Springfield, Mo. — The Missouri State University bass fishing team is expanding its fundraising efforts by hosting two open tournaments this year.
“We usually do just one (fundraiser tournament) out of Lake of the Ozarks, but this year we had quite the need and people asked for us to have one out of Table Rock, so we decided to do one out of both lakes to suit both of our fan bases,” said Robert Moody, Missouri State Fishing Team president.
For the past two years, the Missouri State team’s fundraiser tournament at Lake of the Ozarks drew between 30 to 50 boats and raised between $2,000 to $3,000, according to Moody. This year’s open buddy tournaments will be held March 30 at the Lake of the Ozarks and April 14 at Table Rock Lake.
The entry fee for each tournament is $80 with another $20 entry fee for first and second big bass pots. The team president said there will also be raffle giveaways of rods, reels and lures during the tournaments.
Funds raised from the tournaments will go towards the team’s lodging and travel expenses throughout the year. Moody said his team will send a full contingent of eight boats to the Carhartt Bassmaster College Series tournaments at Smith Lake in Alabama and Bull Shoals in Arkansas. The team also plans on sending some boats to the Carhartt Bassmaster College Series event on the St. Lawrence River in New York.
More information on the fundraiser tournaments is available on the Missouri State Fishing Team Facebook page. For a copy of the rules and registration forms, send an email to andrewwshepard@gmail.com.
