Oklahoma Tournament Trial
Lands "Bass Boss" for Finals

Ray Scott named weighmaster for
CITGO Championship at
Grand Lake, September 14-15...

TULSA, Oklahoma - The first cast won't be made until early morning on September 14, 2002, but the Nichols Marine of Tulsa, host sponsor for the Triton Boat Oklahoma Tournament Trail and the CITGO Championship, has already landed one of the "biggest bass" in the pond.

"The Bass Boss - Ray Scott, himself - will be here as official weighmaster and special celebrity guest for the CITGO Championship Tournament, September 14-15," according to Gary Nichols.

"This is the icing on the cake for what's been a super successful launch this year of our Oklahoma Tournament Trail, co-sponsored by Triton Boats," said Nichols.

During the four-tournament qualifying series, over 500 two-man teams have fished the qualifying rounds on Lake Eufaula and Grand Lake. A field of 280 teams will launch from Martin Landing on the Grand Lake of the Cherokees at "safe light" on September 14th for the two-day finals.

Scott of Pintlala, Alabama and the founder of the Bass Anglers Sportsman Society (B.A.S.S.) will serve as master of ceremonies with the weigh-in starting at 3 p.m.

"We're extremely proud of the numbers of teams that followed our Triton Tournament Trail this year," said Nichols. "The teams (280) who fished all four qualifying events qualified for the CITGO Championship. So, you see we had a strong following."

Nichols added, "Outside of the big-time Bassmaster Tour and the FLW Trail, our payback system gives a pretty good lump in the angler's pocketbook."

A selling feature of the Nichols Marine circuit is "100 percent payback of entry fees ($150 per team)" and 50 places, based on 200 teams per event, according to Gary Nichols. And with this years average attendance of 390 teams per event, over 90 teams received a check in each tournament.

"Without the support of our co-sponsors," Nichols said, "we'd not been able to do it."

Title sponsors for the four qualifying events were Budweiser, Rapala, the Turnpike Transit, Inc., Falcon Graphite Rods, and MotorGuide/Pinpoint.

First place in each of the four qualifying events rewarded a fully-rigged Triton TR185, powered with a Mercury XR6 outboard. A $20,000 prize. Second place received a guaranteed $5,000 cash.

The top prize in the CITGO Championship is a $37,000 fully-loaded Triton TR 20 with Mercury's 225-horsepower outboard. The runnerup team takes home $5,000 cash. The championship teams will be fishing for a five-bass daily limit with a 14-inch minimum size limit. Largemouth, spotted bass and smallmouth will be scored.

Other sponsor supporting the Oklahoma Trail are Mercury Marine, Lowrance, E-Z Loader Trailers, ProStart Batteries and Fishin' Pals Youth/Adult Tournaments. For more tournament information, contact: Gary Nichols at Ph (918) 838-2500.

Ray Scott, who is credited with starting the bass tournament fishing craze with his All-American Invitational Bass Tournament, June 5-7, 1967, at Beaver Lake, Arkansas, is making his second stop in the Tulsa-area this season.

"I'm not surprised of the turnout and success of the Nichols Marine and Triton Boat Oklahoma Trail," said Scott. "I was in Tulsa for the Tulsa Boat, Sport and Travel Show early this year, and bass fishermen were crowding into the Nichols display. They sold a Triton rig with a $50,000 price tag. I'm still amazed at what a bass angler will do."

Scott will be on hand prior to the 3 p.m. weigh-in on September 14-15 at the Martin Landing to talk bassin' and bass boating with tournament fans and sign autographs and copies of his best-selling book, "Bass Boss," the story of the birth of the Bass Anglers Sportsman Society and bass tournament fishing.

Scott serves as national spokesman for Triton Boats, Mercury Marine, MotorGuide Trolling Motors and SOSPENDERS, the U.S. Coast Guard approved inflatable life vest manufactured by S.O.S., Inc. Scott was recently honored by the National Safe Boating Council "for exemplary leadership and outstanding service on behalf of boating safety" and inducted into the Boating Safety Hall of Fame.

For the past 35 years, Scott has been a high-profile personality in the growing sport of bass fishing and was so honored as the first inductee in 2001 to the Professional Bass Fishing Hall of Fame in Hot Springs, Arkansas. Recently, he was elected to the International Game Fishing Association's Board of Trustees and working with the IGFA to further the organization's efforts in freshwater fishing and record setting.

Scott's consulting and marketing organization based in Pintlala, Alabama - Ray Scott Outdoors, Inc. - serves the fishing tackle and marine industries.