Tournament officials were happy despite low weight totals.
Professional angler Kevin VanDam may measure the value of a Bassmaster Classic in ounces, but the people at BASS and ESPN do not.
For them, it's about more than just the fish.
That's why last weekend's tournament is being considered a resounding success despite being marked by small fish, and few of them.
"We're very pleased with how things went," said Dean Kessel, vice president and general manager of BASS. "It exceeded our expectations.
"I'll position it as one of the best Classics ever."
That might surprise some, given how tough the bass fishing on the city's three rivers proved to be even for the best anglers in the world. Over the course of the three-day tournament, Classic anglers could have conceivably weighed in a combined 595 bass. Instead, they caught just 219.
Big bass were particularly scarce. Only seven of the top 10 finishers caught more than 10 pounds of fish -- a single day's worth of weight in many other Classic locales -- and VanDam won with 12 pounds, 15 ounces, an all-time Classic low.
BASS and ESPN officials knew when they awarded the Classic to the city last July that the fishing would be challenging, though, Kessel said. They decided to come here anyway for various reasons.
For starters, BASS has a lot of support in the northeast. Pennsylvania alone ranks in the top five nationally in Bass Anglers Sportsmen's Society members. That's something BASS and ESPN take into consideration, since the whole tournament circuit relies on sponsors who need to reach potential customers, Kessel said.
The Pittsburgh community pushed hard to get the Classic, too, believing it would showcase the environmental improvements achieved here over the last two or three decades.
Perhaps most importantly, though, a Pittsburgh Classic -- which received an unprecedented 12 hours of worldwide coverage on ESPN and ESPN 2 -- offered the opportunity to expose the sport to the most densely populated part of the country.
That's no small consideration, given that ESPN -- which purchased BASS not long ago -- is trying to grow the sport like NASCAR, Kessel said. It's changed the tour scheduled next year, adding additional events and moving the Classic to February, when more TV viewers are likely to be indoors watching.
If those people watched this year's tournament and saw few fish, they also likely got hooked by the dramatic weigh-in, where the champion wasn't determined until the last angler crossed the stage, Kessel said.
"It certainly made for compelling viewing. I think that's what fans will remember most," Kessel said.
Local tourism officials believe the event did wonders for the city. Bob Imperata, executive vice president of the Greater Pittsburgh Convention and Visitors Bureau, said representatives of more than 200 media outlets descended on the city to cover the Classic, some from as far away as Japan.
All of those people saw enthusiastic crowds turning out to support their favorite anglers in a bright city with clean water.
Pittsburgh couldn't buy that much exposure, he said.
"I think we sent away a whole bunch of ambassadors for Pittsburgh after this was over," Imperata said.
Imperata said the visitor's bureau is already talking to ESPN about hosting future outdoors-related events in the city. Another BASS tour event is a possibility for the region, too, Kessel said, given how well the people of Western Pennsylvania supported this Classic.
The 2006 tour schedule is already set, but 2007 and 2008 dates are open. If BASS comes back to the region in one of those years, it will be because of the Pittsburgh Classic.
"Overall, I'd say that this was one of the top Classics we've ever had. In terms of attendance at the convention center, attendance at Mellon Arena, the local support of the community, on all fronts it was a success," Kessel said.
"It was just a terrific event for us."
