The Best Bass Fishing Tournaments in the USA
Bass fishing is one of the most exciting angling experiences you can get in fresh water, and while it's accessible to beginner fishermen and youthful anglers, there really isn't a skill cap preventing you from continuously improving even after decades of mastering the sport.
This makes bass fishing perfect for a tournament environment that lets you test your skill against dozens, or even hundreds, of other anglers with sheer dumb luck having minimal impact on who comes out on top.
You can find these tournaments all over the USA; from locally organized small-pond tournaments to cross-country extravaganzas with life-changing rewards.
Let’s start with a brief rundown of what you should expect from a bass tournament, and then we’ll cover the top 7 bass fishing tournaments in the USA that you can strive to take part in.
The Basics of Tournament Fishing
Every fishing tournament tends to boil down to the same core concept. There are a limited number of slots for participants, a start and end time is scheduled, a catch limit is put in place, and whoever catches the largest fish from the target species before the time is up claims the win. Sometimes, the criteria for winning is built on points spread between each fish you catch, but other tournaments keep it simple and only measure the largest fish caught.
The difference between tournaments tends to derive from the location or locations in which fishermen are allowed to pull fish in from, what the catch limit is, and of course, the potential rewards available.
On the lowest rung of the tournament ladder, you can find local, one-day tournaments set up by local organizations. These have the lowest rewards –often not providing much more than bragging rights-, and they're often geared towards children as a way to get them on the water and enjoying the sport. On some occasions, there might be local tournaments available with an adult audience in mind; pitting fishing buddies against each other for local bragging rights. This is a great starting point for novices to dip their toes into the competition.
As a step up from that, various national and state-level tournaments have sprung up, such as The Alabama Bass Trail and Bass Bash, which allows anglers of all skill levels to experience a more professional tournament atmosphere. Some of these are free to enter and allow you to fish in teams, while some have negligible or affordable entry fees. Either way, tournaments such as these tend to have cash prizes that are worth fighting for, but they're rarely as life-changing as what you'll find on the pro circuit. The rules for these tournaments are usually a bit more extensive than what you'll find in a localized tournament, but they're still flexible enough for novices to work with.
Finally, there are the professional tournaments you find on your TV's sports channel. These are where the most elite fishermen in the world gather to show their skills, cement themselves in the record books, and of course, bring home ridiculous amounts of cash and respect-garnering titles. This is the top tier of the fishing world, and the anglers participating typically have multiple sponsorships from the top brands, impressive resumes, and a life-long dedication to competitive bass fishing.
We'll cover the best tournaments for people from every skill level on our list. From tournaments that offer enticing prizes for amateurs to fire up their competitive spirits, to the most elite tournaments in the USA.
The Top 7 Bass Fishing Tournaments in the USA
These entries cover a broad spectrum of skill levels, and they’re in no particular order. Take the time to read through each one and find the one that suits you the most.
1: The Alabama Bass Trail
This is a state-level tournament in, you guessed it, Alabama, and it’s got quite a few things going for it.
First, Alabama is known for having some of the best bass fishing in the country, and the Alabama Bass Trail Tournament Series takes you through several of the state’s best fishing holes. In some ways, it’s worth it just to land your boat in some of the most serene fishing environments you can come across.
Besides just getting in some high-quality fishing time for yourself, you also get to bring a friend along. The tournament is meant for pairs, and it’s open to everyone from high school students to angling couples. This pair-based approach gives you a little wiggle room to have fun with a buddy, but it doesn’t take away the competitive nature of the competition. It also provides a bit of leeway for a less-experienced angler to participate.
The cash prizes are one of the most interesting parts of the Alabama trail. While the tournament is free to enter, it offers some remarkable rewards. Every team that gets first in their qualifying event receives $10,000. Then, all the qualifying participants are divided into two divisions, and they compete for a grand prize of $500,000. As a way to keep the tournament interesting for everyone, there are also oddball prizes like the special reward for high performers wearing the tournament’s official merchandise and several others.
As we said, this one is completely free to join, and it has more going for it than just the cash prizes. If you’re in the Alabama area, check it out.
2: Big Bass Bash
The Big Bass Bash is a multi-state tournament with over $100,000 in prizes, and it’s one of the simplest and most accessible tournaments around. It’s open to anyone willing to participate; that includes professionals, but the tournament’s organizers make it a point that amateurs and novices are more than welcome.
The Big Bass Bass takes place across three states.
Wilson Lake, Alabama
Grand Lake, Oklahoma
Lake of the Ozarks, Missouri
These three popular fishing holes offer a beautiful natural backdrop for some intense bass fishing action, and they provide plenty of opportunities for people across the USA to take part without having to travel clear across the country in most cases.
The first-place prize is $30,000, and the tournament’s criteria are simple: You catch the single biggest fish, you get first place. There are no annoying point rules to learn, and this makes it far more accessible for novices. It’s also set up perfectly for solo anglers. So, there’s no reason to worry if you don’t have a committed fishing buddy.
However, The Big Bass Bash does have an $80 entry fee that is to be paid before you hit the lake. That’s not steep compared to professional tournaments, but it is something to keep in mind.
3: Anglers in Action
This is a unique tournament that operates much like The Big Bass Bash, but it’s more for committed fishermen of all skill levels, and it’s not something you do just once to try. Rather than pay a one-time entry fee, you pay a monthly membership to the Anglers in Action organization. This membership comes with a whole host of perks that extend far beyond the tournaments offered. On the day of a tournament, members have the option to donate; this supports the organization and increases the potential prize money.
Anglers in Action is unique in its setup, too. There are four divisions. The first three are location-based, and they're in the Midwest. These include:
Lake of the Ozarks, Missouri
Table Rock Lake, Missouri,
Grand Lake, Oklahoma
This gives you three potential fishing holes that operate via traditional tournament schedules.
However, the fourth option is the Open Division. The Open Division is a tournament branch that offers a variety of dates and schedules, and it’s designed for fishermen who can’t just call off work to go to a fishing tournament.
All four of these divisions compete on their scheduled dates, and the top performers get invited to the Tournament of Champions that is used to crown the first-place winner overall. The prizes for all tournaments are drawn from membership payments and optional donations being placed into a prize pool throughout the year.
This is a great tournament for fishermen of all levels who want to participate in an ongoing community rather than just annual tournaments.
4: FLW Pro Circuit
The FLW Pro Circuit is a professional-level tournament, and you won't find a lot or any, average Joes slinging lures around during it. It's geared towards professionals with impressive resumes and prior tournament experience, and it takes place across the bulk of the country; meaning it's one tournament that requires a lot of travel to stay in.
The circuit takes place in:
Arkansas
Atlanta
Michigan
Tennessee
South Carolina
And Florida
The tournament has strict catch-and-release rules that require all bass to be weighed on the spot and immediately released safely, and it goes off the Major League Bass Fishing organization's point system and regulations.
With 150 participants at the start, only 10 of those participants are still in the tournament by the third day, and the grand prize has been more than $800,000 in recent years. However, there is a second prize of $200,000 that all 10 finalists compete for after the tournament’s conclusion, and the FLW title was recently created as an extra level of recognition.
5: Bass Master Classic
If you’re looking for the most elite fishing experience in the world, there is none better than the Bassmaster Classic.
Starting in 1971, the Bassmaster Classic has been the peak level of competitive bass fishing for decades, and it’s one of the most difficult to win for multiple reasons. First, the entry requirements are extremely exclusive, and it is an invite-only tournament meant for the most elite fishermen in the country.
The tournament has also taken a unique route to ramp up the difficulty and make every catch a struggle in recent times. Rather than holding the tournament in the summer, when fish are active and fairly easy to catch back-to-back, the Bassmaster Classic now takes place in the middle of winter in locations that often experience somewhat harsh winter conditions.
Simply being a part of this competition means you’re at the top of the competitive fishing scene, but winning it under such strict restrictions and harsh conditions –against top-tier opponents at that- is a completely different accomplishment.
While it is unlikely most of our readers will enter a Bassmaster Classic, doing so is a guaranteed way to cement your legacy as a bass fisherman.
6: Bassmaster Elite Series
The Bassmaster Elite Series is connected to the Bassmaster Classic. It’s a series of competitions spanning several of the country’s most pristine fishing holes, and while it’s an elite-level tournament of its own, it’s also used to find prime contestants for the Bassmaster Classic; adding an extra level of competition to the mix.
The series travels through 15 states, and while its weather conditions are typically far more desirable than the Bassmaster Classic, the competition is insanely high-strung.
Florida
Louisiana
Alabama
Texas
Tennessee
Oklahoma
Pennsylvania
New York
Wisconsin
Michigan
Minnesota
California
South Carolina
Nevada
Kentucky
However, unlike the Bassmaster Classic, competitors aren't chosen on an invite-only basis. The entry fee is high and the competition is stiff, but there are plenty of top-tier high school fishermen joining the series every year; you just have to have enough drive to compete to join.
Prizes are also impressive. There is a 7-million-dollar grand prize, multiple $100,000 prizes, and each of the top 50 competitors is rewarded $10,000.
7: Bassmaster B.A.S.S Nation Series
Again, this is connected to the Bassmaster Classic and is meant to find the best fishermen to invite to the winter competition. However, it's not as open as the Bassmaster Elite Series.
This is an invite-only tournament where states host their own open qualification tournaments. Each state chooses 10 participants to enroll in the B.A.S.S Nation series.
This incredibly difficult entry process means you’ll have to prove yourself on the state level before you can even attempt the tournament, and while cash prizes are available and impressive, the main goal is to ultimately be invited to the Bassmaster Classic.
Tournament Fishing is Available at All Skill Levels
Tournament fishing isn't some elite activity that's only open to sponsored professionals in luxurious boats. There are options available at every level.
So, take the opportunity to test your fishing skills and add a bit of recognition to your career as a bass fisherman. Start looking for local tournaments, and when you’re comfortable, The Big Bass Bash and similar open tournaments are the perfect way to get into the big leagues.