Decatur, Ala. (October 1, 2015) – Over 260 amateur anglers will make their way to Decatur, Ala. to battle it out on Wheeler Lake the second weekend in October for a chance to claim tournament champions of the Alabama Bass Trail Tournament Series Championship. Hosted by the Decatur/Morgan County Convention and Visitors Bureau, the championship tournament is set for October 9-10, 2015, on Wheeler Lake and along with the coveted title and bragging rights, the top winning team will receive a fully-rigged 2016 Phoenix bass boat. Take-off is set for 6 a.m. and weigh-in will start around 2:30 p.m. at Ingalls Harbor both days.
According to Alabama Bass Trail Program Director Kay Donaldson, 134 two-person teams have qualified for the Tournament Series Championship. The 134 boats are comprised of the top 50 teams in points from the North and South divisions that fished all five events in their respective divisions, along with the top 12 student boats collectively from both divisions that fished all five events in their respective division.
The championship is a no entry tournament and the first place prize is a fully-rigged 2016 Phoenix 819 Pro with a Mercury 200, trolling motor and electronics valued at $43,000 with an additional $40,000 in cash and prizes to the top 25 teams. The official bass boat of the Alabama Bass Trail, Phoenix Bass boats will also offer the tier one First Flight incentive plan to tournament winners in a qualifying Phoenix boat.
Championship Payout:
First place: Boat
Second place: $5,000
Third place: $4,000
Fourth place: $3,000
Fifth place: $2,500
Sixth place: $2,000
Seventh place: $1,800
Eighth place: $1,700
Ninth place: $1,600
Tenth place: $1,400
Eleventh – Fifteenth: $1,200 each
Sixteenth – Twenty-fifth: $1,100 each
Fishing enthusiasts are invited to cheer on their favorite teams during take-offs and weigh-ins. Take-off is set for 6 a.m. and weigh-in will start around 2:30 p.m. at Ingalls Harbor both days.
Southern Fishing News photo
Registration and briefing will take place on Thursday, October 8th at Ingalls Harbor Pavilion. Registration will be from 5 to 6:30 p.m. with dinner and pre-tournament meeting beginning at 6:45 p.m. Pro Angler Gerald Swindle will make a special guest appearance at the registration and dinner to greet tournament participants and offer words of advice.
The tournament, according to Donaldson, is expected to pump an estimated $500,000 into the local economy of the host city through revenue generated by anglers and their family members dining, shopping, and overnighting in local hotels and motels.
For more information on the Alabama Bass Trail and the tournament series, visit www.alabamabasstrail.org.
For more information on the Tournament Championship, call Decatur/Morgan County Convention and Visitors Bureau President/CEO Melinda Dunn at 800.524.6181.
About Alabama Bass Trail
The Alabama Bass Trail is a program of the Alabama Mountain Lakes Tourist Association. Its mission is to promote Alabama as a year round fishing destination, to preserve natural resources for generations to come, and to educate high school and college aged students to be good stewards of natural resources. The 11 bass fishing lakes consist of Lake Guntersville, Wheeler Lake, Pickwick Lake, Lewis Smith Lake, Neely Henry Lake, Lay Lake, Logan Martin Lake, Lake Jordan, Alabama River (Millers Ferry), Lake Eufaula, and the Mobile-Tensaw River Delta. For more information, visit www.alabamabasstrail.org.
