PONCA CITY, Okla. (March 31, 2017) – The Bass Federation (TBF) and FLW announced that the Table Rock Lake Chamber of Commerce and Kimberling City, Mo., will host the 2017 TBF Federation National Championship, April 3-8. The first of its kind, the event will be the largest, richest, most exciting championship in the Federation’s decades old history. Anglers qualified both under the old state team/divisional format and the new wildly popular TBF National Semi-Final format so that no one would be left out. 

“We’re thrilled The Bass Federation has again chosen Kimberling City on Table Rock Lake to host its national championship,” President of Table Rock Chamber of Commerce, Sheila Thomas, stated. “Our community is very excited to welcome this great organization and all of its anglers next April.” 

The championship contest will be held on Table Rock Lake launching out of Port of Kimberling in down town Kimberling City. 

“We’re excited to bring TBF anglers what they asked for in the new event format and make a mark in the history books while doing it,” TBF President, Robert Cartlidge, said. “While we’re sad to see the division format go, the excitement, growth and participation nationwide since the transition are proof we’re better serving our members.” 

“We can’t wait to get to Kimberling City so the very best grassroots anglers from across North America can test their skills on Table Rock Lake,” Cartlidge continued. “”The Rock” is a diverse fishery with something for everyone so that each angler can fish their strengths, the fishing is exceptional, and it’s a perfect place for families with lots to see and do in the area.” 

The new TBF National Semi-Final program that is now feeding this event is mapped out to minimize drive time, cost and time off work all while helping TBF grassroots anglers get to premier events. The program is comprised of 22 National Semi-Final competitions that span the traditional seven TBF geographical divisions in North America. 

Anglers can qualify for their National Semi-final either through a state federation event or directly through their TBF affiliated local club events. The total number of anglers each state can advance is based on total participation numbers in that state. 

At the 2017 Federation National Championship anglers will compete in a cut format event that will see the top boater and co-angler from each state earning spots in new Ranger Boats and 

Evinrude Outboards for the final three days of competition. These anglers will fight for a share in the record payout and for 15 berths in two of the sport’s most coveted events – the Forrest Wood Cup and the BFL All-American. 

Fourteen finalists, seven boaters and co-anglers, will advance to the 2017 BFL All-American. The National Champion boater will advance to the world championship of bass fishing, the 2017 Forrest Wood Cup, for a shot at winning the biggest payday in bass fishing. 

The winning boater will also receive the $100,000 “Living the Dream” package to include a cash prize, fully paid entry fees on the 2018 FLW Tour as a pro, travel expense stipends for each event and use of a “Living the Dream” wrapped Ranger boat with Evinrude Outboard for the year. The top co-angler will also receive a cash prize along with fully paid entry fees into the FLW Series division of choice. 

The Bass Federation is proud “Partners in Fishing” with FLW who helps support this annual event along with all the other industry leading TBF sponsors including; Ranger Boats, Evinrude, Cabela’s, Humminbird, MinnKota, Berkley, Lowrance, and Power Pole. 

Coverage of the TBF National Championship will be broadcast in high-definition on the Pursuit Channel and streamed live daily on bassfederation.com. 

For more information about, The Bass Federation, visit bassfederation.com or call 580-765- 9031. Look for TBF on facebook at Facebook.com/thebassfederation and on twitter at Twitter.com/bassfederation, @bassfederation. 

For more information about the Table Rock area, contact Sheila Thomas, Table Rock Chamber, 417-739-2564 or http:// www.visittablerocklake.com/ 

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About TBF: The Bass Federation Inc. is the oldest and largest, organized grassroots angling organization in America. TBF is 100 percent owned by those it serves and is dedicated to the sport of fishing. TBF affiliated state federations and their member clubs conduct more than 20,000 fishing, youth and conservation events at the local level each year, and have provided the foundation for the entire bass fishing industry for almost 50 years. For more information about TBF or High School Fishing visit bassfederation.com or highschoolfishing.org and look for us on Facebook and YouTube. 

About FLW: FLW is the world’s largest tournament-fishing organization, providing anglers of all skill levels the opportunity to compete for millions in prize money in 2016 across five tournament circuits. Headquartered in Benton, Kentucky, with offices in Minneapolis, FLW conducts more than 235 bass-fishing tournaments annually across the United States and sanctions tournaments in Canada, China, Mexico, South Africa and South Korea. FLW tournament fishing can be seen on the Emmy-nominated “FLW” television show, broadcast to more than 564 million households worldwide, while FLW Bass Fishing magazine delivers cutting-edge tips from top pros. For more information visit FLWFishing.com and follow FLW at Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, YouTube and Snapchat: @FLWFishing.