Oklahoma's Grand Lake hosting Bassmaster Classic

TULSA, Okla. — What many call the Super Bowl of bass fishing will be held at Grand Lake o’ the Cherokees this weekend.

The international Bassmaster Classic tournament will begin Friday at daybreak.

FOX23 spoke to the 2022 champion who grew up fishing in Oklahoma waters.

“This is my 10th Super Bowl of bass fishing,” said 2022 Bassmaster Classic champion, Jason Christie.

Christie grew up just south of Grand Lake but says many of the other contestants come from all around the world.

“Everyone of them is here for a reason,” he said. “They’re all good. We have guys from Japan, Canada, Australia, and from all over the world. It’s highly competitive.”

The pro-fishers registered downtown this week.

There’s a lot of driving involved too as they return to Tulsa at the end of every day for weigh-ins at the BOK Center.

They will all fish on Friday and Saturday and the top 25 will fish on Sunday.

Whoever catches the most weight will be this year’s champion.

“There are a lot of guys that are legends of the sport that never win this event, so to win one, I feel lucky,” Christie said. “I’d really like to have two though.”

Christie says it can be tough to navigate the waters with all the spectators and media that will be out on the lake.

Thankfully, he knows Grand Lake well.

“I fished Grand a lot over the years,” he said. “It’s where I grew up fishing. I’ve probably spent, gosh, 1,000 days on the lake, but against these guys, it really doesn’t matter. It still comes down to game-time decisions.”

He says the outpouring of support from the community has been extraordinary.

“At the end of the week, I just want to represent this state the best I can.”

If you cannot attend the BOK Center or go out to the lake to watch this event, a live stream will be available at bassmaster.com.