Decatur, Ala. (May 1, 2020) – The Alabama Bass Trail (ABT) is pleased to unveil dates and locations of the 2021 tournament series which includes a payout reaching over $580,000. Returning for the eighth season, the team-style tournament series is held on eleven different lakes of the Alabama Bass Trail beginning February 20, 2021, with the championship tournament to be held on October 22-23, 2021. Anglers in the no-entry-fee championship will be competing for over $100,000 in cash, including a $50,000 first place prize and top bragging rights for the year.
“Our team, along with the host cities, have worked extremely hard to put together a schedule that highlights Alabama lakes while allowing anglers from across the United States to showcase their abilities,” said ABT Program Director Kay Donaldson. “Hosting events the size of the ABT Tournament Series requires a commitment and a tremendous amount of work from the local host cities and every year, these communities go out of their way to accommodate our event and our anglers.”
Hosted by the Chamber of Commerce of Walker County, the championship tournament will be held October 22-23, 2021, on Lewis Smith Lake.
“The Alabama Bass Trail is a great opportunity for Alabama lakes and local businesses to reach hundreds of loyal and determined anglers. As we prepare for a new normal following the coronavirus pandemic, we look to the 2021 schedule with much anticipation. We wish all of the anglers a successful year and encourage them to take some time to enjoy all that the host cities have to offer. We also encourage locals to come out and experience the excitement as anglers weigh in their fish and compete for the big check and the prestigious recognition attached to this tournament trail,” said ABT Chairman of the Board and Cherokee County Chamber of Commerce Executive Director Thereasa Hulgan.
Sanctioned by B.A.S.S. (Bass Anglers Sportsman Society), the ABT 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.
The no-entry-fee championship event will include up to 185 boats. The 185 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 15 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 $10,000 guaranteed first place prize and pays 40 places totaling over $47,000. The no-entry-fee championship will feature a $100,000 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. According to Donaldson, over $580,000 in cash and prizes will be awarded when the ABT Tournament Series wraps up its season in 2021.
2021 Payout Schedule:
| First place | $10,000 |
| Second place | $5,000 |
| Third place | $4,000 |
| Fourth place | $3,000 |
| Fifth place | $2,000 |
| Sixth place | $1,500 |
| Seventh place | $1,100 |
| Eighth place | $1,100 |
| Ninth place | $1,100 |
| Tenth place | $1,100 |
| 11th – 20th | $750 each |
| 21st – 40th | $500 each |
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2021 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 |
| Ninth place | $1,800 |
| Tenth place | $1,500 |
| 11th-15th | $1,200 each |
| 16th-25th | $1,100 each |
| Big Fish | $500 daily |
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Anglers who fished all five events in their respective divisions in 2020 will be given a priority entry period beginning August 1, 2020, at 6 a.m. online at www.alabamabasstrail.org. Registration opens for new teams August 15 at 6 a.m. The entry fee is $1,300 per team, which includes registration for all five tournaments in the respective division. Each team may choose to pay a $500 nonrefundable deposit to hold the team’s spot. The balance of $800 must be paid by January 15, 2021.
“Year after year, registration for the ABT tournament series sells out in record time and we look forward to shattering the record with the 2021 season,” stated Donaldson. Registration for the 2020 tournament series opened to the public August 15, 2019. The south division reached its limit in three hours after opening to the public and registration for the north division closed in 17 hours. In 2019, registration was full for the south division in 22 hours and in 38 days for the north division.
ABT Tournament sponsors include Phoenix Bass Boats; Bill Penney Toyota; Alabama Tourism Department; America’s First Federal Credit Union; Academy Sports & Outdoors; Garmin; T-H Marine Supplies, Inc.; Alabama Power Company; Buffalo Rock, Inc.; Jack’s; Wedowee Marine; Lews Fishing; FishNeelyHenry.com; Power-Pole; Big Bite Baits; YETI and Hydrowave. Angler’s Channel will film and produce the Alabama Bass Trail television series for Fox Sports Southeast and Southern Stream Live will continue the live-streaming and video production services.
For more information, call Donaldson at 855.934.7425 or visit www.alabamabasstrail.org.
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.
The Alabama Bass Trail is a program of the
Alabama Mountain Lakes Tourist Association.
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