290+ College Bass Fishing Teams Set to Compete at Pickwick Lake for the Pickwick Slam
SAN ANTONIO, TX (April 2, 2025) – This weekend, the Association of Collegiate Anglers will visit Pickwick Lake to contest the third event of its historic 20th season. The Pickwick Slam is the final regular season stop of the majors lineup of events in the 2024-25 Bass Pro Shops Collegiate Bass Fishing Series before the year ending 20th Collegiate Bass Fishing Championship presented by Bass Pro Shops.
The no-entry-fee, nationally televised, double points tournament will be contested at Pickwick Lake in Florence, AL on April 5-6, 2025. More than 290 teams comprised of the top collegiate anglers in the nation are set to be on-hand. The full field is scheduled to compete for two days in hopes of claiming their share of the over $20,000 in prizes and contingencies on the line, as well as double points to count towards the Bass Pro Shops School of the Year presented by Abu Garcia.
Official practice begins on Thursday, with the final day of official practice and mandatory tournament meeting happening on Friday. Saturday and Sunday will be official competition days, with weigh-in and takeoff happening at McFarland Park. Live weigh-in will be streamed each afternoon on the ACA website. Official weigh-in will begin at 3:00 PM on Day 1 and 1:30 PM on Day 2. The ACA website and social media pages will also provide detailed coverage, including a live blog, event insight, important links, and more.
Pickwick Lake has been producing quality limits of bass across major regional and national events this spring. From the Wilson Dam to the Pickwick Dam, anglers have been finding success around various types of cover with an array of different baits. Bass will likely be in all three phases, spawn, pre spawn, and post spawn. This means anglers will find success with a variety of presentations and techniques. Read a complete lake preview at this link.
The latest episode of the Rapala #WeAreCollegiate Bass Podcast featured Peyton Harris, Dalton Head, and Peyton Sorrow from top ranked University of Montevallo. Montevallo is the two-time defending winner of the Pickwick Slam, as team members finished in 1stplace in 2021 and 2023. Tune in to this episode as we preview the event and talk about current lake conditions.
The total payout for the Pickwick Slam exceeds $20,000 in prizes and contingencies. The no-entry-fee Pickwick Slam will pay out the Top 20 places in the final standings, and a Power-Pole to the Overall Big Bass. This prestigious prize payout is comprised of product and gift cards from companies including Bass Pro Shops, AFTCO, Power-Pole, Rapala, 13 Fishing, Turtlebox, Trailer Valet, and Bajío Sunglasses. Click here to view the complete prize list.
The Top 15 finishing angler pairings at the Pickwick Slam automatically qualify to compete in the 2025 Collegiate Bass Fishing Championship presented by Bass Pro Shops. These qualified angler pairing entries must compete at Lake Hartwell in May as the same angler pairing that competed at the Pickwick Slam.
The Pickwick Slam will be the final ACA double points event to count towards the 2024-25 Bass Pro Shops School of the Year presented by Abu Garcia. First place will receive 1,750 points, and schools will be eligible to earn points for their two highest-finishing teams inside of the Top 150 of the final tournament standings.
24 of the Top 25 teams are registered to compete at Lake Dardanelle this upcoming weekend. For teams that have two high finishes, there is potential for them to earn well over 3,000 points. 1st place University of Montevallo leads 2nd ranked McKendree University by 2,325 points, and 3rd through 10th are separated by less than 2,700 points. Given that the standings are stacked so tightly now, there will be an opportunity for teams to make major moves in the rankings.
View the complete rankings for the Bass Pro Shops School of the Year presented by Abu Garcia.
Live coverage for the event will begin with the Live Blog on the final day of official practice on Friday. The live blog will also be active during both days of tournament competition. As mentioned above, live weigh-in will be streamed on the ACA website both afternoons. Also, follow along with ACA social media channels for additional coverage and content.