Syracuse.com - Bassmaster Elite Series fishing tournament set for Cayuga Lake this summer

[HuntingNY-News]

An Elites Series tournament held this past summer at Waddington on the St. Lawrence River had a million-dollar impact on the local economy.

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The best professional bass fishermen from across the country will be on Cayuga Lake this summer.

Add to that, Gov. Andrew Cuomo along with other local and state officials are expected to wet their lines there as well -- or on some other nearby waterway.

It's all part of a Bassmaster Elite Series fishing tournament scheduled for Aug. 21-24. The winning pro will walk away with a $100,000 check.

The Elite Series schedule, announced on Bassmaster.com, notes Cayuga Lake is the 8th stop on the prestigious series tour.

The news of an Elite Series tournament on a Finger Lake was first announced this summer by Gov. Andrew Cuomo at the Elite Series Evan Williams Bourbon Showdown held Aug. 8-11 at Waddington on the St. Lawrence River.

At that time, Cuomo also noted the event would include a separate contest, the "Governor's Challenge," featuring the governor, elected officials from New York State and some of the biggest names in professional fishing." The location for that event has not been announced yet.

As part of this partnership with B.A.S.S., Cuomo added, the professional bass fishing organization agreed to provide "a promotional media campaign that will feature its Elite Series tournament, the Governor's Challenge and other New York fishing opportunities and destinations."

The news of the Cayuga Lake tournament and Governor's Challenge is good news for the local economy.

The Bassmaster Elite Series fishing tournament held this summer at Waddington on the St. Lawrence River had a substantial economic impact with attendees spending $1 million to $3 million in St. Lawrence County, a recent survey found.

That tournament, the Elite Series Evan Williams Bourbon Showdown, was held Aug. 8-11.

The economic survey was conducted by six Clarkson University MBA students. They gave their report recently to the St. Lawrence County Chamber of Commerce and the county's Board of Supervisors.

According to a story in northcountrynow.com, 96 percent of (the expenditures) at the Waddington event came from U.S. visitors and 4 percent from Canadian guests. The survey determined about a quarter of the total expenditures were on "non-fishing related shopping." Also, that "a little less than a quarter each were on accommodations, and on food and beverages; about 17 percent on fishing gear, and 11 percent on gas station expenses."

View the full article on The Syracuse Outdoors Blog