fees for the Oakley Big Bass Tour are $100 for one day or $150 for two days. Registration will be held at Bushwater Plaza Marina all day on Friday, Jones said, adding that anglers are also able to register online for all Oakley Big Bass events right up to the Friday before the tournament.

Remaining stops on the 2012 Oakley Big Bass Tour include : May 19-20, Kevin VanDam Big Bass Classic, Table Rock Lake, Missouri; June 2-3, Quantum Big Bass Classic, Ft Gibson Lake, Oklahoma;

September 15-16, Kelly Jordon Big Bass Classic, Lake Sam Rayburn, Texas; September 29-30, Jason Williamson Big Bass Classic, Lake Murray, South Carolina; October 13-14, Gerald Swindle Big Bass Classic, Lake Guntersville, Alabama; October 20-21, Rusty Wallace Big Bass Classic, Douglas Lake, Tennessee; and October 27-28, Georgia Big Bass Classic, Clarks Hill Lake, Georgia.

 

Oakley Blue Ridge Big Bass Classic

Apr 21-22, 2012

Smith Mountain Lake

Bridgewater Marina

Call Mark Jones 214-605-4600

www.oakleybigbass.com