When the sun rises on the first day of April, a lot of folks will be fishing on Lake Gaston. Their goal won’t be just hooking a big bass but landing a spot in the BASS Federation Nation Championships.

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The BASS Federation Nation Southern Divisional will begin a three day run on Lake Gaston April 1. The tournament will be broadcast at a later date on ESPN.

Presented by Yamaha Outboards and Skeeter Boats, the tournament will kick off the 2009 tournament season. This event is being sponsored locally by the Halifax County Convention & Visitors Bureau with additional support from The Centre at Halifax Community College.

Amateur anglers looking to advance to the BASS Federation Nation Championship, the most prestigious amateur tournament in fishing, are invited to compete.

“The Halifax County Convention and Visitors Bureau is pleased to be able to partner with organizations such as the BASS Federation to bring quality events and visitor spending to Halifax County,” said Lori Medlin, Halifax County CVB executive director. “Lake Gaston is such a wonderful tourism asset for our area for all types of recreation, especially top-notch fishing.”

This will be the eighth BASS event held on Lake Gaston and representatives will include anglers from Kentucky, Tennessee, North Carolina, South Carolina, Alabama, Georgia, Florida and South Africa. The daily-weighs will be held at the Morningstar Marina at Eaton's Ferry, 1865 Eaton Ferry Road, in Littleton beginning at 2:45 p.m.

Each of the qualifiers will compete against anglers from their own state, with the top finisher in each state moving on to the championship event, set for Oct. 28-30 on the Harris Chain of Lakes in Tavares, Fla.

While the individual competition will take center stage, 12-angler teams from each state will compete for the top prize of a Skeeter/Yamaha boat rig, valued at $32,000. The team from South Carolina will look to defend its 2008 title earned at the Southern Divisional on Santee Cooper Reservoir. 

Also set for Lake Gaston is the Junior Bassmaster Divisional. Youth competitors from two age groups, 11-14 and 15-18, will compete to earn a berth in the Junior Bassmaster World Championship, to be held in conjunction with the Federation Nation Championship.  

The Southern Divisional is the first of six regional qualifiers for the Federation Nation Championship. Next on the schedule is the Western Divisional on May 11-15 at the Columbia River out of Tri Cities, Wash.  At the Federation Nation Championship, the top six finishers in their respective divisions will qualify for the 2009 Bassmaster Classic.