St. Lawrence County working on plans for pandemic-safe, July Bassmaster Elite tournament

Ellis Giacomelli, Watertown Daily Times, N.Y.
·3 min read

Apr. 21—WADDINGTON — The Bassmaster Elite Series is again slated to be hosted in St. Lawrence County this summer.

The series tournament was first held in Waddington in 2013, again in 2015, and now every year since 2017. Qualifying professional bass anglers will head to the St. Lawrence River at Waddington's Whittaker Park to compete from July 15 to 18.

The St. Lawrence County Chamber of Commerce is continuing to work with Co-Chair of North Country Events William E. Dashnaw, who heads the tournament's organizing committee, to assess changing capacity guidelines, determine how related downtown activities will be handled and finalize safety plans based on public health standards.

During the county Board of Legislators' Monday night Services Committee meeting, Chamber Tourism Director Brooke E. Rouse said the committee is anticipating capping tournament attendance at 200 people in Whittaker Park over the four-day weekend, as the state's outdoor gathering maximum is set at 200 as of March 22. As of April 2, the outdoor maximum increased to 500 people, with proof of COVID-19 vaccination or proof of a negative coronavirus test result.

"Our goal right now is just to make sure the county is in support of having the tournament here," Mrs. Rouse told lawmakers.

Launched in 2006 by the Bass Anglers Sportsman Society, or BASS, the Elite Series was born out of previous iterations of professional bass fishing tournaments.

In 2018, former Waddington Mayor and Co-Chair of North Country Events Janet M. Otto-Cassada signed a contract with BASS to host the elite series event annually through 2021. An additional, smaller BASS regional tournament was contracted for 2022.

The contract decreased the host fee by $10,000 from $60,000, each year for three years. A portion of the host fee — roughly half in the past — has typically been funded by a county allocation at the request of the local organizing committee, with the balance and additional marketing and supply costs covered by private sponsors, grant funding and tournament revenue.

Pre-pandemic, thousands of visitors spent the tournament weekend in Waddington and St. Lawrence County.

BASS officials postponed spring competition last year at the outset of the COVID-19 health crisis, rescheduling the season throughout the summer. Last year's Bassmaster Elite tournament on Cayuga Lake was canceled, but with COVID testing and capacity protocols in place, the Waddington event was still held. Spectators were prohibited, and the competition was aired on ESPN2.

County legislators were concerned about the success of the event and discussed their financial support more contentiously than in previous years. A $30,000 contribution was ultimately approved for 2020.

This year's funding has yet to be discussed by the board.

Based on an impact assessment prepared by the Chamber, the Waddington tournament alone generates roughly $78,000 in local lodging, not including added taxes. The lodging figure combined with direct spending on local food, gas and merchandise, Mrs. Rouse said Monday, totals $136,800 for a typical seven-day period of angler and crew presence annually.

The tourism boost is "a conservative estimate," she added.

Waddington's July tournament closes out the BASS elite season. The organization's other remaining elite competitions include Lake Fork in Quitman, Texas, this weekend; Neely Henry Lake in Gadsden, Ala., starting May 6; Lake Guntersville in Scottsboro, Ala., starting May 20; and Lake Champlain in Burlington, Vt., starting July 8.