WON BASS - Pro / AAA Schedule and Results

WON BASS Pro Circuit format

The WON BASS circuit for 2008 consists of 6 events - 3 in a Northern Region and 3 in a Southern Region. Each event has an official two-day practice period prior to the event. All tournament entrants must officially check-in at the tournament headquarters on either Thursday from 6-8 PM or Friday from 3-5 PM with the official partner pairings starting at 6PM on that Friday evening. There are no off limit periods on the WON BASS Pro/AAA circuit.

Pro anglers at each of these six open events will be fishing for a top prize of $30,000, consisting of a Nitro Z7 boat and trailer package equipped with a Mercury 175 hp ProXS motor, Lowrance electronics, MotorGuide trolling motor, and Trojan batteries. More importantly though, they will be accumulating points which will be used to determine the Northern Pro "Angler of the Year" and the Southern Pro "Angler of the Year". Each of these Anglers of the Year will receive a trophy cup, $4,000 cash prize, and entries to the 2009 WON BASS Open season worth $3,000 courtesy of Nitro Boats. All told, a total value of $7,250.

For the first two tournaments in each region, points will be awarded on a declining scale with 125 for first, 124 for second, 123 for third, etc… Anglers will also receive 15 participation points for each event. The final tournament of the season in each region will have the points doubled to give all anglers a chance to come from behind and claim the Northern or Southern "Angler of the Year" title. Anglers must fish all 3 events in the region to qualify as "Angler of the Year"

WONdering Anglers of the Year

At stake for our WONdering anglers will be the $10,000 Daiwa Cup for the Pro's and $3,000 AAA cup for our amateur anglers. The WONdering division will be decided at this year's US Open to be held on Lake Mead September 4th through 10th. WONdering anglers will single value points for each of the 6 regular season events and Double points for this year's US Open. The WONdering "Angler of the Year" awards will be presented at the US Open.

WON BASS AAA Division

The AAA program utilized by WON BASS has attracted a wide range of anglers to tournament fishing. It differs from the Pro/Am concept in that AAA contestants compete only with other AAA anglers for cash and prizes. AAA anglers are paired with Pro's for each day's fishing and they work with their Pro's to catch a daily limit of bass in what is known as a "shared weight" tournament.

The reason WON BASS utilizes the shared weight concept with both the Pro and AAA receiving the same weight is to garner cooperation and camaraderie on the boat. No longer will a non-boating AAA fisherman butt heads with the Pro angler and receive the "back seater" treatment, instead they will work together as a team since it is to both their advantage to catch as big a limit as possible.

This format also allows a Pro boater are better chance to catch his or her fish. The Pro angler is guaranteed the use of his or her boat for both days of tournament fishing and has the exclusive right to the use of the trolling motor and selection of waters fished. By the same token, the AAA angler has the opportunity to fish with and learn from two different Pro fishermen for a mere $225 entry fee. Try buying a one-day guided trip for that price!

Of course, the true purpose of the AAA division - just as with the Major and Minor league in baseball - is to develop professionals who are confident and knowledgeable enough to run their own boat and succeed in the professional ranks. This concept works each season as AAA anglers advance to the Pro division. For anyone who is serious about expanding their fishing abilities with the goal of one day becoming a Pro, the WON BASS AAA division provides a fertile learning ground in which to test your abilities.

At each of the 6 WON BASS Open events for 2007, our AAA anglers will be fishing for a 1st place prize of $2,000 cash based upon a full field of 150 anglers. Just like the pros, the AAA anglers will be fishing for end of the year Northern and Southern Championship titles. The "Angler of the Year" recipients will receive a trophy cup, $2,000 in cash, and entry certificates for the 2009 WON BASS season courtesy of Nitro Boats - a $3,600 value in total.

WON BASS Open events payback

Payback is based upon full field of 150 anglers - **1st place payback is guaranteed and consists of a Nitro Z7 boat and trailer, a Mercury 175hp ProXS outboard motor, Lowrance electronics, MotorGuide trolling motor, and Trojan batteries.
Big bass Daily Double award is included in the entry fee.

Pro Anglers - AAA Anglers

The all cash portion of the prize purse is based upon one place for every five entrants in each division. No added merchandise is included in the cash payout total of WON BASS events. WON BASS will post the full payback for each event at the tournament site prior to the start on Saturday so anglers may know what they are fishing for.

Entry fees for the WON BASS events are $500 for Pro anglers and $225 for AAA anglers. This amount includes a Big Bass Daily Double prize that pays the largest bass caught the first day of competition $800 and the second largest bass caught the first day of competition $350. WON BASS then doubles this up and pays the same amounts for the first and second largest bass caught during the second day of competition.

Each contestant also has the option of competing for additional cash prizes awarded in each of our two additional option pools. The $50 Big Stringer option pays back the big stringer each day of the competition with a 50% payback to the first day's big stringer and the remaining 50% payback to the largest stringer of the second day. This option is available to both the Pro and the AAA division as each group is paid out of their own option pools. The Pro's are fishing for the Pro's money while the AAA anglers are fishing for the AAA money.

The $100 High Roller option pays back the top three anglers in each division at the end of the tournament with a cash breakdown of 50% for first place, 30% for second place, and 20% for third place finisher in each pool. These pools are also divided among the Pro and AAA fields, with each group fishing for their own money. As with the Big Stringer option, the High Roller option is a 100% payback.

Nitro Owners Reward Program

Nitro boats is offering to WON BASS anglers one of the most lucrative ownership rewards programs in the fishing industry. With prize paybacks up to $7,000 per event, it pays to be a Nitro boat owner. This program not only covers our WON BASS Pro-Am events, but is extended to our team events as well. Full details of this program can be found on line at www.fishingtourrewards.com.

Daiwa Cup

The Daiwa Cup is again a part of the WON BASS tour and will be awarded to the Pro angler who achieves the highest point total over the course of the 6 WON BASS Open events and the US Open. The points from the regular season tournaments will have a single point value and the US Open will be worth double points. The Top angler in total points at the conclusion of the US Open will be crowned the Daiwa Cup - WON BASS WONdering "Angler of the Year" and receive a check for $10,000.

AAA Cup

The AAA Cup is structured much the same as the Daiwa Cup and will be awarded to the AAA angler who achieves the highest point total over the course of the 6 WON BASS Open events and the US Open. The points from the regular season tournaments will have a single point value and the US Open will be worth double points. The top angler in total points at the conclusion of the US Open will be crowned the AAA Cup - WON BASS WONdering "Angler of the Year" and receive a check for $3,000.

U.S. Open

The U.S. Open is the marquee bass fishing event in the Western United States. Second only to the BASSMasters Classic in terms of longevity and name recognition, the fishermen who have participated in the U.S. Open reads like the "Who's Who" in bass fishing. This year will be no exception as the partnership with Nitro Boats and Bass Pro Shops should motivate some big name East Coast anglers to participate in this year's Open.

Held annually on Lake Mead, the U.S. Open is now in its 26th year. This event is open to all WON BASS anglers with a Pro entry fee of $2,000 and an AAA angler entry fee of $750. The entry fee includes 5 daily big bass awards worth $1,000 each and daily big stringer award for both the Pro and AAA angler valued at $1,500 each.

For the 2008 season, the U.S. Open will offer as the top Pro prize a new Nitro Z9 boat and trailer equipped with a Mercury 250hp ProXS motor, Lowrance electronics, MotorGuide trolling motor, and Trojan Batteries. The winner will also receive a new Ford F150 truck from Paul Leader and the folks at El Cajon Ford, not to mention a U.S. Open championship ring from Markey's lures and a check for $70,000, placing the total value of the 2007 U.S. Open championship at $150,000.

Nitro Boats First Time Anglers Incentive

The goal of both Nitro Boats and WON BASS is to provide and exciting, educational angling experience within the framework of a professional level tournament. The goal is also to increase the number of anglers participating in our tournaments to provide the highest payback possible. As such, Nitro is pleased to announce an incentive program geared at driving new fishermen into WON BASS tournaments. Nitro boats will in effect subsidize the entry fee of new pro and AAA anglers alike who are fishing with WON BASS for the first time. This program will even include anglers who are coming back to fish with WON BASS after a hiatus of 2 years or longer.

The Nitro program is set to provide a 50% discount off the basic WON BASS entry fee to new AAA anglers fishing their first WON BASS Open tournament. It will also give a 20% discount to any Pro angler who is fishing with WON BASS for the first time. Additionally, Nitro backs these discounted entries, so there will be no change in the overall payback of the tournament. This effectively reduces the Pro entry fee to $400 and the AAA entry fee to $120. Basics of the Nitro new angler incentive program are as follows:

o Program is valid for the six 2008 WON BASS regular season Open events only.
o Only one discounted to the WON BASS circuit will apply per angler
o WON BASS membership and tournament options are not included in the discount price
o Discounted entries must be called into the WON BASS office at (949) 366-0030 ext 38. so we may verify your angling status. Entries must be phoned in before the tournament entry deadline of Tuesday noon prior to the event.
o Discounted entries are limited to new anglers, or returning anglers who have not fished any of the WON BASS Open Pro-am or US Open tournaments in the last two years.
o Jumping from AAA to Pro Ranks or visa versa does not constitute a new angler.
o Due to season long points races, regular season anglers will be given priority over incoming new anglers as the season progresses.

Archived 2006/2007 Results