Award-winning rod maker to sponsor Bassmaster Opens Series

Renowned award-winning rod maker St. Croix will be title sponsor of the Bassmaster Opens Series 2022.

The Wisconsin company will also award $1,000 to any angler who wins a series event fishing St. Croix rods, or $500 to the highest-placed top-10 angler fishing its rods.

The first tournament in the series is set for February 3rd to 5th on the Kissimmee Chain of Lakes in Florida. Further opens will be held in Tennessee, South Carolina, Mississippi, Louisiana, Texas, Virginia, New York and Maryland.

The series has attracted record-breaking registration numbers from anglers eager to secure one of the 225 boater spots for each 2022 event.

“We’re thrilled to welcome St. Croix – America’s premier, family-owned rod company – onboard this year as our title sponsor to help us spotlight the future stars of our sport. The competition is going to be fierce,” said Hank Weldon, Tournament Director for Bassmaster Opens.

“The Opens have always been a critical proving ground for tournament anglers. Current Bassmaster Elite anglers and St. Croix pro-staffers like Caleb Kuphall, Bob Downey and Pat Schlapper have all leveraged their success in the Opens to ascend to bass fishing’s biggest stages, the Bassmaster Elite Series and the Bassmaster Classic.”

The winners of all nine 2022 Opens will earn a place in the 2023 Academy Sports + Outdoors Bassmaster Classic presented by Huk, provided they have fished all three events in the division in which their win occurred.