Greenville and Lake Hartwell, located in the upstate region ofSouth Carolina popularly known as The Upcountry, have been selected as the sites for the 2015 Bassmaster Classic.

B.A.S.S. and South Carolina officials, including Gov. Nikki R. Haley, made the announcement today in Greenville.

Feb. 20-22 will be the competition dates for the field of anglers who qualify for the world championship through various Bassmaster competitions throughout 2014.

A new, multi-million-dollar launch facility, Green Pond, has been constructed near Anderson, S.C., for the anglers’ daily take-offs. They’ll bring their catches to Greenville for weigh-ins at the Bon Secours Wellness Arena, recognized by the entertainment industry as one of the Top 50 venues in the world. The Bassmaster Classic Outdoors Expo, the consumer show held concurrently with the competition days, will be at the 280,000-square-foot TD Convention Center in Greenville.

“We are thrilled that the Bassmaster Classic has chosen to return to South Carolina and selected Greenville for their 2015 location,” said Haley. “It’s truly a great a day in South Carolina, and now millions of people will get to see why our beautiful state continues to attract topnotch sporting events.” “B.A.S.S. is delighted to be returning to Lake Hartwell and Greenville,” said Bruce Akin, CEO of B.A.S.S. “We will be working closely with our South Carolina partners over the next year to be sure Classic 2015 will be the first-class sporting event B.A.S.S. members and fishing fans worldwide have come to expect.”

B.A.S.S last brought the Classic to Greenville and Lake Hartwell in February 2008. The lake produced what was then the third-largest winning weight for a Classic: 49 pounds, 7 ounces. Bassmaster Elite Series pro Alton Jones of Texas was the author of that mark. Jones bested the 44-5 posted by Cliff Pace, then a 25-year-old, up-and-coming Elite pro from Mississippi. Pace went on to become a Classic champ himself in 2013.

Besides Gov. Haley, South Carolina officials on hand for Thursday’s announcement were representatives from South Carolina Parks, Recreation and Tourism (SCPRT); Visit Greenville SC; Visit Anderson; the City of Greenville, Greenville County; and Anderson County. “We are thrilled that the Bassmaster Classic has chosen to return in 2015. The world championship of bass fishing recognizes the great combination of Lake Hartwell and facilities in Anderson and Greenville,” said Chris Stone, president of Visit Greenville SC.

Stone noted that in 2008, more than 75,000 people attended the Classic in Greenville over three days. “We look forward to an even larger event in 2015, which will have tremendous impact on the local economy, with a projected impact of more than $17 million in revenue to the Upstate,” Stone said.

Said Duane Parrish, SCPRT director: “SCPRT is very proud that Greenville has been chosen as the host site for the Bassmaster Classic in 2015. This accomplishment is a testament to the hard work and efforts of Visit Greenville SC and Visit Anderson working together with the City of Greenville, Greenville County and Anderson County to once again host this premiere event, and is further proof of South Carolina’s growing reputation as a top destination for sports tourism.”

Courtesy http://www.bassmaster.com

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers will collect used, natural Christmas trees(no artificial trees) to enhance fish habitat at the lakes.

The trees will be tied in bundles, weighted with concrete anchors, and submerged in various locations marked with buoys. The submerged trees provide cover for fish and enhance nursery habitat for juvenile fish, according to Jamie Sykes, Corps’ fisheries biologist.

“They also provide a substrate for algae and aquatic insects, which creates a feeding area for smaller fish,” Sykes said. “The small fish attract larger species, thus creating an enticing “hot spot” for anglers.”

Christmas trees can be dropped off at the following locations:

Hartwell lake drop-off locations (Dec. 26-Feb. 15)

·          Big Oaks Recreation Area (Hart County, Ga.), located on U.S. Hwy. 29, one mile past the Hartwell Dam.

·          Twin Lakes boat ramp (Pickens County, S.C.) From Interstate 85 in South Carolina, take exit 14, Hwy 187 going north toward Pendleton, S.C. Immediately after passing the Clemson Research Center, turn left on Fant’s Grove Road. Follow signs to park.

·          Coneross boat ramp (Coneross Park, S.C.) From Interstate 85 in South Carolina, take exit 11 on Hwy 24 toward Townville. 1.5 miles past Townville, turn right onto Coneross Creek Road. Follow signs to park entrance.

·          Poplar Springs boat ramp (Franklin County, Ga.) From Lavonia, Ga., where Georgia Hwy 328 crosses Interstate 85, go north on Hwy 328 for 3.5 miles, then follow signs to Poplar Springs.

(Trees can be picked up by fishermen any time for personal use until Feb. 15 at any of the above locations. Trees should be anchored in eight-to-twelve feet of water. Trees are prohibited from being placed in the main lake channel or around private docks.)

Dec. 26 through Jan. 15:

·          Mount Lebanon Elementary School (Pendleton, S.C.) The school is located at 2850 Lebanon Rd. The drop-off area will be roped off near the entrance to the school.

Thurmond Lake Drop-Off Locations (Dec. 20-Jan. 8)

·          Riverside Middle School, 1095 Furys Ferry Road in Evans, Ga.

For more information about the tree recycling program, contact the Hartwell Lake Office at 1-888-893-0678 or the Thurmond Lake Office at 1-800-533-3478

The need for water puts great demands on the Savannah River Basin. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Savannah District coordinates water management efforts with federal and state natural resource agencies to balance the needs of the Savannah River’s upstream and downstream users.

We operate and maintain the Hartwell, Richard B. Russell and J. Strom Thurmond hydroelectric dams and reservoirs as one balanced system. All our water management actions are based on seven Congressionally-authorized purposes: water supply, water quality, fish and wildlife, flood risk management, recreation, hydropower, and downstream navigation. Depending on drought conditions, the order of these priorities changes. For instance, in severe drought, water quality and water supply take priority.

Often times, conflicting needs for water occur throughout the basin. It’s our job to look at the entire basin–from the northern reaches of Hartwell Lake to the Atlantic Ocean–and manage it as one system using the best science we have available.

We balance the Hartwell and Thurmond pools in a foot-per-foot manner for the top 15 feet of the conservation storage (which is the amount of water stored during normal periods for use during drought). The Russell pool serves as a conduit to move water from Hartwell to Thurmond. Once the pools have declined below this point, we balance them based on the percent of depth remaining in their respective conservation pools.

During periods of drought, we reduce outflows from the dams according to our drought management plan(last updated in September 2012). The plan establishes four “levels” of drought and a protocol for reducing outflows at each level. This plan was coordinated with Georgia and South Carolina natural resource agencies and federal resource agencies.

Check daily updates on lake levels and other hydrologic data on our Water Management web page at http://water.sas.usace.army.mil/home/indexDU.htm