Bassmaster Elite returning to Clarendon

CLARENDON COUNTY - The Bassmaster Elite Series returns to Clarendon in 2023.

B.A.S.S. announced its slate of tournaments for the 2023 season on Aug. 31 with South Carolina hosting back-to-back events next year. The Elite Series makes the first stop in the Palmetto State from April 20-23 on Lake Murray, and the next weekend the series heads to the Santee Cooper lakes on April 27-30. This will mark the ninth time since 1991 that a major fishing tournament has been held on Lake Murray and the 12th time a major B.A.S.S. tournament has been held on the Santee Cooper lakes.

"The 2023 Elite Series schedule allows us to visit multiple regions, including fisheries where we haven't been in many years to celebrate fishing fans and our great sport," said B.A.S.S. CEO Chase Anderson. "Anglers are tested in a variety of environments, truly battling for the right to call themselves the Angler of the Year or the Rookie of the Year."

Anderson said that for approximately 40 of the anglers competing on the 2023 schedule, the nine Elite Series tournaments are the pathway to fulfill a dream and compete on the biggest stage in sportfishing, the Academy Sports + Outdoors Bassmaster Classic.

Anglers hit the century mark on pounds when Lakes Marion and Moultrie hosted the most recent B.A.S.S. event in March. The ultimate winner, Georgia Pro Drew Cook, had a Century Club catch of 105 pounds, 5 ounces and out fished second-place winner Caleb Kuphall of Wisconsin by just 2 pounds, 4 ounces to take the win. Kuphall earned a Century Belt for his catch.

The big bass in the Santee Cooper lakes rank the popular fishing spot as third for the most Century Belts with eight. Lakes Marion and Moultrie rank 10th on Bassmaster Magazine's recent list of 100 Best Bass Lakes.

"I'm excited about the 2023 schedule and the opportunities to see huge bags and close finishes," said Lisa Talmadge, tournament director for the Elite Series. "What a way to kick off our season by going back to back to big-bass factories with the potential to produce a Century Belt before heading to Santee Cooper and the 1000 Islands, which both produced multiple Century Belts in 2022! Add in locations that've had record crowds or tight finishes plus fisheries where we haven't competed in years, and I think it's going to be a lot of fun to watch for all of us!"

The 2023 Bassmaster Elite Series will include nine regular season events in seven states with a healthy mix of familiar fisheries from recent schedules and some that B.A.S.S. hasn't visited in a while. From February 2023 through August 2023, anglers will battle each other and the big bass for the prestigious titles of Progressive Insurance Bassmaster Angler of the Year, Falcon Rods Rookie of the Year and Elite Series Champion.

The 2023 series will kick off on Feb. 16 with a three-day tournament on Lake Okeechobee in Florida. Then, the series heads to Lake Seminole in Georgia, followed by the Tennessee River in Tennessee, Lake Murray in Columbia, the Santee Cooper Lakes, Lay Lake in Alabama, Sabine River in Texas, Lake St. Clair in Michigan, Lake Champlain in New York and ends on the St. Lawrence River in New York on Aug. 24-27.