Just in case anyone had any doubt about the continuing success of the Alabama Bass Trail, that should have gone away this past week when all 450 boat slots for the 2020 season were sold in under 24 hours.
The 2020 tournament series begins Feb. 22, 2019.
ABT Director Kay Donaldson said the south division reached its 225-boat limit in three hours after opening to the public, while the north division sold the 225 slots in 17 hours. In total, that means 900 anglers threw their hats into the ring for this event.
It’s not only a draw for in-state anglers. Donaldson said teams will be traveling from 10 states, including Tennessee, Mississippi, Georgia, California, Arkansas, Florida, South Carolina, North Carolina and Missouri, to compete in the 2020 tournament series. The Alabama Bass Trail creates an estimated economic impact of $4 million for the state annually.
Sanctioned by BASS (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 to be eligible for the no-entry-fee championship fished in October.
The tournaments are popular with spectators because anglers often divulge their successful lures and tactics at the weigh-ins, giving local fishermen a boost in their own fishing. The events are streamed live during weigh-ins.
Here are the dates and locations for the 2020 tournament series:
North Division:
Feb. 22, 2020, Lake Guntersville / hosted by Marshall County Convention and Visitors Bureau
March 21, 2020, Smith Lake / hosted by the Chamber of Commerce of Walker County
April 18, 2020, Neely Henry Lake / hosted by City of Gadsden
May 16, 2020, Weiss Lake / hosted by City of Leesburg
June 13, 2020, Wheeler Lake / hosted by Decatur Morgan County Tourism
South Division:
Feb. 29, 2020, Lake Jordan / hosted by the City of Wetumpka
March 28, 2020, Lay Lake / hosted by Shelby County Commission
April 25, 2020, Lake Eufaula / hosted by Eufaula-Barbour Chamber of Commerce
May 9, 2020, Logan Martin Lake / hosted by Pell City Chamber of Commerce
June 20, 2020, Alabama River/Cooter’s Pond / hosted by City of Prattville Parks and Recreation
Hosted by Alexander City Chamber of Commerce, the championship tournament will be held Oct. 23-24, 2020, on Lake Martin at Wind Creek State Park in Alexander City.
The no-entry fee championship event will include up to 185 boats. The 185 boats are comprised of the 10 divisional tournament winning teams, top 75 teams in points from both divisions that fished all five events in their respective divisions, as well as the top 15 student boats, top five college teams and the top five couple’s 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 winning team of the no-entry fee championship walks away with a $50,000 cash payout, and there is 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 2020.
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.