SMITHVILLE, Mo. — The Park Hill South Elite Anglers will present the club’s second Panther Classic High School Open Bass Tournament, May 3, at Smithville Lake.
The inaugural event last year hosted by the Park Hill South club drew 13 boats of high school anglers from across the state. Club adviser Gary Soske said hopes to draw 25 teams this year.
“If we can get more, that would be great,” he said.
Smithville has a 15-inch minimum length limit on bass, so the anglers will be allowed to weigh and record fish measuring longer than 12 inches and release the bass under 15 inches. They will also keep their five largest 15-inch fish to bring to the scales. The combined weights of the fish weighed in the boat and at the scales will determine the winner.
“They don’t necessarily just keep track of only five keepers,” Soske said. “Hopefully by reducing the length limit this way, we will make sure more kids get to weigh fish. We are trying to reward the kids who catch the most fish.”
For more information about the tournament, contact Soske (e-mail, soske@sbcglobal.net, cell phone, 816-810-3001) or Clay Lenhert (lenhert@parkhill.k12.mo.us, school, 816-359-5727; cell, 816-914-5330).
