BY JEFF CHUDZINSKINorth Country This Week

Bassmaster Magazine has once again recognized the St. Lawrence River and eastern basin of Lake Ontario as the top fishing spots in the country.

According to the publication, the region produces some of the best "chunky, hard fighting small-mouth bass" that can be found anywhere in the world.

That came as no surprise to town of Massena Fishing Promoter Don Meissner, who recently told town board members of the honors.

"The rest of the world is finally figuring out what I have known for many years. We have the best bass fishing in the world here," he said.

Meissner said word has gotten out with many professional organizations who want to host tournaments in the area.

"Every week I'm fielding calls from major organizations that want to come to Massena, who tell me they heard from someone else about how great our fishing is," he said.

Meissner said that momentum has led to an influx of traffic on the river and through the towns along the way.

In many cases, local business owners have told Meissner they have seen a significant increase in traffic from bass fishermen and the support staff that work the tournaments.

"It's translating to millions of dollars in revenue. That means more people coming to this region, staying at our hotels, our rental properties, eating in our restaurants. The whole region can benefit from this as the anglers come from the south and drive right along the river. They stop in this small towns that line the St. Lawrence as they come up. It's a win-win for everyone," he said.

Bass tournaments are on tap for the region in the coming weeks, as Major League Fishing hosts Minn Kota Stage Seven Presented by Humminbird, of the Bass Pro Tour in Massena from Aug. 6-11.

Numerous events are planned around the tournament, including a watch party Aug. 10-11 from 1-6 p.m. at the Massena Intake.

Fans can watch the pros live on the MLFNOW! big screen, enjoy free food, enter to win hourly giveaways and cheer on their favorite pros.

Live music will begin each day at 4 p.m.

The first 50 kids 14 and under will receive a free rod and reel from Pure Fishing each day.

The final 10 Championship Round Bass Pro Tour anglers will be on hand at the trophy celebration on Championship Sunday to meet and greet fans, sign autographs and take selfies.

The six-day tournament, hosted by the Town of Massena, showcases 78 of the best professional anglers in the world competing for a purse of more than $805,000, with a top prize of $100,000 going to the winner.

Another major tournament will come to the region beginning Aug. 15, as the Bassmaster Elite series returns to Waddington once again. That tournament will be held from Aug. 15-18 and will feature the top-ranked anglers in the world as they compete in the season finale tournament.

Coverage of the Humminbird Bassmaster Elite at St. Lawrence River will air on FS1 on Saturday and Sunday from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. Bassmaster LIVE will also be streaming on Bassmaster.com all four days.