Jason Gramada & Nicolas Gendron

Canada’s premier competitive fishing event is back, bigger and better than ever! Enter the 3rd edition of the Berkley B1 Canadian Bass Open, powered by Evinrude, regarded as the most prestigious contest in the professional angling arena. This September 24th & 25th, the Berkley B1 returns once again to the city of Salaberry-de-Valleyfield, located in Quebec near the Ontario border, who will play host to the 2 day extravaganza as the best professional bass anglers in the country ascend onto the pristine waters of Lake St-Francis. “The Berkley B1 has firmly positioned itself as the most anticipated and prestigious fishing event in Canada.” states Ben Woo, President, Berkley B1. “With the most prominent names in the business participating as well as industry leading sponsors that are committed to take tournament fishing to the next level, this year’s Berkley B1 once again showcase of the best fishing talent this country has to offer.”

Registrations for the competition have been sold out since March of this year. The Berkley B1 continues to be the only event of its kind to draw participation from four different provinces. Bass anglers everywhere consider it to be the highlight of the season and make it a priority to be a part of the Berkley B1 experience. “Berkley is incredibly proud to continue to be the title sponsor for this marquee event.” expresses Chris Hockley, Marketing Manager, Pure Fishing Canada. “Being the lead sponsor of this elite competition provides us the opportunity to support the competitive angling community on a national level and communicate the quality and performance of our products to fishing enthusiasts.”

BRP-owned Evinrude returns as the official outboard of the Berkley B1 continuing their longstanding heritage of supporting bass fishing competitions. “We recognize the magnitude of the Berkley B1 tournament and the role it plays in the Canadian fishing scene. This event represents the highest performance in its category, as does our Evinrude E-TEC outboard engines.” claims Krista Heidgerken, Senior Promotions and Tournaments Coordinator for BRP’s Evinrude outboard engines. The winners of the competition receive two(2) 2011 Evinrude E-TEC 250HO outboard motors including Raker 2 stainless steel performance props. Valued at over $60,000, winners of the Berkley B1 will also be treated to a turnkey install of the new power plants courtesy of Maple Grove Marine, a major Evinrude dealer in Quebec.

The city of Salaberry-de-Valleyfield has also increased their support tremendously for the event moving forward. The municipality becomes one of the major sponsors of the competition and subsequently presents the prestigious Big Fish Award, presented by Yokohama Tires. The winners receive up to $2,250.00 in cash along with a set of premium Yokohama Tires each, simply for weighing in the biggest fish of the tournament. Prizes are awarded for 1st, 2nd and 3rd place finishers respectively.

The blast-off of the event will be taking place at the Valleyfield Marina at 7am sharp on both mornings. With 150 boats competing, this will be a monumental spectacle that is not to be missed. Official weigh-in ceremonies for both days will be from 3pm to 7pm at the main stage located in Parc Sauvé in downtown Valleyfield. The entire event is open to the public but there is limited seating so spectators are encouraged to arrive early for the best viewing opportunities. Food, drinks and a beer garden will also be open onsite. The stage is set, the climax of the Canadian bass fishing season has arrived and the countdown is on to determine which anglers are truly worthy of being the 1.