Tim Rode figures it will take 18 pounds to win the first Bienville Plantation Big Bass Tournament this Saturday – for a three-fish limit!

“We are hoping someone will catch a real trophy bass. It all depends on the angler,” said Rode, a manager at the up-scale hunting and fishing plantation near White Springs in north central Florida.

Actually a monster largemouth bass is a real possibility any time at Bienville. The plantation record is 15 3/4 pounds – and that fish was caught from the bank on a 1/4-ounce Roadrunner.

“The lakes on Bienville are pits left from phosphate mining and they are very nutrient-filled,” Rode said. “We get much larger fish than you can catch in public lakes just because there are so many nutrients in the water.”

Rode said most of the fish caught in Saturday’s opener probably will come from deep water.

“The water temperature is warming quick and everybody is fishing deep humps and points,” he said.

This is the first year for the Bienville Big Bass Series, Rode said, adding that the tournaments will not only give the plantation more exposure, but it will open up opportunities for other people to fish the plantation’s renowned lakes.

“We are open to the public, but not to a wide range of the public simply because we are a high-end plantation,” he said.

Entry fee is $450 per team. Late arrivals can pay at the Main Lodge the morning of a tournament with cash or credit card. There will be six regular tournaments in the series, with a Wild Card Shootout, culminating with the first Bienville Classic which has a $25,000 purse guaranteed. There will also be a $2,500 prize for the overall big bass caught in any of the first six tournaments.

The schedule includes June 29 (3-bass tournament), July 27 (3-bass tournament0, Aug. 24 (3-bass tournament), Sept. 28 (3-bass tournament), Oct. 20 (5-bass tournament), and Nov. 23 (5-bass tournament). The Wild Card Shootout, a 5-bass tournament, will be held Dec. 7. The Bienville Classic, a 5-bass per day tournament, will be held Jan. 11 and 12, 2014.

Rode said the tournaments are set up for 120 boats, but he anticipates about 50 boats will participate in the opening tournament Saturday.

“This is all new this year and we basically did all this in the last 30 days,” he said. “We know we are going to have a fairly slow start this year, but we think that once people understand what we are trying to do here there will be a lot more involvement.”

That, and once the word gets out, the real opportunity to catch one of those monster bass.

Bienville Big Bass Tournament Series

Sat, Jun 29, 2013

Bienville Plantation Lakes

Bienville Plantation

Call 386-397-1989

www.bienville.com