®
Winter 2019
t T a E c N k N lin E g SS a EE
T
he 2019 Bassmaster Classic will take place March
15-17 on the Tennessee River out of Knoxville,
with the playing field extending to Tellico and Fort Loudoun Lakes.
While B.A.S.S. has never held a professional event on
these precise waters, they’ve certainly had plenty of events
on other sections of this river’s productive span, and some
of the former FLW Tour pros have competed on the Classic
waters in tour-level competition.
So, if you’re looking to pick a fantasy team or
prognosticating about the likely winner, there’s not much to
go on. Every one of these anglers beat tough competition to
get here, and they’re all capable of winning a one-off event
under any conditions. Nevertheless, there are certain factors that should come into play.
Here are six things to consider as the event approaches:
COLD WEATHER
The Classic was moved to February in 2006, and then to March in 2015, presumably to open up more venue options and to avoid crippling cold weather.
That first March Classic at Hartwell was brutally cold; but, the last three have been held under Chamber of Commerce conditions. Knoxville is at a high elevation, close to the Smoky Mountains, and is more likely to experience
page 22
Knoxville and the Tennessee River
Photo: Andrew Ciscel