While football fans are getting ready to watch their favorite teams begin the chase for the Super Bowl this week, bass fishing enthusiasts are already anticipating their own Super Bowl, the quest for which will begin right here in central Maine.

The Maine BASS Federation will host anglers from 14 states and Ontario, Canada in mid-September in the Eastern Division tournament at Cobbosseecontee Lake.

“It’s the first of a series of tournaments that eventually boils down to the top 55 bass anglers in the world going to the Bassmaster Classic, the Super Bowl of bass fishing,” said Maine BASS Federation president Scott Bradford, who lives in Mechanic Falls. “Technically, it’s the first of three stages.”

Teams from each state/province will compete for individual and team prizes in the six-day event, which includes three days of practice fishing and the actual three-day tournament. The state with the most overall weight in fish will win the cash prize, while the top competitor from each state will move on to the nationals.

Bradford said this is the first time Maine has hosted an Eastern Division tournament since 1992, when it was held on Sebago Lake.

The tournament isn’t just a boon for fans of the growing sport of competitive bass fishing, but also the local economy, Bradford said. Competitors normally visit tournament sites in advance to pre-fish the waters. Between licenses, the hiring of guides, lodging, food and other expenditures, the tournament could bring in $500,000 to $700,000 for local businesses.

“It’s going to generate a lot of revenue,” Bradford said. “We’re also going to have the March of Dimes there setting up for coffee and donuts in the morning and soft drinks in the afternoon to raise money for their organization. The Inland and Fisheries Department and the DEP are also going to play a role, as well as the Friends of the Cabbosseecontee Watershed. And we’re going to have some surprise guests there, too.”

BASS, the Bass Angler Sportsman’s Society, is the world’s largest bass fishing organization with 650,000 members worldwide.