Take the Bassmaster Classic champion, the Rookie of the Year, the Top 8 anglers from the Toyota Bassmaster Angler of the Year rankings and four anglers voted in by the fans and put them on Muskegon Lake in West Michigan for three days of competition to crown a single champion. That’s Toyota All-Star Week, Sept. 27-29.
This is the third annual Toyota All-Star Week, and it promises to be the biggest and best ever.
All-Star is designed to showcase the best and most popular anglers from the Bassmaster Elite Series. The pros compete for several days in a bracket-style competition to determine the All-Star champ. This year, the semi-finals will be held on Muskegon Lake on Sept. 27 and Sept. 28. The Championship, with only the Top 4 anglers remaining, will be held on White Lake in northern Muskegon County. Weigh-ins will be held each day at Heritage Landing in downtown Muskegon.
Ott DeFoe of Tennessee won the inaugural event in 2011 on the Alabama River. Last year, Alabamian Aaron Martens outlasted the field and took home the title on Illinois’ Lake Decatur. The winning angler also takes home a check for $50,000.
In 2012, All-Star anglers headed to Decatur, IL, to take on lakes Shelbyville and Decatur in a four-day challenge. After several days of challenging fishing on the Midwest lakes, Martens and Oklahoma’s Edwin Evers faced off for the lion’s share of the $100,000 purse. Martens trumped Evers in a nail-biting finish and donated a portion of his winnings to charity.
Evers is currently in the lead for Angler of the Year, with Martens not far behind. Both are shoo ins to compete this year in the All-Star, though the final AOY standings will be released next week after the Bassmaster Elite Series Plano Championship Chase in Detroit, Mich.
Voting for fan favorites this year is available by visiting: www.bassmaster.com/tournaments/toyota-all-star-week
For hotel information, directions to Heritage Landing, or other questions about the Heritage Landing schedule of events for Toyota All-Star Week, call the Muskegon County CVB toll-free at 800-250-9283 or go to www.visitmuskegon.org.
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