LAKE CONROE, Texas, April 15, 2017 – When Jordan Lee, the winner of the 2017 GEICO Bassmaster Classic presented by Dick’s Sporting Goods needed a hand, TowBoatUS was there. On Sunday, Lee was crowned the winner of “the world championship of fishing,” but not before he had to ask the 24-hour on water assistance service, TowBoatUS Lake Conroe, for help in getting his disabled boat to the final weigh-in on time.
As the morning of the third and final day of the tournament unfolded, a glitch in Lee’s outboard made it impossible for him to get his boat on plane. Whether he had struck an underwater object or some other mishap was to blame, he suddenly was unable to chase fish across the 21,000-acre lake. Luckily, he was near the honey hole he was trying to reach. He fished it hard, bringing in an incredible 27-pound, 4-ounce, five-fish limit for the day, or nearly half of his winning three-day total of 56 pounds, 10 ounces.
However, with a dead boat in the water, getting to the final weigh-in was going to require a “Plan B.” After consulting with tournament officials, Lee, who is a BoatUS member with an annual TowBoatUS Unlimited Freshwater Towing Plan, was able to hop on a spectator boat while TowBoatUS Lake Conroe retrieved his boat. After a short tow to the launch ramp, Lee’s rig was quickly loaded on a trailer and brought to weigh-in, just in time for the 25-year old angler to claim his title – his first professional tournament win with B.A.S.S.
The bass fishing phenom, who worked his way up from the Carhartt Bassmaster College Series tour to world champion in less than four years, collected $300,000 for his win. The GEICO Bassmaster Classic paid out more than $1 million to the 52 competitors in the event, which drew a total attendance of more than 115,000 to the various venues in Houston and on Lake Conroe.
Weigh-ins were held in Minute Maid Park, home of the Houston Astros, each day of competition, March 24-26. Lee set new Classic records for the greatest comebacks, rising from 37th the first day to 15th on Day 2 and then to first.
“For Jordan Lee and the 70,000 other boaters who call us for assistance each year, this is how we make their boating better everyday,” said BoatUS Vice President of Towing Services Adam Wheeler.
Much like a reliable auto club for boaters, BoatUS offers TowBoatUS on-water Unlimited Towing Membership Plans for freshwater boaters and anglers for just $72 a year, which includes BoatUS membership. For saltwater boaters the price is $149. On-water tows, soft ungroundings, battery jumpstarts and fuel drop offs are included and there are no deductibles. The plans are good for any boat that is owned, rented or borrowed, and the TowBoatUS fleet is the largest in the nation with 605 red response vessels. Go to BoatUS.com/towing for more.
About TowBoatUS:
Boat Owners Association of The United States (BoatUS) is the nation’s leading advocate, services and safety group for recreational boaters. We provide our more than half-million members with a wide array of helpful services, including 24-hour on-water towing that gets you safely home when your boat won’t, will bring you fuel if you run out, jumpstart your dead battery, or provide a gentle pull after you’ve run aground. The TowBoatUS towing fleet is North America’s largest network of towing ports with more than 300 locations and over 600 towing assistance vessels, responding to over 70,000 requests for assistance each year. The new BoatUS Mobile App makes it easy to summon on-water and on-road assistance 24/7, and can speed response times (BoatUS.com/app). For more information go to BoatUS.com/towing.