April 9, 2025

ELIZABETH CITY, N.C. —  B.A.S.S. announced today that St. Croix Rod — the American manufacturer of the “Best Rods on Earth” for 77 years — has expanded their partnership to include the title sponsorship of the 2025 St. Croix Bassmaster Elite at Pasquotank River/Albemarle Sound in Elizabeth City, N.C., April 10-13.

The tournament pits the top bass anglers in the world — including North Carolina pros Matt Arey, Brandon Card, Hank Cherry, Shane LeHew, KJ Queen and Jake Whitaker — against big bass and one another as they battle for the coveted championship trophy, $100,000 first-place prize and a total purse of more than $455,000.

The Progressive Bassmaster Elite Series field will launch from Waterfront Park each day at 7 a.m. ET and return for weigh-in starting at 3 p.m. The field will be cut to the Top 50 on Day 3 before the Top 10 duke it out on Championship Sunday for the first-place prize of $100,000 and a coveted blue trophy.

The Bassmaster Tournament Trail has only visited the northeastern area of North Carolina three times — once for the 1975 Bassmaster Classic at the Currituck Sound won by Jack Hains and twice for North Carolina Invitationals in 1980 and 1981 in the Albemarle Sound.

“The St. Croix family is excited to extend our support and partnership beyond the St. Croix Bassmaster Opens Series to this unique, Elite Series event. It’s a new venue for Bassmaster, and the tournament will be incredibly exciting for anglers to watch when competition kicks off this Thursday,” says Jesse Simpkins, St. Croix vice president of marketing.

All anglers love new water, and for many Bassmaster fans, this weekend’s Elite Series event will be their first exposure to the extensive bass-fishing opportunities found at the Pasquotank River and other fertile tributaries of the Albemarle Sound, which is full of cypress trees, stumps, sandbars, vegetation, shad, herring and other diverse forage along with big populations of largemouth bass with spawning on their minds.

“I don’t know if it will surprise people, but there are some really big bass there,” says Simpkins, who expects St. Croix’s Elite Series team members Bob Downey, Caleb Kuphall, Trey McKinney and Pat Schlapper, as well as SEVIIN Reels pro John Crews, to lean on a variety of techniques and presentations from jigs, ChatterBaits, spinnerbaits, jerkbaits and crankbaits to minnows, Neko rigs, topwaters and glidebaits. “Don’t be surprised if you see at least one 10-pounder caught,” predicts Simpkins, “especially if it warms up a bit and competitors find fish hitting the beds during the full moon on Saturday.”

Diverse presentations call for diverse rods, something that St. Croix has covered with hundreds of USA- and North American-made technique-specific models over seven bass-specific series. “You’ll see our guys throwing everything from Bass X and Mojo Bass to Legend Xtreme models, but Legend Tournament Bass, Physyx and Victory seem to be the popular staples on almost all of their decks,” says Simpkins. “We’re also incredibly excited at how anglers have gravitated to our new Black Bass series, which starts at just $145 and includes 36 models covering everything from drop shotting to 8-ounce swimbaits. Black Bass blanks are similar to those of our previous generation Avid series, which Bob Downey is a huge fan of. Observant bass fans will notice a bunch of different Black Bass models in Bob’s hands and on his decks throughout this tournament and the remainder of the Elite season.”

Bassmaster LIVE coverage of the 2025 Bassmaster Elite at Pasquotank River/Albemarle Sound will be available on Bassmaster.com on Days 1 and 2 starting at 8 a.m. ET and ending at 3 p.m. Roku will have coverage of Days 1 and 2 from 8 a.m. to 11 a.m. and noon to 3 p.m. FS1 will carry the morning action on Day 3 from 8 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. before moving to Bassmaster.com in the afternoon. Championship Sunday coverage will be broadcast on FS1 from 8 a.m. to 11 a.m.

Visit Elizabeth City is hosting the tournament.

 

2025 Bassmaster Elite Series Platinum Sponsor: Progressive, Toyota
2025 Bassmaster Elite Series Premier Sponsors: Bass Pro Shops, Dakota Lithium, Humminbird, Mercury, Minn Kota, Nitro Boats, Power-Pole, Ranger Boats, Rapala, Skeeter Boats, Yamaha
2025 Bassmaster Elite Series Supporting Sponsors: AFTCO, Daiwa, Garmin, Lew’s, Lowrance, Triton Boats, VMC, Yokohama

About B.A.S.S.

B.A.S.S., which encompasses the Bassmaster tournament leagues, events and media platforms, is the worldwide authority on bass fishing and keeper of the culture of the sport, providing cutting-edge content on bass fishing whenever, wherever and however bass fishing fans want to use it. Headquartered in Birmingham, Ala., the organization’s fully integrated media platforms include the industry’s leading magazines (Bassmaster and B.A.S.S. Times), website (Bassmaster.com), TV show, radio show, social media programs and events. For more than 50 years, B.A.S.S. has been dedicated to access, conservation and youth fishing.

The Bassmaster Tournament Trail includes the most prestigious events at each level of competition, including the Progressive Bassmaster Elite Series, St. Croix Bassmaster Opens Series presented by SEVIIN, Mercury B.A.S.S. Nation Qualifier Series presented by Lowrance, Strike King Bassmaster College Series presented by Bass Pro Shops, Strike King Bassmaster High School Series, Bassmaster Junior Series, Bassmaster Team Championship, Newport Bassmaster Kayak Series presented by Native Watercraft, Bassmaster College Kayak Series, Yamaha Bassmaster Redfish Cup Championship presented by Skeeter and the ultimate celebration of competitive fishing, the Bass Pro Shops Bassmaster Classic presented by Under Armour.

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Media Contact: Chad Gay, Communications Manager, 256-424-2390, cgay@bassmaster.com