B.A.S.S. officials announced Thursday the Bassmaster Elite Series event scheduled for Sept. 19-22 on Fort Gibson Lake in Oklahoma will instead be held on the state’s Lake Tenkiller.
The lakes are located just 40 miles apart in Oklahoma, and Cherokee Casino Tahlequah will still serve as the host for what is to be the final regular-season Elite Series event of the year.
When the 2019 schedule was first announced, the event was scheduled at Fort Gibson for May 16-19. Heavy rain and flash flooding in the region forced its postponement and the change to a different venue.
“The ongoing high water at Fort Gibson Lake and the uncertainty of dam repairs downstream at Webber Falls really left us no choice,” said B.A.S.S. CEO Bruce Akin. “We certainly made every effort to hold the event on Fort Gibson Lake, but the conditions just wouldn’t allow it.”
The tournament will determine the final order of the Angler of the Year standings, with only the Top 50 anglers advancing to the AOY Championship scheduled for Sept. 28-Oct. 1 on Michigan’s Lake St. Clair.