Anglers from 25 different countries have brought teams to Lake Murray, hoping to be crowned the winners of the 16th Annual Black Bass World Championship.

The U.S. Angling Confederation and the Capital City/Lake Murray Country Regional Tourism Board are hosting the competition, which is happening from Oct. 16-22 on the reservoir. This is the first time that the competition will be held in the United States.

According to the Major League Fishing website, Lake Murray is a world-class bass fishery – proven many times by the number of top-level professional bass tournaments hosted there. Earlier this month, the MLF Phoenix Bass Regional Tournament was here, with Tyler Trent, an angler from Virginia, taking first place.

The countries participating are Australia, Canada, Colombia, Costa Rica, Croatia, Dominican Republic, El Salvador, Eswatini, Germany, Italy, Japan, Laos, Mexico, Philippines, Portugal, Puerto Rico, Romania, Serbia, South Africa, South Korea, Spain, United States, Venezuela, Zambia and Zimbabwe.

The Black Bass World Championship opened with Youth Angling Day on Oct. 16, which took place at the Columbia Canal and Riverfront Park. Children of all ages were invited to come learn how to cast, how to ID a fish and how to tie knots, among other things, from fishing professionals.

“We touched a lot of young people of all ages of all races, boys and girls. And it was amazing to see every single one of them smiling,” Arroyo Bryan, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service’s assistant director, said. “You have no idea the difference that makes in the lives of those kids.”

He delivered those remarks at the opening gala that took place Oct. 17 at the Columbia DoubleTree, where all 25 teams took part in a Parade of Nations, carrying their countries flag, getting a picture taken on stage, and mounting their flag at the front of the room.

Arroyo Bryan, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service’s assistant director, spoke during the event where he mentioned the importance of Youth Angling day.

Both Miriam Atria, president/CEO of Capital City/Lake Murray Country, and Bryan were announced as members of bass teams for the week, Atria with USA Bass and Bryan with Puerto Rico’s team.

“We are looking forward to hosting the championship at Lake Murray,” USA Bass President Mark Schlarb is quoted in a release. “This event will include the largest number of participating nations ever assembled for an international bass fishing tournament! We are very grateful for the support of our host community Capital City Lake Murray Country Regional Tourism Board.”

Oct. 17 and 18 were set aside as  practice days for the teams as they get acquainted with the lake. 

The competition starts on Oct. 20 and lasts through Oct. 22, and the boats will be launched by number starting at 8 a.m. At 4 p.m., fishing ends and teams will walk to the Major League Fishing stage for weigh-ins.

On Oct. 21, the second day of the competition, there will be a concert featuring Cody Webb, a country singer from Ridge Spring, at 5:30 p.m. following the weigh-ins at Dreher Island State Park. After weigh-ins on Oct. 22, the final day of the competition, photos of the winners will be taken on the MLF stage, followed by an awards gala back at the Columbia DoubleTree.

Find more info on the Black Bass World Championship at usabass.org/2022-bbwc-usa.