With the successful Bassmasters Classic held in Pittsburgh in 2005, there are plans to bring another major bass fishing tour event to the region.

The two biggest national bass fishing circuits, the Bass Anglers Sportsmen's Society, and the FLW, are both vying for tour dates in Pittsburgh. FLW stands for Forrest L. Wood, the founder of Ranger Boats.

There have been discussions between the Greater Pittsburgh Visitors and Convention Bureau and FLW for a 2008 tour stop.

The dates that Bassmasters proposed for a 2007 tour stop did not meet Pennsylvania's bass season, so Bassmaster was forced to concentrate on a possible tournament date in 2008.

As a result of these prestigious and large event tour stops, competitive fishing in the region and in Butler County has gotten a major boost in recent years.

Anglers are coming out by the hundreds to fish in competitive bass tournaments. But, competitive fishing doesn't just mean bass.

The Three Rivers Chapter of Muskies Inc. hosted a charity tournament on Lake Arthur in Moraine State Park. and there are opportunities on Pittsburgh's three rivers for derbies targeting such species as walleye and catfish.

The Lake Arthur Charity Challenge was held Aug. 12-15 with 42 anglers participating. This year's schedule has not been posted, but for information, visit the club's Web site at www.threerivers.muskiesinc.org.

Although tournaments targeting other species are not as prevalent as those for bass, anglers should keep tabs at their bait shops and sporting goods stores for fliers to find out about such competitions.

The Keystone Bass Buddy Circuit is one of the largest and most recognized in Western Pennsylvania. The circuit holds two events annually on Lake Arthur, one in the spring and one in late summer.

Ernie Pate, representing the Bass Buddy circuit, said the tournament has been around for more than a decade. The circuit has its own Web site at www.kbass.com and holds tournaments throughout the state. A kick-off event is held to update fishing clubs on rules changes and scheduling, said Pate.

The circuit has also been able to give back the community for the past nine years, raising more than $38,000 for the Make-A-Wish Foundation.

The tournament pays the top 20 finishers based on 100 boats. Nearly every one of the events last year featured 100 teams.

The teams consist of two individuals, and one person can serve as an designated alternate one of the original partner is not able to make an event.

The circuit kicks off this year on Saturday at Lake Arthur at McDanel's Launch. Other dates include: April 7 at Raystown Lake; May 12 at Pymatuning Lake; June 2 at Pymatuning Lake; June 17 at Shenango Lake; July 7 on the Monongahela River; July 21 on the Monongahela River; Aug. 11 at Lake Arthur, McDanel's Launch; Aug. 18 at Lake Erie Bay Marina; Sept. 15 at Raystown Lake, and on Sept. 29 for the KBBC Classic at a site to be determined.

Fishing clubs also give anglers other opportunities to fish competitively. The Basscasters Club of Butler sponsors tournaments every Wednesday on Lake Arthur, said Pate, who is also a member of the Butler-based club.

The bass club has about 17 members who fish Lake Arthur, Shenango River Lake, Pymatuning, Lake Wilhelm, Lake Erie and other fisheries in Western Pennsylvania for their club-only tournaments.

In addition to club events and youth programs, the club also has evening tournaments that are open to the public throughout the summer.

The Wednesday evening Lake Arthur bass tournament schedule kicks off on June 20 at the Route 528 launch. The rest of the schedule includes: June 27, July 11 and July 18 at the Route 528 launch; July 25, Aug. 1, Aug. 8 and Aug. 15 at McDanel's Launch and Aug. 22, Aug. 29, Sept. 5 and Sept. 12 Bear Run launch.

The championship will be held Sept. 30 at McDanel's Launch.

Tournaments, except for the championship, begin at 6 p.m. Registration begins at 5 p.m. Entry is $30 per team. The championship will be held from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. with check-in at 7 a.m.

For information on the Wednesday evening tournaments or becoming a member, visit the Web site at: www.butlerbasscasters.com.

• According to the latest U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service report, 44 million people over the age of 6 fish. That's one out of every five Americans. According to the Sporting Goods Manufacturers Association, almost twice as many people fish than play golf.• According to the latest numbers from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, anglers spent more than $5 billion on equipment, nearly $15 billion on fishing trips and some $20 billion more on boats, trucks, licenses and other fishing-related products and services. Anglers paid $290 million just for ice alone.• Recreational fishing is big business, generating more than $116 billion in economic output and more than 1 million American jobs.• If sport fishing were a corporation, it would rank above Target, Sears and Johnson & Johnson on the Fortune 500 list of largest American companies.• The average angler is between 42 and 46 years old. Anglers in the northern Plains states tend to be older than participants from other regions.• Anglers come from diverse racial and ethnic backgrounds. Although the majority of anglers are Caucasian, the percentage of non-Caucasian participants varies depending on the region and type of water being fished.• One-third of all anglers are women. Women are slightly better represented in saltwater angling than in freshwater. The highest proportion of female anglers are found in the South Central and Northern Plains regions.Source: American Sportfishing Association