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Advisory: BASS Announces Move of First 2008 Southern Open

CELEBRATION, Fla. – BASS announced today that the first 2008 Southern Open will be moved to Jan. 17-19 on the St. Johns River in Palatka, Fla. The event was originally scheduled for Jan. 24-26 on Florida’s Lake Okeechobee.

Practice days for the St. Johns River event will be Jan. 14-16.

In an effort to avoid a schedule conflict with the FLW and, more importantly, for the safety of our anglers, BASS has decided to relocate our first 2008 Southern Open event,” said Tom Ricks, vice president and general manager of BASS.

Daily launches and weigh-ins, which are free to the public, will be held at Riverfront Park in downtown Palatka. The local sponsor of the Bassmaster event is the Putnam County Chamber of Commerce.

Priority entry registration for the 2008 Bassmaster Opens begins Oct. 29. Anglers who wish to participate in any of the Central or Southern Opens in 2008 should visit http://www.Bassmaster.com or call 1-877-BASS-USA.

BASS is the worldwide authority on bass fishing, sanctioning 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 sanctions and stages bass fishing tournaments for every skill level and culminates 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.

For more information, call BASS Communications at (407) 566-2208. To join BASS, visit http://www.bassmaster.com or call 1-877-BASS-USA