The 2009 Bass Pro Shops Lake Simcoe Open presented by Jack Link’s Beef Jerky and BoaterExam.com, on Sat. Oct 24th in Orillia, is shaping up to be Canada’s most exciting tournament of the year!
 
There are several notable anglers competing in this prestigious event including: Bob and Wayne Izumi of the Real Fishing Show,  Facts of Fishing TV Show host Dave Mercer and Getting Schooled TV Show host JP De Rose.  We caught up with De Rose just before prefish today and he offered these last minute comments just before the big event: “With the lead-in conditions playing perfectly for the turnover on Lake Simcoe to take place I am expecting better fishing in general than last year when we were dealt a tough hand. We had a warm fall Chinook Wind roll through giving us temperatures well into the 20's for a week straight right before the event. That warm front caused the lake to toss and turn a couple of times making the water temperatures jump up and down in excess of 10 degrees over the course of a day! This year we have had stable cold with some big winds early and no projected warm fronts to really speak of ... so the fall smallmouth bite should be in full effect tomorrow.”
 
When asked what the chances would be to top the magical 30 pound barrier (for the five heaviest bass that will win the tournament) with a full field of 200 anglers in 100 bass boats all trying to do the same thing ... De Rose said “The challenge in breaking the Canadian record will not fall to the fish's responsibility. 100 boats means more sharing of key spots and it looks like the anglers that can find a spot to themselves stand the best chance to take home the cup. If someone finds such an area I think the record will come crumbling down this year and 31 pounds is a definite possibility."
 
Exciting Weigh-In
The public is invited to attend the free and exciting tournament weigh-in hosted by Dave Mercer  at the beautiful downtown waterfront’s Port of Orillia, at Centennial Park beginning at 2:30pm. Here the public can also witness the award winning Lake Simcoe Bass Tagging Research Project in action – as fisheries biologists and volunteers weigh, measure and tag the tournament caught bass before they are live released back to the waters of Lake’s Couchiching and Simcoe.  This project won the prestigious Berkley Conservation Award earlier this year. Open to thousands of Bassmaster Clubs across North America, this research work stood out above all and continues to provide fisheries professionals with excellent data on the local bass fishery. This project is part of the Ministry of Natural Resources’ Community Fisheries and Wildlife Involvement Program and partners with the lab of Dr Bruce Tufts at Queens University. It is in now in its fourth year with about 900 bass tagged so far.
 
Doug Bunker is the Director of Special Events and Promotions for the Orillia Chamber of Commerce and he had this to say about the upcoming event, “We’re thrilled to welcome 200 anglers, sponsors, volunteers and all the spectators for the weigh-in to the City of Orillia this weekend for the 2009 BPS Lake Simcoe Open Tournament. With two incredible bass fisheries – Cooch and Simcoe,  on our doorstep ... anglers will be treated to some of the biggest smallmouth bass this country has to offer. We hope they have such a great time fishing this event in Orillia that they consider returning for our other big fishing extravaganza – the Orillia Perch Festival, next spring”.
 
Payout Highlights:
 
Featuring payout for top 20 teams ... including guaranteed $25,000 for 1st, $10,000 for 2nd and $5,000 for 3rd place! Each team paid a $320 entry fee and total payout is over 200%...which is unprecedented in the Canadian tournament scene.   There is realistic chance at taking home 50K should the winners hit most of the contingencies the BPS Simcoe Open has in place.
 
New For 2009:
All 200 Anglers will be treated to a $5.00 Subway Sub Gift card as well as a free 6” Subway Sub to enjoy during their day of fishing.  When they arrive back at the weigh in a free BBQ – courtesy of Maple Lodge Farms will take place for anglers, volunteers and spectators – while supplies last.
 
The Aurora Bassmasters are one of the founding clubs of the Ontario BASS Federation Nation (OBFN) and have been involved with tournaments, conservation projects and youth fishing initiatives since 1995. The club’s website is www.aurorabass.com and more details on the OBFN are at: www.ontariobass.com