Six weeks ago, in announcing the launch of the Alabama Bass Trail, Program Director Kay Donaldson proudly reported a full field of 200 boats in the Northern Division and expressed hope the Southern Division would field at least 150 boats.

The inaugural tournament in the Southern Division March 1 on the Mobile-Tensaw River Delta drew 160 boats and by the first of the week there were 162 boats already registered for the second Southern Division tournament Saturday on Lake Eufaula, and Donaldson said she expected more to register by the weekly deadline on Wednesday.

“We are looking at averaging 165 to 170 boats in the Southern Division Some anglers have already registered for the Lay Lake tournament and for the other tournaments as well. So far we have four states competing in the division.”

With the Northern Division running at capacity and the Southern Division starting to grow, Donaldson said the Alabama Bass Trail has exceeded expectations after the first tournament in each division.

“We think we will see growth in the Southern Division next year, both in payout and participation,” she said. “We are working really hard to get more anglers and more sponsors.”

The series could be even more attractive in its second year, 2015, Donaldson said.

“We think we will see a big increase next year. We are about 70 percent done in having all those dates confirmed and we hope to release the 2015 dates this May. We are looking for more interest from anglers in Florida and South Georgia and we think getting the dates out early this year will help people get prepared for next year.

Registration is available online at www.alabamabasstrail.org up to the Wednesday preceding each tournament. The entry fee per tournament is $250 per team.

The schedule includes: North Division – Feb. 1, Lake Guntersville; March 22, Pickwick Lake; April 5, Neely Henry Lake; May 31, Wheeler Lake; June 21, Logan Martin Lake. South Division – March 1, Mobile-Tensaw River Delta; March 15, Lake Eufaula; April 19, Lake Jordan; May 10, Alabama River (Millers Ferry); June 7, Lay Lake.

Each tournament has a guaranteed first prize of $10,000, plus $23,000 to the top 20 places and $500 to big fish. There are also numerous bonus packages available to winning and placing anglers.

The Top 50 teams for both the Northern and Southern Divisions will advance to the 2014 ABT Team Championship Oct. 10-11 at Smith Lake in Jasper. Plus, the top 25 student boats overall will be in the final event. To be eligible for the championship, teams must enter all five qualifying events in their respective division.

The grand prize for the no-entry fee championship is a fully-rigged Phoenix 619 Pro Bass Boat with a 150-horsepower Mercury Outboard, valued at $40,000. Adding to that excitement level is an opportunity to advance to the Bassmasters Team Championship and possibly earn a berth in the Bassmaster Classic.

“We are looking at an estimated $420,000 total in prizes for the series,” Donaldson said. “We think the anglers are going to really enjoy it because they will have the opportunity to advance to our championship and from there the opportunity to go to the BASS Team Championship.”

 

Alabama Bass Trail South Division

Sat, Mar 15, 2014

Lake Eufaula

Lakepoint Resort State Park

Call Kay Donaldson 855-934-7425

www.alabamabasstrail.org