Columbus has grown into a hot spot for fishing tournaments, and it’s no longer a secret.
“I think the word has gotten out,” Tourism Director Frances Glenn told the Columbus-Lowndes Convention and Visitors Bureau board during its regular meeting on Tuesday.
During the meeting, the CVB board approved a contract to host an Oct. 6-10 tournament on the Fishers of Men National Tournament Trail, marking the city’s sixth tournament planned for 2026.
Glenn called the tournament another great addition to the growing list of tournaments stopping through the city this year, including the upcoming Mississippi B.A.S.S. Nation High School State Tournament in March.
Columbus hosted its first Bassmaster tournament in more than a decade in April 2025. A Bassmaster Elite Series tournament will make a stop in the city in March.
“I think it’s great,” she said. “I do think that hosting the Bassmaster Elites, (has gotten) us on a national scale. And people follow that circuit, and so, I think that that’s how we’ve gotten the word out.”
Final details of the contract are still under discussion, but the hosting fee will range between $3,000 and $6,000 based on how many boats of anglers compete from Mississippi and Louisiana for the regional tournament. Participation will be capped once it reaches 60 boats of anglers for the tournament, and the CVB will cover the fee.
Glenn said tournament organizers have estimated the event will bring in roughly $705,000 worth of economic impact to the city based on projected attendance and the length of the event.
That impact can be seen even before the tournament starts in spending done by anglers who arrive early to the city to learn the waterways before the tournament even begins, Glenn said, whether that’s spending at hotels or grabbing a bite to eat in local restaurants.
“That’s why it’s important to get (the word) out that this is a stop on the tournament (trail),” she said.
Other business
Ahead of the meeting Tuesday, board member Rissa Lawrence informed the board she would be resigning from her position immediately, noting health concerns that made it difficult to attend monthly board meetings.
As an appointee representing the county, Lawrence’s resignation leaves the replacement process up to the Lowndes County Board of Supervisors.
County Administrator Jay Fisher said supervisors will likely begin the process of advertising for the seat after the board’s March 2 meeting. After that, he expects the board will accept applications for two weeks before making a decision at its March 16 meeting.
With more than a year left in Lawrence’s term, Fisher said whoever is appointed in her place will serve the remainder rather than a full, four-year term.
The board on Tuesday also approved allocating $32,500 to sponsor the fireworks display for Columbus Air Force Base’s Fourth of July event, which is replacing the Thunder Over Columbus airshow this year.
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