Bass Pro Shops U.S. Open Bowfishing Championship and World's Fair combines biggest bowfishing tourney ever with festival fun

The event, held June 12-14, 2015, at the Bass Pro Shops in Springfield, Missouri, has it all: a high stakes tourney for bowfishing's best and a fair that features free seminars, exhibits, celebs, live music, and great deals on bowfishing gear.

SPRINGFIELD, Mo. – Bass Pro Shops U.S. Open Bowfishing Championship and World's Bowfishing Fair, held June 12-14, 2015, at the Bass Pro Shops in Springfield, Missouri, is the ultimate rough fish rendezvous whether you're an expert at arrowing carp or just up for a weekend of festival fun. The world's biggest bowfishing tournament pits the best of the best against each other in pursuit of a whopping $100,000 in cash and prizes while the World's Bowfishing Fair offers tons of free activities from sampling fried carp and checking out the exhibits to learning the finer points of targeting carp and gar.

Event organizers expect the 2015 event to be huge, based on last year's attendance. With the max number of 275 four-person teams signing up within hours of registration opening and access to over 3,500 miles of shoreline at five Ozark area lakes, the 2015 U.S. Open Bowfishing Championship is the biggest event of its kind in the world. Teams will compete for a $25,000 grand prize, $5,000 big fish prize, hourly drawings, and a $10,000 state record jackpot at Table Rock, Bull Shoals, Truman, Pomme de Terre, and Stockton lakes. Teams will depart at 4 p.m. on Saturday, June 13, and a new U.S. Open champion will be crowned Sunday, June 14 at noon, following a weigh in of the teams' largest fish.

"Bowfishing is the next big thing in the outdoors and if you come to the U.S. Open Bowfishing Championship and World's Bowfishing Fair at Bass Pro Shops in Springfield you'll see why everyone is talking about it," said John Paul Morris, founder of Bass Pro Shops U.S. Open Bowfishing Tournament. "Bowfishing combines the best of hunting and fishing and at this event you can rub elbows with the experts, check out the latest gear and even see how carp and gar can make great table fare, too."

The World's Bowfishing Fair, which runs June 12-14 , features a variety of exhibits and activities for everyone from experts to beginners:

- Vendor booths displaying the latest bowfishing gear.
- Opportunities to try bowfishing and test gear at a Bass Pro Shops on-site pond.
- Brand new custom rigged bowfishing boats revealed featuring low APR financing for qualified buyers.
- Free bowfishing seminars led by the experts, including winners of the U.S Open and World Championships.
- Carp cooking demos and free fried carp samples.
- Opportunities to purchase burgers, sausage links and chili made with carp.
- Conservation displays that explain why removing nongame and invasive fish benefits water quality and gamefish populations and how these harvested fish are put to good use as environmentally friendly fertilizer.
- Bow shooting contests.
- Live music by the Mark Chapman Band.
- Opportunities to meet Brian "Pigman" Quaca, host of Boss Hog and Aporkalypse; Mike Hunsucker, host of Heartland Bowhunter; Kevin VanDam, 4-time Bassmaster Classic winner and 7-time Bassmaster Angler of the Year; and other celebs.
- Dunk tank fun with proceeds going to the Bowfishing Association of America.
- Opportunities to win a Bad Boy Buggy and other raffle prize packages throughout the event. A portion of the proceeds will be donated to the Missouri Fraternal Order of Police Foundation in support of Officer Aaron Pearson, who was injured in the line of duty. James River Basin Partnership will also receive a portion of the proceeds to fund southwest Missouri water clean-up efforts.

Throughout the weekend, customers can take advantage of great deals on the latest name-brand bowfishing gear, including hot, new ArchEnemy packages. Those registered for the U.S. Open Bowfishing Championship can receive special discounts and pricing at the biggest sale of bowfishing gear ever assembled.

Those who attend the World's Bowfishing Fair at the Springfield, Missouri, Bass Pro Shops can enjoy other activities such as touring the NRA National Sporting Arms Museum and the Archery Hall of Fame, which features the world-famous Fred Bear collection. Plus visitors can see over 100,000 gallons of aquariums, including those featuring giant alligator gar.

Check out this U.S. Open Bowfishing Championship video https://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=GhbvlUfb74o

For more information visit http://www.basspro.com/usopen

About Bass Pro Shops®
Bass Pro Shops®, which specializes in outdoor fun, operates 92 stores and Tracker Marine Centers across America and Canada that are visited by more than 120 million people every year. Bass Pro Shops stores, many of which feature restaurants, offer hunting, fishing, camping and other outdoor gear while their catalogs and website serve shoppers throughout the world. The company’s Tracker Marine Group® (http://www.trackermarine.com), a leading brand of fishing boats for more than 37 years, manufactures and sells a variety of boats for fishing and cruising. Family fun is on tap at Bass Pro Shops resort Big Cedar Lodge® (http://www.bigcedar.com), voted one of the top 50 Best Hotels for Families in the U.S. For more information, visit http://www.basspro.com/. To request a free catalog, call 1-800-BASS PRO. Follow us on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/bassproshops.

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