For Immediate Release

Montréal, September 28th - The event that took the Canadian fishing scene by storm just last year is
back, bigger and better than ever! Enter the return of the Berkley B1 Canadian Bass Open, regarded as
the most prestigious contest in the competitive fishing scene. This October 2nd & 3rd, the city of
Salaberry-de-Valleyfield located in Quebec near the Ontario border, will play host to the two-day
extravaganza as the best professional anglers in the country ascend onto the pristine waters of Lake St-
Francis.

The blast-off of the event will be taking place at the Valleyfield Marina at 7am sharp. With 150 boats
registered, this will be a monumental spectacle that is not to be missed. Official weigh-in ceremonies for
both days from 3pm to 7pm at the main stage located in Parc Sauvé in downtown Valleyfield.

“The Berkley B1 is without question the most anticipated and talked about fishing event in Canada” states
Ben Woo, President, Berkley B1. “With the absolute biggest names in competitive fishing as well as
industry leading sponsors that are motivated to take tournament fishing to the next level, this year’s
Berkley B1 is re-writing history all over again.”

Since the opening of registrations for competitors in January, applications have been pouring in. The
support from both the local Quebec angling community and as far reaching as the shores of Dartmouth,
Nova Scotia to the northern town of Sault-Ste-Marie, Ontario, anglers everywhere are flocking to be a part
of the Berkley B1 experience.

“Berkley is ecstatic about the return of this great event.” expresses Chris Hockley, Marketing Manager,
Pure Fishing Canada. “Being the title sponsor of this elite competition provides us the opportunity to
support the competitive angling community on a national level and communicate the quality and
performance of our products to fishing enthusiasts.”

Signing on as the new exclusive presenting sponsor of the Berkley B1 is outboard motor manufacturer,
Evinrude. Known for its long and innovative history in the world of marine performance, and having just
celebrated its 100th anniversary last year, the BRP-owned Evinrude has always been a strong supporter
of bass fishing competitions. “We recognize the magnitude of the Berkley B1 tournament and how
important a role it plays in the Canadian fishing scene. This event represents the highest performance in
its category, as does our Evinrude E-TEC outboard engines.” claims Krista Heidgerken, Senior Promotions
and Tournaments Coordinator for BRP’s Evinrude outboard engines. Evinrude raises the bar and takes
the originally advertised $25,000 first place prize and upgrades it to two(2) 2011 Evinrude E-TEC 250HO
outboard motors including rigging accessories. Valued at over $60,000, winners of the Berkley B1 will also
be treated to a turnkey install of the new power units courtesy of Maple Grove Marine, a major Evinrude
dealer in Quebec. This now raises the total prize value to more than $120,000.

Since the competition consists of teams of two anglers bringing five fish back at the end of each day, this
means potentially over 1,100 fish will be brought to the scales during the event. In order to properly
manage and handle this volume, a very unique fish management and weighing system is being brought
in to ensure the well being and vitality of the resource.

As the newest premier partner to the event, Shimano Canada is stepping in and providing their
proprietary, world-class Shimano Water Weigh-In System, complete with two Shimano Live-Release boats.
"We are very excited to be a part of the B1 competition and to be the driving force behind demonstrating
to the public, that fishing tournaments are fun, challenging and safe for the environment" states Bob
Mahoney, Northern Marketing Manager, Shimano Canada. "The Shimano Water Weigh-In System
improves the physiological condition and survival of fish in live-release tournaments and we'll be ready to
properly handle the big bass that await us on lake St- Francis. Our goal is to get these fish back in the
water better than they came in."

The town of Salaberry-de-Valleyfield is finally ready to host the greatest showdown ever to take place in
fishing. The stage is set, bass fishing in Canada will be taken to new heights as the countdown is on to
determine who are the anglers that are truly worthy of being the 1.


Are You Ready to B the 1?