Cabela’s North American Bass Circuit 

Visits Minnesota’s Lake Minnewaska July 16

Presented by Garmin

Ponca City, Okla-Competitive bass anglers can expect exciting team-format tournament action and a chance to win thousands in cash and prizes when the Cabela’s North American Bass Circuit visits Minnesota’s Lake Minnewaska July 16.

Presented by Garmin, the event offers a single day of competition on the 8,000-acre outstate gem, and is open to all two-person teams regardless of sponsor or club affiliation. Teams will be allowed to bring their best five large- or smallmouth bass to the scale, and the team with the heaviest total will be crowned the champions.

NABC veteran Shane Raveling says he and his father Mark Raveling are excited about fishing the event. “Minnewaska is a great lake with a really healthy population of largemouths and smallmouths,” he says. “It’s going to be a fun tournament for sure.”

Raveling says Minnewaska offers a variety of fishing options, allowing anglers to play to their strong suits. “You can fish weedlines, shallow water, pencil reeds, offshore-everything,” he says. “The lake is loaded with chunky, 2½- to 3-pound bass. I think it will take at least 17½ pounds to win this one.”

Besides great bass fishing and the thrill of competing in a professionally run setting, teams will vie for serious cash and bragging rights. Cabela’s NABC payouts are based on the number of teams entered in each event. Qualifiers with 75 teams or more offer a guaranteed first-place cash purse of $10,000 plus additional payout to the top 20 percent of the field. Plus, the NABC Big Bass Pot, along with sponsor bonuses including Ranger Cup, Stratos 2X and Garmin Grand Giveaway add thousands to the total.

The 2016 Cabela’s NABC season includes four qualifiers in Minnesota and Wisconsin, visiting a variety of largemouth and smallmouth bass fisheries at peak fishing times. The remaining schedule includes Lake Wissota, Wisconsin, July 30 and Mille Lacs Lake, Minnesota, August 13. The Cabela’s NABC Championship is set for October 1-2 at Sturgeon Bay, Wisconsin.

Teams may fish one or all qualifiers, but those competing in multiple events can reap even greater rewards. Those fishing at least three NABC tournaments have a shot at qualifying for the prestigious, high-stakes Cabela’s NABC World Bass Championship, which offers $15,000 for first place and $10,000 for second, based on full fields at the qualifiers and championship.

Team of the Year titles will also be awarded to the top five teams, led by a $3,600 prize package for the overall Team of the Year, which includes paid entry fees to all four 2017 qualifiers and the 2016 championship, $1,000 in Cabela’s gift cards and handsome trophies.

Bass fans of all ages are invited to watch the action unfold at the weigh-in, which is free, open to the public, and starts at 3 p.m. at Captain’s Bar and Grill in Glenwood.

Cabela’s, the World’s Foremost Outfitter for hunting, fishing and outdoor gear, is in its sixth season as title sponsor of the NABC. Other sponsors include: Ranger Boats, Stratos Boats, Mercury Marine, Garmin, MotorGuide, G-Juice and T-H Marine.

The Cabela’s NABC is based in Ponca City, Oklahoma. Entry fees are $500 per regular season tournament and $600 for the two-day championship. Along with an overall payback of more than 116 percent in 2015, a small donation is included in each entry fee and matched by the NABC and other conservation organizations up to 3-to-1 in support of bass conservation projects anywhere the NABC does business.

Registration for the Lake Minnewaska tournament closes Monday, July 11. For more information, visit northamericanbasscircuit.com, or call (580) 765-9031.