Tournament waters will include Fort Loudoun and Tellico lakes, twin reservoirs connected by a canal and comprising about 30,000 acres. The 50 competitors can fish either lake and anywhere along the Tennessee River upstream from Fort Loudoun Dam to the Interstate 40 bridge on the Holston River and the Highway 168 bridge on the French Broad River.
The Classic has come a long way since its inaugural event in 1971 at Lake Mead, NV, which Bobby Murray won with 43 lbs. 11 ozs (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kaKI81zuUGw). Originally, it occurred in the fall but switched to summer in 1984, and then to late winter in 2006. In 1977, founder Ray Scott also stopped holding the Classic at a "mystery lake" and began announcing the site in advance to permit fan support. The '77 event (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wm3Tmmw22lg) was held at Kissimmee Chain, FL, with Rick Clunn taking top honors. His winning weight was 27 lbs. 7 ozs.
Both Clunn and Kevin VanDam have a total of four Classic wins. Meanwhile, Jordan Lee, Bobby Murray, Hank Parker, and George Cochrain have finished first twice each.
Other record-book holders include the following:
* Largest Bass Caught: 11-10, Preston Clark, Toho, FL 2006
* Heaviest Venue Total Weight: 1,578-14, Red River, LA 2009
* Heaviest Total Weight: 69-11, Kevin VanDam, Louisiana Delta, LA 2011
* Heaviest Single-Day Weight: 32-3, Paul Mueller, Guntersville, AL 2014
* Most Top 5 Classic Finishes: 11, Rick Clunn
* Most Consecutive Classic Appearances: 28, Rick Clunn, 1974-2001
* Most Second Place Finishes: 4, Aaron Martens, 2002, 2004, 2005, 2011
* Largest Final Day Comeback: 13-14 deficit, Jordan Lee, Conroe, TX 2017
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