Team U.S.A. wins international black bass championship in New Brunswick

Team U.S.A. is the winner of the Pan American Black Bass Championship, which attracted some of the world’s best anglers to Nackawic and Fredericton this past week.

Team China placed third, and Team Canada came in second.

Altogether, about 200 anglers were on the St. John River for competition Friday and Saturday, including teams from Turtle Island, Wolastoqey First Nation, Mexico, Columbia, Dominican Republic, Puerto Rico, and Costa Rica.

Team U.S.A. – the event’s defending champions – gave top scores to the host communities.

“This was first class, you guys get the gold medal on that,” said Team U.S.A. captain Scott Martin, at the event’s closing ceremony.

Each team had eight two-person teams on the water, with the top pair’s heaviest fish counting toward the team’s final score. The fish were released back in the river, following the weigh-ins.

Weigh-ins were centred around Nackawic’s Big Axe Marina, with video of land and water activities live streamed online.

“We’re really making some big waves in this industry and in this sport,” said Martin. “We’re introducing the sport of bass fishing to everyone worldwide and that’s really our goal, and it’s working.”

Nackawic-Millville Rural Community Mayor Tim Fox said about 100 local volunteers stepped up to help make the event happen.

“There’s thousands of volunteer hours to bring this together,” said Fox. “We’re just amazed.”

Fox said the event fits nicely into the area's tourism strategy: Destination Nackawic. 

“We want to market this region, because we know we’ve got a gem,” said Fox. “This kind of exposure, we could’ve never afforded it.”

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