Bassmaster Classic Winner To Speak At Athens Workshop — National Collegiate Bass Championship Winner Also On Program

ATHENS Fishing enthusiasts who attend an upcoming bass management event will hear from two national bass fishing champions.

Bassmaster Classic winner Alton Jones is one the featured speakers at “The Largemouth Bass: Better Fishing Through Private Water Management,” set March 28-29 in Athens.

On Feb. 24, Jones took home the top prize of $500,000 at the Bassmaster Classic, said Dr. Billy Higginbotham, Texas AgriLife Extension Service wildlife and fisheries expert.

Higginbotham is one of the organizers of the upcoming two-day event, which will be held at the Edwin L. Cox, Jr., Texas Freshwater Fisheries Center near Athens. Sited on 107 acres, the center has more than 300,000 gallons of indoor and outdoor aquariums, educational facilities and a visitor center.

“Over three days of competition, Jones weighed in 49 pounds, 7 ounces of bass,” Higginbotham said.

Also on the program will be Trevor Knight, a collegiate bass angler, he said. “He and his partner, Justin Rackley, representing Texas A&M, won the 2007 National Collegiate Bass Fishing Championship at Lake Lewisville, Texas,” Higginbotham said. ” Trevor has 12 years of bass tournament experience with three years at the college level. He will be giving a live demonstration on successful fishing techniques for private waters during the guided tour portion of the program on Friday afternoon.”

The program has been designed primarily for landowners who manage their own water impoundments for bass fishing, Higginbotham said. Program topics will include basic bass pond management information