New Personalities Announced for the ABT Live Team
Decatur, Ala. (November 14, 2023) – With the Alabama Bass Trail (ABT) set to enter its eleventh season in 2024, the state’s premier weekend tournament trail announces two new personalities to the ABT Live team, bringing even more excitement of tournament action to the next decade. Luke Dunkin will take over as the on the water analyst and will serve as the official emcee of the ABT Tournament Series and ABT 100 series and Darien Craig has been named the ABT television show host and will also serve as an on the water analyst.
“I am excited to welcome both Luke and Darien to the ABT team. They are no strangers to the ABT as both have fished with us and filled in on live as we needed them. Both young men are very knowledgeable of the lakes we visit and the overall fishing landscape in Alabama. I think their input will be extremely interesting as well as entertaining to our many fans tuning in each week,” said ABT Program Director Kay Donaldson.
Luke Dunkin, host of the Low Budget Live Podcast, will be the official emcee and will serve as an on the water analyst. He will be responsible for engaging the crowd watching the tournament in person as well as those fans watching from home. The new ABT television show host is Darien Craig. In addition to his hosting duties, he will also serve as an on the water analyst, bringing the fans all the action live.
Growing up in southern Tennessee, Dunkin got bit by the tournament bass fishing bug at the age of 10. While competing in tournaments with his father across Tennessee and North Alabama, he decided back then he wanted to pursue a career in the bass fishing world. Fast forward 30 years and he has been fortunate enough to turn that childhood dream into a reality. After competing over the years in events like the Bassmaster Opens and the FLW Tour, Dunkin decided to combine his love of fishing and gift of gab to form the Low Budget Live (LBL) podcast. Now in its sixth year, LBL has become one of the top fishing podcasts in the country, with thousands of loyal “Low Lifers” tuning in every week. Dunkin is also a commentator for the National Professional Fishing League’s live coverage. When he isn’t on the water fishing or running his mouth about fishing, he enjoys spending time with his wife Marissa and their five children hunting and playing music.
Dunkin stated, “I am absolutely honored to have the opportunity to work with the Alabama Bass Trail. I have had the chance to compete in both the Tournament Series and 100 Series over the years and nobody does it better than Kay, Jon and the rest of the crew. I understand that I have some huge shoes to fill on that stage and on live thanks to the great Robbie Floyd, but I am excited to bring my love of tournament fishing, my respect for the ABT anglers, my personality and my sense of humor to the 2024 season.”
Darien Craig, the celebrated 2017 ABT winner at Lake Guntersville, is an experienced angler in the world of bass fishing. Beyond his angling career, he is the entrepreneurial force behind the company he founded, Y’all Sweet Tea. Drawing from a wealth of experience fishing the ABT and providing insightful live show coverage, he is poised to make waves as a member of the ABT team in 2024. His on-the-water proficiency, coupled with authentic relationships among anglers, promises to bring a fresh and compelling perspective to the forefront of the ABT. Darien also finds fulfillment in his roles as a devoted husband to Hannah and a proud father to Canon.
“I am thrilled to announce my collaboration with the ABT for all 11 Tournament Series events plus the 100 Series,” said Craig. “Being on the water live during these events will be an absolute joy, as it combines two of my passions: bass fishing and talking on camera. The 2024 schedule is incredibly promising, with anticipation for some impressive fish bags. Excitement levels soar as I team up with Luke Dunkin for the entire season, bringing a dynamic duo to the coverage. Get ready for an exhilarating season full of big catches and engaging commentary!”
In 2024, the ABT will offer four hours of continuous on the water live coverage at each Tournament Series and 100 Series events. The coverage will feature three roaming camera boats on the water and one in the live studio. The live stream can be viewed on the ABT’s Facebook pages and website.
“On the water live coverage launched in 2021, delivering to fishing enthusiasts, ABT fans and anglers each more than 70 hours of live coverage from 14 tournaments. Since this time, we have had over 200,000 views from live videos on our social media platforms,” said Donaldson.
Fans are encouraged to follow the Alabama Bass Trail Tournament Series (https://www.facebook.com/AlabamaBassTrail) and Alabama Bass Trail 100 (https://www.facebook.com/albasstrail100) on Facebook and to bookmark www.alabamabasstrail.org to watch the live coverage.
The ABT Tournament Series will enter its eleventh season in 2024 as the state’s premier weekend tournament trail for amateur bass anglers with an 11-event schedule offering more than $750,000 in awards. The season gets underway February 10, 2024, on Lake Jordan and concludes Oct. 18-19, 2024, with the championship on Lay Lake.
North Division:
| February 17, 2024 | Pickwick Lake hosted by Florence-Lauderdale Tourism |
| March 16, 2024 | Smith Lake hosted by the Chamber of Commerce of Walker County |
| April 27, 2024 | Wheeler Lake hosted by Decatur Morgan County Tourism |
| May 18, 2024 | Neely Henry Lake hosted by City of Gadsden |
| June 22, 2024 | Lake Guntersville hosted by Marshall County Sports and Tourism |
South Division:
| February 10, 2024 | Lake Jordan hosted by the City of Wetumpka and the Elmore County Economic Development |
| March 9, 2024 | Lake Martin hosted by Alexander City Chamber of Commerce |
| April 13, 2024 | Logan Martin Lake hosted by City of Lincoln |
| May 11, 2024 | Alabama River (Cooter’s Pond) hosted by City of Prattville |
| June 15, 2024 | Lake Eufaula hosted by Eufaula-Barbour County Chamber of Commerce |
Hosted by the Shelby County Commission, the championship tournament will be held October 18-19, 2024, on Lay Lake.
Returning for the fourth season, the ABT 100 Series is open to professional and amateur anglers and features three tournaments. The maximum number of boats for each tournament is 100. Entry fee for each event is $1,000 and teams must fish in all three tournaments. (No single entries allowed.)
Tournament dates and locations for the 2024 Alabama Bass Trail 100 Series:
January 20, 2024 Logan Martin Lake hosted by the City of Lincoln
June 1, 2024 Weiss Lake hosted by the City of Leesburg
November 2, 2024 Wheeler hosted by Decatur-Morgan County Tourism
For more information on the ABT, 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.
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