Big fishing tournament set for Ogdensburg cancelled

OGDENSBURG, N.Y. (WWNY) - A fishing tournament that was expected to draw thousands of people to Ogdensburg this summer has been cancelled.

Major League Fishing (MLF) had planned a stop on the “2020 Bass Pro” tour for June 26 through July 1.

But in a statement, MLF said it will be working with Ogdensburg and several other cities “for future events.”

MLF said it is cutting the season short because of the COVID-19 pandemic.

The loss of the tournament this summer is a blow to Ogdensburg; the event was to feature six days of competition with live broadcasts from the boats as each fish is caught and released. Those would have been streamed live to the shore for people to watch on large TVs.

Ogdensburg planned to spend $50,000 to support the tournament, which was expected to include a shoreline festival that would draw thousands of people to the area, as similar tournaments have done in Waddington.

Bill Hosmer, owner of Hosmer's Marina, sat on the committee that worked to get the tour to the city.

“The city of Ogdensburg would’ve drawn tens of thousands of people, we were hoping,” he said. “People from all over the world, many, many different countries, they come to fish on this tournament because they’re the best and people look up to these guys.”

City Councilor Dan Skamperle says he played a part in bringing the Major League Fishing Tournament to Ogdenburg, but wasn’t a part of the committee Hosmer sat on.

Skamperle says rescheduling the tournament to next year could ultimately help the city.

“It’s unfortunate that we have this going on. But, on the other hand, I wouldn’t want to spend the money and not have the opportunity to have a real, full, major league event,” he said.

Masena also has a major tournament this summer - the FLW Worldwide Pro Circuit Championship. That has not been cancelled, but is being delayed from August 8-13 to August 24-29.

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