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.
 
As the hidden weight sponsor, we are thrilled to award $1,000 to the Team closest to (over or under) the undisclosed Strike King Coffee Tube Hidden Weight.” 
 
“On behalf of Strike King, we are very proud to lend our support to this exciting event.” said Lee Branscombe, Canadian Sales - Strike King (Integrity Outdoors).  “With a world class fishery such as Lake Simcoe, this tournament will no doubt establish record weights. As we look to the future, anglers of all inclinations will be drawn by the unique nature of the BPS Lake Simcoe Open, the payout structure(s) and the opportunity to compete against some of the best anglers in Canada.”.
    
The public is invited to attend the free and exciting tournament weigh-in hosted by Facts of Fishing TV Show host 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 Couching 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.
 
Featuring payout for top 20 teams ... including guaranteed $25,000 for 1st, $10,000 for 2nd and $5,000 for 3rd place!
 
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