Ronnie McDonald
Publisher & Editor, Southern Fishing News
BBZ JC BREAKING NEWS- March 16 All Big Bass Zone Junior Championship state qualifiers that guarantee their attendance at the BBZ JC finals in Idaho Oct 2/3 the BBZ JC will send EVERY parent a check for 1200 cash to travel there. A 2-night stay is paid for along with 2 dinners and breakfast on tournament day. That will be 104,000.00 being given back to the parents and youth.
I first learned about the Big Bass Zone Junior Championship in James Hall’s (Editor-in-Chief) column in the March 2020 issue of BASSMASTER Magazine. The competition concept of what the Big Bass Zone was doing really sparked my interest.
Hall noted in his column that junior anglers between the ages of 13 and 19 register with the Big Bass Zone Junior Championship to “compete” to qualify to fish the championship.
Perhaps the biggest idea sparking my interest was the fact that the registered junior anglers could fish wherever they wished. Fishing could be from a bass boat, pontoon boat, a kayak and even from the bank for example. The fish can come from a lake, a pond, a river, and even a stream, the location of the catch does not matter. However, all catches must be entered now to August 1.
Photos are taken of the catches and uploaded to the Big Bass Zone Junior Championship. The junior angler that catches the biggest bass in each state represents that state in the championship which will be held on Lake Pend Oreille in Idaho. The event will award up to $300,000 in prizes that include a rigged Bass Cat boat. And, listen to this, all state qualifiers that guarantee their attendance at the BBZ JC finals in Idaho Oct 2/3 the BBZ JC will send EVERY parent a check for 1200 cash to travel there. 2 night stay is paid for along with 2 dinners and breakfast on tournament day.
…fish wherever they wished. Fishing could be from a bass boat, pontoon boat, a kayak and even from the bank..
I went straight to the authority on the Big Bass Zone Junior Championship, the CEO/Founder of BBZ & Big Bass Zone Junior Championship LLC, William (Bill) Siemantel for an explanation.
Bill provided me with an explanation of what the Big Bass Zone Junior Championship was all about, “The Big Bass Zone Junior Championship LLC (BBZ JC) sets a goal to offset the stagnate and
cost prohibited norm in bass fishing tournaments and start something fresh, new, and innovative.”
The document he provided gives some good insight – “The new tournament format has been established to focus on the growth of kids and young adults and motivate them towards enjoyment in outdoor activities. This tournament format will unbind the constrictive traditional one-day tournament format and allows anglers to compete on their schedules. In the past, stressful decisions had to be made by these young tournament anglers between their academic commitments and traditional bass tournaments.
The BBZ JC (Big Bass Zone Junior Championship ) will allow anglers to compete on their time while keeping up with their responsibilities. In this new format, there is no need for expensive equipment, this is grassroots fishing at it’s finest. This allows all young anglers at all skill levels to compete. All you need is a cell phone to
register your catch.
www.BBZJC.com
This tournament is also geared for social media. Every fish registered requires a photo; it’s easy to share, promotes a greater reach, and impacts the industry like nothing before. This tournament’s format is as simple as it gets.”
The website of the Big Bass Zone Junior Championship is where junior anglers register for the competition, www.BBZJC.com. There is a $25 one-time annual entry into the Big Bass Zone Junior Championship for one state, and $50 if registering for all 49 states known as the BBZ Nation. The official website has more information.
I encourage junior anglers to consider registering for this unique competition.
