Decatur, Ala. (November 29, 2023) – Rapala, the world’s largest manufacturer of fishing lures and other fishing-related products, will join the Alabama Bass Trail (ABT) as a premier sponsor of the ABT Tournament Series and 100 Series in 2024.

 

RapalaVMC was unofficially founded in 1936 when Lauri Rapala invented the Rapala fishing lure. RapalaVMC has grown from humble beginnings to become a market leader in the fishing tackle industry. The brand’s functionality and high quality are known by fishermen worldwide. Rapala maintains strict standards of craftsmanship while delivering its fishing products to anglers in more than 130 countries.

 

Rapala Director of Field Promotions and R&D Dan Quinn said, “After years of following the Alabama Bass Trail, watching it grow and learning more about it through Gerald Swindle and eventually Kay Donaldson, it’s about time this venture happened! Kay does an incredible job running things, surrounds herself with the right people to make it all happen and has built one of the very finest and best run tournament trails in the world. Partnering with the Alabama Bass Trail is as exciting as it gets for all of us at Rapala and we are fired up about it. It’s going to be a ton of fun and a huge win for everyone involved.”

 

As a premier sponsor, Rapala will enjoy extensive exposure during tournament coverage and the Alabama Bass Trail will feature the company on all tournament related advertising, website and collateral materials and will be seen across the various ABT social media channels.

 

“Rapala and VMC are brands that you consistently see the top level touring pro anglers use.  And with the addition of the Crush City brand, a collaboration with Jacob Wheeler, arguably the winningest angler in the industry in recent years, they continue to improve their products to meet the changing conditions in bass fishing. We are excited to work with the team at Rapala, VMC and Crush City to introduce their products and brands to the ABT anglers and fans,” said ABT Program Director Kay Donaldson.

 

The Alabama Bass Trail Tournament Series will enter its eleventh season next year 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 or sponsorship opportunities, call Donaldson at 855.934.7425 or visit www.alabamabasstrail.org.