Share This Article
Boat registration is open for the Baxter Health Foundation’s second annual Bass Classic, set for Saturday, Oct. 24, on Lake Norfork.
Entry is $200 per boat with a maximum of two anglers. The first flight launches at 7 a.m. from Lake Norfork Marina in Henderson, with weigh-in at 3 p.m. Anglers can register at baxterhealth.org/bassclassic.
The payout structure matches last year’s. First place takes $4,000, second $2,000, third $1,000, fourth $500 and fifth $250, for $7,750 in total prize money.
The tournament caps a two-day fundraiser that begins with a banquet Thursday, Oct. 22. Proceeds support the Mruk Family Center on Aging, the Peitz Cancer Support House and the Schliemann Center for Women’s Health.
The Bass Classic debuted last November after the foundation folded its formal ball and several smaller fundraisers into a single weekend built around the region’s fishing culture. The inaugural event drew 72 boats from Arkansas and Missouri and raised more than $130,000 for the foundation.
“Best event we’ve ever done,” Foundation Gift Officer Cindy Costa told the crowd at last year’s weigh-in.
Corey Cook of Lake Ozark, Missouri, and Roger Cook of Lebanon, Missouri, won the first tournament with a five-fish limit of 13.52 pounds. Todd and Matt St. Clair of Pyatt took second with 13.15 pounds, and the top five teams were separated by less than a pound. The big bass award went to Tony Moser of Violet Hill and Randy Zeigler of Glencoe for a 5.70-pound largemouth.
Last year’s rules allowed teams to weigh five bass with a 15-inch minimum, restricted anglers to artificial lures and banned Alabama rigs. Boats arriving late to weigh-in were docked one pound per minute. The foundation has said official rules for 2026 will be released closer to the tournament.
Foundation Executive Director Sarah Edwards said before the first tournament that the event was designed to draw on the anglers who already travel to the Twin Lakes area.
“People come here from all over the region, from different states to fish in our community,” Edwards said. “So why not engage a broader area to help in our fundraiser?”
The foundation is also seeking sponsors and donations of auction and raffle items for the banquet. Last year’s raffle gave away a kit car, a zero-turn mower, a motorcycle and a rifle.
For sponsorship or donation information, contact the Baxter Health Foundation. Details will be posted at baxterhealth.org/foundation as the event nears.
