There are far more than 47 things to do and see at the March 24-26, GEICO Bassmaster Classic Houston presented by DICK’S Sporting Goods. But to celebrate the 47th annual world championship of bass fishing, this list stops at No. 47.
Fishing fans can also use this list as a set of reasons to attend the world championship, which features 52 of the world’s best bass anglers competing for more than $1 million on Lake Conroe, about an hour outside of Houston, Texas, plus the gigantic Outdoors Expo in the George R. Brown Convention Center and daily weigh-in festivities at the Houston Astros’ Minute Maid Park. All activities are family-friendly and free to attend.
- Help cheer on your favorite competitor at morning takeoffs. Come to Lake Conroe Park (14968 TX-105, Montgomery, Texas 77356) at 7:20 a.m. CT each morning and send off some of the world’s best bass anglers.
- Donut forget breakfast. Warm donuts will be available on-site from Shipley Donuts.
- Ride like the wind. Want to know what it feels like to ride like the wind? Come to the take-off site at Lake Conroe Park to test out the latest boats and engines from Mercury, Nitro, Skeeter, Triton and Yamaha.
- Experience the largest Outdoors Expo of its kind. Visit the Bassmaster Classic Outdoors Expo presented by DICK’S Sporting Goods at the George R. Brown Convention Center (1001 Avenida de las Americas, Houston, Texas 77010). With more than 300,000 square feet of exhibit space, this Expo is the largest in Classic history. Expo hours are Friday, March 24, noon-8 p.m.; Saturday, March 25, 10 a.m.-7 p.m.; Sunday, March 26, 10 a.m.-4 p.m. All events are free to attend.
- Schedule your day. Use the online floor plan to find out which booths you want to visit and what new product introductions you don’t want to miss — available at Bassmaster.com/expoattend.
- Meet anglers and win prizes. Check out the Miss GEICO racing boat –– and have the chance to play games, win prizes and meet anglers at the GEICO booth.
- Search for deals. Find hot buys, deeply discounted closeouts and launches of many of the newest products for 2017 at the DICK’S Sporting Goods booth and the Academy Sports + Outdoors booth, among others.
- Get into the drama of daily weigh-ins. The doors of Minute Maid Park (501 Crawford St., Houston, Texas 77002) will open each day at 3 p.m. for B.A.S.S. Life and Nation members and at 3:15 p.m. for the general public, Friday-Sunday. Find a seat, then sit back, relax and enjoy the slate of pre-weigh-in entertainment.
- Get Hooked On Fishing. Bring your kids to check out the Shell Bassmaster Get Hooked On Fishing presented by Academy Sports + Outdoors area from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., Friday to Sunday. Activities include casting lessons, a kid’s fishing pond, a long-jump dog competition, animated character appearances and more. It’s free!
- Be a cover model. Get a picture of your face on the cover of Bassmaster Magazine at the B.A.S.S. booth.
- Sign-up and don’t miss out. Sign-up for a Toyota Fan Pass and become eligible to win Toyota’s grand prize giveaway. Toyota vehicle owners can also stop by the Toyota tent at take-off and receive a free gift.
- Wheel your way to prizes. Stop by the Minn Kota/Humminbird booth and play the big wheel with different Texas Hold ’Em hands for prizes — everyone wins!
- Stay on track. Get up-to-the-minute information from the water with BASSTrakk.
- Bring your reel for free fill-ups. With 12 line spooling stations in its booth Berkley plans spool approximately 1.5 million yards of line during the three days of the show. Any attendee can bring up to three reels to be spooled with the premium line of their choice across the Berkley, Spiderwire and Stren brands.
- Get first dibs. Be one of the first 300 visitors to stop by the T-H Marine booth and you will win a hat and raffle ticket for additional prizes. On Sunday, a product giveaway will take place, and in order to be eligible, you must be wearing your T-H Marine hat and have your raffle ticket in-hand. The grand prize will be an Atlas Hydraulic jackplate, hosted by the T-H Marine Elite Pro Staff.
- Find the fish. Stop by the Lowrance booth to see the new HDS Carbon 16 — the largest fishfinder/chartplotter ever used in the Bassmaster Classic.
- See Arturo’s art. Don’t miss seeing Bassmaster Magazine illustrator Arturo Murga’s booth to view his original works of art. One lucky adult, and one lucky child, will be entered to win an exclusive autographed painting.
- Experience LIVE coverage. Watch the tournament leaders catch bass in real time on the exclusive Classic LIVE program on Bassmaster.com and on WatchESPN. Watch hosts Tommy Sanders, Mark Zona and Davy Hite as they provide analysis and live updates streamed from the Bassmaster Classic Outdoors Expo.
- Get dizzy. Come to the Triton booth to sign up to compete in dizzy bat races at the weigh-in and see the Triton 20th Anniversary Edition boat.
- Learn from the experts. Pick up some insider secrets at the DICK’S Sporting Goods 4,000-gallon fishing tank featuring many of the top names in bass fishing doing seminars every hour.
- Get charged up. The GEICO booth will offer smart phone charging stations for attendees. You don’t want to miss out on the perfect shot because of a low battery.
- Start an autograph collection. Celebrity bass pros will be on hand for autograph sessions, courtesy of the Expo exhibitors. Check schedules at each booth or online at Bassmaster.com/expoattend.
- Stay in style. Check out the latest line of fishing wear from Huk Performance Fishing that includes UV protection for those sunny days, moisture wicking capabilities to keep you comfortable and anti-microbial technology to keep you from smelling like your catch. They will also have items including rain gear, headwear and a newly released women’s clothing line.
- Be a part of the experience. Stop by the Shell ROTELLA® booth to participate in the most innovative Road Show ever, featuring exciting displays and graphics supporting the Energized Protection™ campaign.
- Try out a troller. Check out the latest Ultrex trolling motor at the Humminbird/Minn Kota booth.
- Watch the clock. Be present in the Nitro booth for their hourly giveaway items. You can also register for special promotions.
- Spin to win. Carhartt will have a spin-it to win-it wheel. A grand prize will be given out several times throughout each day.
- See the rising stars. See the fourth annual Costa Bassmaster High School Classic Saturday, March 25 at nearby Lake Houston, with the weigh-in at the Minute Maid Park. And don’t miss the 8th annual College Classic Sunday, March 26 at the same locations.
- Keep on rolling. Stop by the Dick Cepek Tires & Wheels booth to enter to win a free set of tires, and to cast, play and win a prize.
- Experience Turtle Power. Toyota brings the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles out of the shadows to make daily appearances at the Expo.
- Bait and hook. Check out the new line of Berkley hard baits and hooks. And get some expert advice from crankbait legend David Fritts.
- Make conservation a priority. See fiberglass replicas of the largest bass caught in Texas public waters. Learn about exciting changes to our popular Toyota ShareLunker Program at the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department booth.
- Plan your next trip. Stop by the Skeeter Boats booth and enter for a chance to win a saltwater trip with Bourgeois Fishing Charters, fishing with Theophile Bourgeois; or you could win a trip to catch possibly the largest bass in your life, on Lake Fork, Texas, with Mark Pack.
- Support the troops. Come out to the weigh-in on Friday and help us honor our country’s military service members. The first 300 to show their designated military ID at the B.A.S.S. booth will receive an official Bassmaster hat.
- See the pros’ products. Check out why professional anglers use Power-Pole and register to win a free Power-Pole shallow water anchor of your choice at their booth.
- Be a B.A.S.S. winner. Enter the Fish with Gerald Swindle Sweepstakes at the B.A.S.S. booth and around the Expo.
- Build a better bait. Customize your own spinnerbait at the Toyota booth.
- Score a wristband. Head over to the Shimano booth to find out how you can receive a soon-to-be-coveted wristband for access to its “Meet & Greet — and Meat!” party at Jackson Street BBQ following Saturday’s weigh-in. High school and college anglers will have special opportunities for wristbands, as well.
- Be a fan, lend a hand. Be on the lookout for the DICK’S Sporting Goods Bass Fan Bass Hand to wave at the arena.
- Record your catch. Stop by the Livingston Lure booth to check out the baits that allow you record all your catch data including: lure details, catch location and environmental conditions with the Sami app, available on the App Store.
- Take a sneak peak. Get a preview of what’s new at Mercury Marine for 2017, including the latest engines, parts and accessories.
- Defend your right to fish. Stop by the Yamaha booth to spin the wheel and sign up for the Bass Anglers for Saltwater Conservation program.
- Thank a first responder. Come to the weigh-in Saturday and show your support and salute our first responders and law enforcement officers. The first 300 to show their official ID/badge at the B.A.S.S. booth will receive an official Bassmaster hat.
- Test your luck. Play the spin-to-win wheel at the Mercury Dockstore for a chance to win prizes including oil, trolling motors and props.
- See what’s new. Go to the Phoenix Boats booth to see their newest model — the 921 PHX.
- Take home the T-shirt. Arguably, the official Bassmaster Classic T-shirt is the ultimate Classic souvenir. But there’s much more at the B.A.S.S. merchandise booth, from hats to shirts in all sizes and colors and for all ages.
- Witness history in the making. Watch the 2017 GEICO Bassmaster Classic champion receive his trophy at Sunday’s weigh-in.
2017 Bassmaster Classic Title Sponsor: GEICO
2017 Bassmaster Classic Presenting Sponsor: DICK’S Sporting Goods
2017 Bassmaster Classic Platinum Sponsor: Toyota
2017 Bassmaster Classic Premier Sponsors: Triton Boats, Yamaha, Berkley, Shell Rotella, Power-Pole, Huk, Humminbird, Mercury, Minn Kota, Nitro Boats, Skeeter Boats
2017 Bassmaster Classic Outdoors Expo Presenting Sponsor: DICK’S Sporting Goods
2017 Bassmaster Classic Local Sponsors: Shipley Donuts, Academy Sports + Outdoors
About the 2017 GEICO Bassmaster Classic presented by DICK’S Sporting Goods
The 47th world championship of bass fishing, the GEICO Bassmaster Classic presented by DICK’S Sporting Goods will host 52 of the world’s best bass anglers competing for more than $1 million, March 24-26 in Houston, Texas. Competition and takeoff will begin each day at Lake Conroe Park (146 TX-105, Montgomery, Texas) at 7:20 a.m. CT. There will be off-site parking and shuttles for fans wanting to attend the takeoff. Weigh-ins will be held daily March 24-26 at 3 p.m. in one of Major League Baseball’s Top 20 largest stadiums, the Houston Astros’ Minute Maid Park (501 Crawford Street, Houston, Texas).
In conjunction, the Bassmaster Classic Outdoors Expo presented by DICK’S Sporting Goods will be open daily only a block from Minute Maid Park at George R. Brown Convention Center, (1001 Avenida de las Americas, Houston, Texas) the largest in Classic history. Expo hours are Friday, March 24, noon – 8 p.m.; Saturday, March 25, 10 a.m. – 7 p.m.; Sunday, March 26, 10 a.m. – 4 p.m. All events are free and open to the public.
About B.A.S.S.
B.A.S.S. 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 500,000-member organization’s fully integrated media platforms include the industry’s leading magazines (Bassmaster and B.A.S.S. Times), website (Bassmaster.com), television show (The Bassmasters on ESPN2), social media programs and events. For more than 45 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, Bass Pro Shops Bassmaster Open Series, Academy Sports + Outdoors B.A.S.S. Nation presented by Magellan, Carhartt Bassmaster College Series presented by Bass Pro Shops, Costa Bassmaster High School Series presented by DICK’S Sporting Goods, Toyota Bonus Bucks Bassmaster Team Championship and the ultimate celebration of competitive fishing, the GEICO Bassmaster Classic presented by DICK’S Sporting Goods.