Billy Egan, tournament director of the WON Bass U.S. Open, passed along a preliminary roster for this year's event, which will take place next week at Nevada's Lake Mead. It contains more than 200 names in the pro category, which is an all-time high.
Moving the tournament into October opened the door for a lot of tour pros to compete, and many have availed themselves of the opportunity. Heading that list is Clifford Pirch (pictured), a three-time winner of the event and perhaps the best desert lake angler in the game.
Rick Clunn, John Murray, Byron Velvick and Gary Yamamoto, all former winners, are back to take another crack at the often-stingy impoundment that lies east of Las Vegas. Other current or former tour pros scheduled to compete include Josh Bertrand, Luke Clausen, Brett Hite, Jared Lintner, Chris Zaldain, Randy Blaukat, Kevin Short, Kurt Dove, Billy Hines, Jimmy Reese, Carl Jocumsen, Jim Moynagh, Matt Stefan and Andrew Upshaw.
Competition days are Monday through Wednesday. Live coverage, which gets under way Sunday at 3 p.m. PST, can be accessed by clicking here.
