The competition took place at Lake of the Ozarks in Missouri, USA, and was held over two days. Fish caught (largemouth, spotted, and smallmouth bass) that met the required size were placed in livewells, and the five heaviest fish were weighed. In addition to the top three winners, the "Big Bass" award was given for the single heaviest fish caught over the two-day total.
According to the organizing committee, this is the first time in history that Chinese individuals have participated in a Bassmaster competition. The two students caught one fish on the first day weighing 3 pounds 4 ounces, and one fish on the second day weighing 2 pounds 9 ounces, ultimately placing 49th out of 84 boats. Although the ranking was not high, given the significant gaps in equipment and competitive experience, and having navigated their way to a world-class bass fishing tournament without prior guidance, they have taken the first step for Chinese individuals in professional U.S. bass fishing!
The two major bass fishing tournament organizations in the U.S. are Bassmaster and FLW. Bassmaster is of a higher tier than FLW, representing the world's highest level of bass fishing leagues with more participants and higher prize money. There is no overlap or connection between the two organizations. Bassmaster is divided into many levels of competition, and the two students participated in the collegiate league.
According to student Chen Qiurun: "Our bass fishing competition in the U.S. is very difficult; we have a huge gap compared to Americans in terms of equipment, technique, and experience. It is like Americans coming to China to play table tennis. Americans who love fishing often start bass fishing around the age of 5, so they are much more experienced than us. Bass fishing is different from domestic angling; it involves lure fishing, which requires considering factors such as weather, temperature, season, moon phase, wind direction, water temperature, water clarity, environment, and underwater structure, and then selecting the appropriate bait."
