ESPN

Bassmaster Open pros and former Bassmaster Classic competitors are among the 225 anglers headed to Georgia's Clarks Hill Lake next week to compete for one 2008 Bassmaster Classic berth and a first prize of $100,000. The coveted berth will complete the 50-angler Classic field.

The Toyota Tundra Bassmaster Weekend Series Championship operated by American Bass Anglers is set for Nov. 14-17 out of Wildwood Park in Appling, Ga., near Augusta. The venue has been the site of two previous Bassmaster Elite Series event and will host one in 2008, set for May 1-4.

The former Classic participants include Lee Byrd of Birmingham, Ala. (1990 Classic); Jeff Coble of Manson, N.C. (2002 and 2006 Classics); and Mark Pack of Mineola, Texas (2000 Classic).

Bassmaster Open pros include Texans Corey Waldrop of Fort Worth and Brian Clark of Haltom City; Kenneth Chapman of Woodlawn, Tenn.; and Craig Nels of Baldwinsville, N.Y.

Contenders had to win the right to compete in the championship by coming out on top in their regional division. The top eight in points within each of 25 divisions, plus one wild-card qualifier from each division, make up the field of 225.

Nels, a 25-year-old Bass Pro Shops retail associate who qualified by finishing fourth in the standings in the Weekend Series' New York East Division, is focused on winning the Classic berth.

"I'm trying to start a career as a fisherman, and while a big payday early on could be an incredible help, a Classic berth would be fantastic," Nels said. "It would really be good as a career builder, vs. just having one big payday."

Like Nels, to Chapman, the Classic berth is a bigger prize than the $100,000.

"The money's a great thing, and it's an impressive purse, but a chance to go to the Classic would be the pinnacle for me," said Chapman, a retired Army master sergeant who has competed in bass tournaments for three years.

Check www.bassmaster.com for daily updates of the Championship.

NIGGEMEYER GUIDES AGAIN.

Before Bassmaster Elite Series angler James Niggemeyer of Van, Texas, established himself as a pro on the world's most prestigious circuit, the 35-year-old served as a guide on big-bass factory Lake Fork.

So it was no surprise when BASS invited Niggemeyer last Thursday to take out ESPN auto racing analyst Andy Petree on Texas' Lake Lewisville. The pair went fishing with writers from the Fort Worth Star-Telegram, which published a feature as part of its Sunday motorsports coverage that focused on Petree's career in NASCAR, including his work now in the broadcast booth for ESPN.

The duo also filmed segments for a special edition of North Texas Outdoors, star-telegram.com's outdoors show. While the fishing was tough, Niggemeyer boated a bass that weighed about 4 pounds. Petree showed ability, too, as the former championship-winning crew chief for Dale Earnhardt quickly repaired a faulty breaker switch on Niggemeyer's trolling motor during the outing.

"Any day that I am fishing, I consider a fantastic day," said Petree, who is in his first year as an ESPN analyst for NASCAR. As for the stubborn trolling motor, Petree added, "It just goes to show that you never know when you are going to need a mechanic."

Niggemeyer said he is looking forward to an off-season of preparation for the 2008 Elite Series season. He will use the time to scout a few of the tournament schedule's lakes with which he is less familiar, and he'll continue to seek sponsorship opportunities.

"Overall, I'm happy with the way I performed last year," Niggemeyer said of his rookie season. He tied for 44th in the Toyota Tundra Bassmaster Angler of the Year standings. "It's a disappointment to not make the Classic, but I feel I held my own against the strongest field of competition in the sport."

SOLDIER ON.

Bassmaster Elite Series pros Jim Murray and Marty Robinson, Bassmaster Open pros Butch Tucker and J Todd Tucker, and Women's Bassmaster Tour pro Rose Ellis are among those who signed up to host soldiers from Fort Gordon in Georgia for a day of fishing Nov. 18 on Clarks Hill Lake.

The outing for America's finest was organized by American Bass Anglers, operator of the Bassmaster Weekend Series, in conjunction with the Nov. 14-17 Toyota Tundra Bassmaster Weekend Series Championship.

The day after the 25 championship finalists are on the lake vying for a 2008 Bassmaster Classic berth and a first prize of $100,000, the soldiers will be paired with the BASS anglers for an on-the-water competition that awards prizes at a 2 p.m. ET weigh-in at Wildwood Park in Appling, Ga.

The program will wrap up with a USO-type show at 7 p.m. ET at Bell Auditorium in downtown Augusta, Ga.

KEVIN SHORT, CLASSIC ROOKIE.

"It's been a long time coming" was the first thing Kevin Short said when asked how he feels about earning his first Bassmaster Classic berth.

The 46-year-old Bassmaster Elite Series pro finished 34th in the 2007 Toyota Tundra Bassmaster Angler of the Year standings to get into the Feb. 22-24 Bassmaster Classic on Lake Hartwell out of Greenville, S.C. Only the top 36 Elite anglers qualified.

"It's a cool feeling," said Short, who lives in Mayflower, Ark. "I'm excited about it. I've always wanted to qualify, and this is the first year I've really focused on it and got it done."

What changed the course for Short was one bad day at Lake Amistad, the site of the first Elite event of the 2007 season.

"The second day at Lake Amistad, I didn't catch a single fish after catching 33 pounds the first day. I thought, maybe I need to step back here and change my approach, and I did. From that point on, I consciously tried — just catching a limit anymore is not good enough. You've got to catch a decent limit every day to get a check and have a shot at making the Classic. After that first event at Amistad, that's really what I tried to do, catch a decent limit every single day, and make the Classic.

"It took something as simple as setting a goal. Honestly, I've never had making the Classic as a goal at the beginning of the year — the goals have always been to win events."

Short is happy that his first Classic is in South Carolina, where bass fishing is big sport and big business.

"It's going to be a huge crowd (in Greenville)," he said. "That'll be fun."

Does he think he might get more fan attention than some other Classic contenders because of his frequent byline on www.ESPNOutdoors.com?

"I don't know about that. I think maybe I'll be a little bit more recognizable than some of the other guys just because I have been out there for a couple of years, first on Bassmaster.com and now on www.ESPNOutdoors.com — oh, and the pink, the pink really gets a lot of people's attention."

He was referring, of course, to his signature pink boat wrap as well as the blocks of bright pink on his game-day outfits.

Like any Elite pro, Short is used to ESPN's cameras, a barrage of media interviews, the stress of competing when big money is at stake, short nights and long days. He expects the same pressures at the Classic, but with one new wrinkle.

"I can't stay in my camper. I've gotten so used to it. I've got all my stuff right there. Not being in the camper is going to take me out of my comfort zone a little bit."

LIVE FROM FLORIDA.

No matter where they are in the world, fishing fans can find out first-hand at www.ESPNOutdoors.com who wins the six Bassmaster Classic berths awarded through the Nov. 8-10 BASS Federation Nation Championship on Florida's Lake Tohopekaliga.

Beginning at 3 p.m. ET each day, www.ESPNOutdoors.com will provide live, streaming video of the championship weigh-ins, including the final day, when six Federation Nation anglers will win the prize of a lifetime: a ticket to the Feb. 22-24 Classic on South Carolina's Lake Hartwell.

SAFETY FIRST.

"Fire happens all over, it's not just a California problem. Just look at South Georgia. And that's exactly why I spend a lot of the time promoting fire safety (while) out on the tour." — Greg Gutierrez, a Bassmaster Elite Series pro and a captain with the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection, as quoted in a Nov. 1 story at www.ESPNOutdoors.com about his role as media liaison during the recent California fires

For more information, contact BASS Communications at (407) 566-2208 or visit www.bassmaster.com. Visit www.espnmediazone.com for ESPN's latest releases, schedules and other news, plus photos, video and audio clips and more.

News exclusives, audio and video clips of bass fishing's biggest stars, loads of discounts and more are all part of BASS Insider, an exclusive membership, now available at www.bassmaster.com.

BASS is the worldwide authority on bass fishing, staging more than 20,000 events through the BASS Federation Nation annually. Guided by its mission to serve all fishing fans, BASS sets the standard for credibility, professionalism, sportsmanship and conservation, as it has for nearly 40 years.

BASS stages and sanctions bass fishing tournaments for every skill level culminating with the Bassmaster Classic. Through its clubs, youth programs, aquatic resource advocacy, magazine publishing and multimedia platforms, BASS offers the industry's widest array of services and support to its nearly 530,000 members. The organization is headquartered in Celebration, Fla.

Click here to JOIN BASS!