FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
CONTACT: Kay Donaldson, Program Director
PHONE: 256.350.3500 / 855.9FISHAL
EMAIL: kay@alabamabasstrail.org
2025 Alabama Bass Trail Tournament Dates and Locations Set
Decatur, Ala. (May 3, 2024) – The Alabama Bass Trail Tournament Series will enter its twelfth season next year as the state’s premier weekend tournament trail for amateur bass anglers with an 11-event schedule offering more than $750,000 in prizes and awards. The season gets underway February 8, 2025, on Smith Lake and concludes Oct. 17-18, 2025, with the championship on Wheeler Lake.
“Each year our team works hard with our host communities to put together a schedule that we feel highlights the fisheries and puts our anglers on the lakes at the best possible time for success. I believe the 2025 schedule does just that. Anglers are going to experience fishing swift current, bridges, sight fishing, ledge fishing and submerged timber and brush piles, and fans will have a front row seat of the action with five hours of live on the water coverage at each event,” said Alabama Bass Trail Program Director Kay Donaldson.
Sanctioned by BASS (Bass Anglers Sportsman Society), the Alabama Bass Trail Tournament Series contains two divisions, North and South, and each division is made up of five tournaments on five different lakes. The maximum number of boats for each tournament is 225. Teams must fish in all five tournaments in their respective division; no single entries will be allowed.
North Division:
| February 8, 2025 | Smith Lake hosted by the Chamber of Commerce of Walker County |
| March 15, 2025 | Lake Guntersville hosted by Marshall County Sports and Tourism |
| April 19, 2025 | Neely Henry Lake hosted by City of Gadsden |
| May 10, 2025 | Weiss Lake hosted by Cherokee County Chamber of Commerce |
| June 14, 2025 | Pickwick Lake hosted by Florence-Lauderdale Tourism |
South Division:
| February 22, 2025 | Lake Martin hosted by Tallapoosa County Tourism |
| March 29, 2025 | Logan Martin Lake hosted by City of Lincoln |
| April 26, 2025 | Alabama River (Cooter’s Pond) hosted by City of Prattville |
| May 17, 2025 | Lake Eufaula hosted by Eufaula-Barbour County Chamber of Commerce |
| June 21, 2025 | Lay Lake hosted by Discover Shelby |
Hosted by Decatur Morgan County Tourism, the championship tournament will be held October 17-18, 2025, on Wheeler Lake.
The no-entry fee championship event will include up to 175 boats. The 175 boats are comprised of the 10 regular season winners, top 75 teams in points from both divisions that fished all five events in their respective divisions, along with the top five student teams, top five college teams and the top five couples teams collectively from both divisions that fished all five events in their respective division.
Each regular season tournament features a $15,000 guaranteed first place prize and pays 40 places totaling $64,450.
The no-entry fee championship will feature a $100,250 payout with a first place prize of $50,000. There is also a $5,000 bonus cash prize for Angler of the Year and $2,500 for runner-up Angler of the Year.
2025 Payout Schedule:
| First Place | $15,000 |
| Second Place | $7,500 |
| Third Place | $6,000 |
| Fourth Place | $4,000 |
| Fifth Place | $3,000 |
| Sixth Place | $2,000 |
| Seventh Place | $1,300 |
| Eighth Place | $1,300 |
| Nineth Place | $1,300 |
| Tenth Place | $1,300 |
| 11th – 15th | $1,000 each |
| 16th – 25th | $750 each |
| 26th – 30th | $600 each |
| 31st – 40th | $500 each |
| Big Fish | $1,000 |
| ABT Gear | $250 |
2025 Championship Payout:
| First Place | $50,000 |
| Second Place | $10,000 |
| Third Place | $5,000 |
| Fourth Place | $4,000 |
| Fifth Place | $3,000 |
| Sixth Place | $2,500 |
| Seventh Place | $2,200 |
| Eighth Place | $2,000 |
| Nineth Place | $1,800 |
| Tenth Place | $1,500 |
| 11th – 15th | $1,200 each |
| 16th – 25th | $1,100 each |
| Big Fish | $500 daily |
| ABT Gear | $250 |
In addition, the Alabama Bass Trail will qualify 18 teams who for the B.A.S.S. Team Championship. According to Donaldson, over $750,000 in cash and prizes will be awarded when the Alabama Bass Trail Tournament Series wraps up its season in 2025.
Anglers who fished all five events in their respective divisions in 2024 will be given a priority entry period beginning August 1, 2024, at 6 a.m. CST online at www.alabamabasstrail.org. Registration opens for new teams August 15 at 6 a.m. CST. The entry fee is $1,600 per team, which includes registration for all five tournaments in the respective division. Each team may choose to pay a $600 nonrefundable deposit to hold the team’s spot. The balance of $1000 is due on or before December 20, 2024.
Alabama Bass Trail Tournament sponsors include Phoenix Bass Boats, Landers McLarty Chevrolet, McGraw–Webb Chevrolet, Academy Sports + Outdoors, Advantage Trailer Rentals, Alabama State Parks, Big Bite Baits, Busch Light, Jack’s, Mountain Dew, FishAlabama.org, America’s First Federal Credit Union, Visit North Alabama, Alabama Tourism Department, T-H Marine Supplies, Inc., Power-Pole Total Boat Control, Yamaha, VMC, Rapala, Crush City, American Baitworks, Pro-Guide Batteries, Buffalo Rock Company and Garmin.
WOTM – TV will continue the live-streaming and Angler’s Channel will film and produce the Alabama Bass Trail television series to air at a later date.
For more information, call Donaldson at 855-934-7425 or visit www.alabamabasstrail.org.
About Alabama Bass Trail
The Alabama Bass Trail is a program of the Alabama Mountain Lakes Tourist Association. Its mission is to promote Alabama as a year-round fishing destination, to preserve natural resources for generations to come, and to educate high school and college-aged students to be good stewards of natural resources. The 13 bass fishing lakes consist of Lake Guntersville, Wheeler Lake, Pickwick Lake, Lewis Smith Lake, Neely Henry Lake, Weiss Lake, Lake Martin, Lay Lake, Logan Martin Lake, Lake Jordan, Alabama River, Lake Eufaula, and the Mobile-Tensaw River Delta. For more information, visit www.alabamabasstrail.org.
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The Alabama Bass Trail is a program of the Alabama Mountain Lakes Tourist Association.
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