Saginaw Bay Ready to Host Bass Anglers

Michigan’s massive Saginaw Bay will host three regular-season events this June, B.A.S.S. officials announced. College bass anglers will head north for the Carhartt Bassmaster College Series presented by Bass Pro Shops, which will be held June 16-17. Meanwhile young anglers will get their opportunity to weigh in a giant Saginaw smallmouth during the Mossy Oak Fishing Bassmaster High School Series presented by Academy Sports + Outdoors and Mossy Oak Fishing Junior Series tournaments, both on June 19.

“We’re excited to give young anglers an opportunity to compete on Lake Huron and Saginaw Bay,” said College and High School Series Senior Manager Hank Weldon. “B.A.S.S. is always looking for opportunities to let college and high school anglers compete on a diverse range of water. Many of these teams might be experiencing a northern fishery for the first time, but it also gives teams who can’t travel to events in other parts of the country a chance to qualify for 2021 National Championship tournaments.”

Weldon credits local host Bangor Charter Township along with strong partners from the Michigan B.A.S.S. Nation and Great Lakes Bay Area Convention & Visitors Bureau with bringing these large tournaments — and their boost to the local economy — to Saginaw Bay. Due to overwhelming interest in the series, B.A.S.S. will once more cap the College and High School Series field sizes at 250 boats. Each high school event will also include a field of up to 50 boats for competitors ranging from second to eighth grade as part of the Junior Series.

At more than 1,100 square miles, Saginaw is not only the largest of Lake Huron’s bays but is also the largest freshwater coastal wetland in the United States. While the fishery hosts healthy populations of both largemouth and smallmouth bass, the area has been known traditionally for walleye fishing.

In 2019, Saginaw Bay ranked No. 8 on Bassmaster Magazine’s Best Bass Lakes list. The fishery has appeared on the Top 100 Best Bass Lakes list five times since 2016.

Online registration for the College, High School and Junior Series will open Thursday, April 8 at 4 p.m. CT. For more information, visit Bassmaster.com.

All three tournaments are being hosted locally by Bangor Charter Township.

About B.A.S.S.
B.A.S.S., which encompasses the Bassmaster tournament leagues, events and media platforms, 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 515,000-member organization’s fully integrated media platforms include the industry’s leading magazines (Bassmaster and B.A.S.S. Times), website (Bassmaster.com), TV show, radio show, social media programs and events. For more than 50 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, Basspro.com Bassmaster Opens Series, TNT Fireworks B.A.S.S. Nation Series, Carhartt Bassmaster College Series presented by Bass Pro Shops, Mossy Oak Fishing Bassmaster High School Series presented by Academy Sports + Outdoors, Bassmaster Team Championship, Bassmaster B.A.S.S. Nation Kayak Series powered by TourneyX and the ultimate celebration of competitive fishing, the Academy Sports + Outdoors Bassmaster Classic presented by Huk.