March 12, 2004


Lake Dardanelle State Park to Host Bassmaster Elite 50 Series in April
By Jill M. Rohrbach
Arkansas Department of Parks and Tourism

RUSSELLVILLE -- Lake Dardanelle will host the first of a four-event, no-entry-fee circuit featuring a $1.6-million purse for the world’s best anglers -- the Bassmaster Elite 50 Series, being introduced by the Bass Anglers Sportsman Society this year. The Bassmaster Tour Elite 50 will take place April 11-17 at Lake Dardanelle State Park and is part of the Bassmaster Tournament Trail, which culminates with the Bassmaster Classic.

Bassmaster, owned by ESPN, will host at the park a free outdoors expo throughout the event. The ESPN television show, "The CITGO Bassmasters," will provide complete coverage of the Bassmaster Tournament Trail, and episodes will air on ESPN2 one week after the completion of each trail event -- usually Saturday mornings at 10:30 a.m. Eastern time.

According to information posted at the Bassmaster Web site, www.bassmaster.com, "The Elite 50 series will combine the top 20 anglers from the all-time BASS money list, the top 27 anglers in the Busch BASS Angler of the Year points standings over the previous three years, the current Busch BASS Angler of the Year, the current CITGO Rookie of the Year winner and the reigning CITGO Bassmaster Classic Champion." The top 10 anglers in the final Elite 50 points advance to the 2004 Classic.

On the line for anglers is a total of $1.6 million in cash over four events. The next three dates and locations for the tournament are: May 16-22, Tennessee-Tombigbee Waterway, Columbus, Miss.; May 30-June 5, Alabama River, Prattville, Ala.; and June 13-19 Ohio, Cumberland and Tennessee rivers, Paducah, Ky.

The tournament at Lake Dardanelle will include and all rivers, creeks and canals connecting to Lake Dardanelle, a 34,300-acre reservoir on the Arkansas River. Anglers will not be allowed to pass through locks and may only fish water open for public fishing. Tournament waters will be off-limits for contestants March 12-April 10, and all of Illinois Bayou inside of Bunker Hill Point and Lake Dardanelle State Park will be off-limits to fishing April 11-15. Practice days for contestants will be April 11-13, with competition days April 14-17.

Weigh-ins for the competition will take place at Lake Dardanelle State Park's $162,000, 1,860-square-foot weigh-in pavilion, which opened in July 2002. The pavilion serves as the staging area for numerous tournaments, hosting more than 8,000 anglers and providing a projected $10 million economic impact for the area each year.

The park also recently opened a $2.4-million, 10,527-square-foot visitor center that features a wireless weather station for monitoring developing weather patterns for anglers and park visitors. The wireless data also includes details on water quality, aquatic specimens and special events and programs at the park. Opened in 2003, the center houses state-of-the-art audiovisual equipment, a lab and interpretive exhibits including four large aquariums with species native to Lake Dardanelle and its tributaries.

Lake Dardanelle State Park consists of two areas. The Russellville and Dardanelle locations both offer camping, marina services, launch ramps, pavilions, picnic sites, restrooms and bathhouses. Along with the visitor center, the Russellville area offers a barrier-free fishing pier, a miniature golf course and year-round interpretive programs.

For more information about the Elite 50, contact the Russellville Tourism and Visitors Center at (479) 967-1762. For more information about the state park, phone (479) 967-5516 or visit www.ArkansasStateParks.com.


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Submitted by the Arkansas Department of Parks & Tourism
One Capitol Mall, Little Rock, AR 72201, (501) 682-7606
E-mail: info@arkansas.com

May be used without permission. Credit line is appreciated:
"Arkansas Department of Parks & Tourism"
 

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