Triton Boat Owners Tackle
Old Hickory Lake, June 9th

The "Bass Boss," Ray Scott set
as special weighmaster at
Sanders Ferry Park…

HENDERSONVILLE, Tennessee - A full field of 250 two-angler teams hope Old Hickory Lake proves to be a much easier playing field this time when the 2001 Triton Boat Owner's Tournament launches Saturday, June 9th.

"Catching a five bass limit of keepers will be tougher," according to tournament director Larry Bryant, "but the weather's going to be much warmer."

Recently, the size limit for black bass on Old Hickory was bumped from 12 to 14 inches. Last March for the inaugural Triton Boat Owner's competition, 117 teams had to battle sub-freezing weather and wind.

Despite conditions, the team of Mark Metrick of Nashville and Dwayne Tidwell of Fairview weighed-in five bass and 19.84 pounds to claim the honors.

"We've had a lot of interest from Triton owners all over the country," said Bryant. "The entry had to be closed two months ago. Two hundred and fifty teams is our limit."

The tournament weigh-in will start at 3 p.m. at the Sanders Ferry Park, at the mouth of Drake's Creek, near Hendersonville.

Special weighmaster for the Triton tournament is Ray Scott, founder of the Bass Anglers Sportsman Society (B.A.S.S.), and the national spokesman for TRITON Boats, based in Ashland City, Tennessee.

Scott of Pintlala, Alabama is credited with making the cast heard around the bassin' world in 1967, when he organized the first cast-for-cash bass tournament at Beaver Lake, Arkansas. The following year, he started the B.A.S.S. society that's reached over 600,000 anglers worldwide.

Scott now heads a fishing and marine consulting group, Ray Scott Outdoors, Inc. Besides TRITON Boats, Scott represents Mercury Marine, MotorGuide trolling motors and SOSPENDERS, the inflatable life jacket by Sporting Lives.

There's a first-place award of $6,000 on the line for the heaviest five-bass creel. The big fish winner will net $3,000. The top 40 teams share in the payout.

"But, you don't even have to weigh-in a bass to get the big prize," says Bryant. "Earl Bentz (president of TRITON Boats) will draw a name from the 250 owners here, and the lucky boater wins a TRITON TR-21 with a 225 horsepower Mercury." According to Bryant, it's valued at $35,000.

For further information on the 2001 Triton Boat Owner's Tournament, contact tournament director Larry Bryant at (615) 948-9505.