The 2023 BoatUS Collegiate Bass Fishing Championship presented by Bass Pro Shops is coming to Lake Hartwell in Anderson May 25-26, 2023.
The pinnacle event of each season for the Association of Collegiate Anglers, the Collegiate Bass Fishing Championship has a prize payout valued at more than $30,000 and bestows the title of Bass Pro Shops School of the Year presented by Abu Garcia.
“We are very excited to be working with the Association of Collegiate Anglers and hosting the 2023 BoatUS Collegiate Bass Fishing Championship in Anderson County, Green Pond Landing, and Lake Hartwell,” Neil Paul, Executive Director at Visit Anderson, said in a press release. “We’ve been very blessed here in Anderson County to host some of the largest bass tournaments in the world and the opportunity to host the longest-running National Championship in collegiate bass fishing was an opportunity we didn’t want to miss.”
Wade Middleton, Director of the Association of Collegiate Anglers, said the ACA looks forward to bringing college fishing’s most prized championship to Anderson and its storied fishery.
“Over the past 15 years or so, Hartwell has played host to some of the most prestigious events in all of competitive bass fishing,” Middleton said. “We are very excited to announce Lake Hartwell as the host site for the 2023 BoatUS Collegiate Bass Fishing Championship presented by Bass Pro Shops.”
With 56,000 acres of water and 963 miles of shoreline, Lake Hartwell is home to a healthy population of largemouth and spotted bass. Green Pond Landing and Event Center will be the site of the tournament launch and weigh-in.
The 2023 BoatUS Collegiate Bass Fishing Championship presented by Bass Pro Shops will be the final event on the schedule for the 2022-23 season of the Bass Pro Shops Collegiate Bass Fishing Series. A no-entry-fee event comprised of a 200-boat field of college fishing’s top young anglers, the ACA Championship will be featured in the ACA television series seen across national networks. The event also will receive detailed coverage via social media, digital e-blasts, and live streaming on the Outdoor Action TV app.
The economic impact of fishing tournaments hosted at Green Pond Landing in the last seven years tops $66 million, according to Anderson County officials. At the conclusion of the Bassmaster Classic to be held at Lake Hartwell in March 2022, the economic impact figure will grow to a little more than $93 million.
