By Shannon McFarlin News Director
Paris, Tenn.–Meeting in special session this morning, the Henry County Tourism Authority unanimously approved the Bill Dance Giant Bass Open in September of 2024 at Kentucky Lake.
According to Bill Dance Open officials, the two-day tournament will be held September 14 and 15 in 2024 at Paris Landing State Park. They expect from 250-350 anglers from all over the country to compete at the tournament.
Tara Wilson, Assistant Director of the Paris-Henry County Industrial Committee, said, “This is a very good thing for us and we look forward to the potential it will have for all the lakes involved. We’re really excited about it.”
The “Bill Dance Giant Bass Open” offers anglers cash prizes multiple times a day throughout the two-day event, with seven hourly payouts each day in a big fish format tournament. Anglers with the heaviest single catch over two days can take home a $5,000 grand prize payout in the adult category, or $1,500 in the youth category.
The inaugural Bill Dance Giant Bass Open has come to a close at Lake Chickamauga this past weekend. According to Bill Dance Open officials, “We had hundreds of anglers participate in this first event. Congratulations to Cory Miles on winning the adult division with a giant bass weighing 9.04#. The top youth angler of the event was Camdyn Cranfill with an 8.40#. Camdyn weighed in the two largest bass in the youth division for the event today. It was an incredible weekend…”
Bill Dance Signature Lakes is a collaborative effort between Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency, Tennessee State Parks and Tennessee Department of Tourist Development to improve and enhance Tennessee Lakes, increase visitation and honor Dance’s legacy. Tennesseans will benefit from increased stocking, habitat and fisheries management, as well as improved access for fishing and boating at 14 designated lakes across the state. multi-agency partnership has committed more than $15 million to improvements — both above and below the water — at lakes bearing Tennessee icon Bill Dance’s stamp of approval. For more information, visit www.billdancesignaturelakes.com.
Bill Dance is an angler and host of Bill Dance Outdoors. Dance’s signature look includes sunglasses and a Tennessee Volunteers baseball cap. He lives in Eads, with his wife, Dianne.