Anglers Get Peek at New BASS Weekend Series

America’s weekend legion of BASS anglers will get a sneak peek at an eagerly awaited new tournament series when a pilot tournament for the upcoming ESPN Outdoors Bassmaster Weekend Series is held Oct. 10 on Alabama’s Lake Martin.

Although no points will be awarded at the event in Alexander City, it will be a model for the weekend tournaments to come, which will be held on Sundays. The entry fee is $200 for boaters and $100 for non-boaters. Based on a full field of 200 anglers, first place is $6,000 for the boaters and $3,000 for non-boaters.

Boaters will be paired with non-boaters using a blind drawing and all participants must be current BASS members to register for competition. Anglers competing as boaters will be allowed to weigh a limit of five bass; non-boaters will be allowed to weigh three fish plus share the weight of their partner.

Gil Johnson, a 63-year-old retired NBC Sports engineer from Spring, Tenn., was the first to sign up for the inaugural tournament.

“I’m excited about it,” said Johnson, an area director for the Tennessee BASS Federation. “I’m excited about Bassmaster coming up with a new tournament trail. … With the Bassmaster grassroots trail, that’s going to give us a shot at fishing more tournaments. It’s going to be great for the fisherman that has to work all week.”

Steve Hodges, a 51-year-old FedEx employee from Moody, Ala., is another weekend angler that is psyched about the new tournament venue.

“I’m definitely excited about it,” said Hodges, president of the Coosa River Anglers club. “It’s another format that could lead you to the Bassmaster Classic eventually. I’ve fished the Federation for about the last nine years and qualified for the state team this year.

“I’m going to fish the whole trail, starting with the pilot tournament. I can’t wait to hear about the spring tournaments.”

C.D. McDuffa, 49, is an aircraft mechanic in Fultondale, Ala., who plans to fish the pilot tournament as a non-boater.

“I’m looking forward to fishing a different trail and going to some different lakes,” he said. “I fish a bass club tournament every month and sometimes I’ll fish one or two other tournaments a month. I think this will be great for a guy like me.”

Compete details on the new Bassmaster Weekend Series will be announced in early October.

From BASS