Alabama Bass Trail Tournament Series Expands in 2016

Decatur, Ala. – The Alabama Bass Trail is pleased to announce in 2016, the Tournament Series is expanding to allow more amateur anglers to qualify for the championship where an $83,000 purse of cash and prizes is up for grabs. Top performing Collegiate teams and couples will have the opportunity to qualify for the ABT Championship and also new for 2016, single-person team entries will be allowed for the first time.

The Alabama Bass Trail, the largest team tournament trail in Alabama, is offering more ways to qualify for the Championship tournament in 2016. The new opportunities allow the top Collegiate and Couples teams to qualify for the Championship, and for the first time, the Alabama Bass Trail Tournament Series will allow single-person team entries. The top five collegiate teams and the top 5 couples teams will also qualify for the Tournament Series Championship.

All single-person team competitors must attend all pre-tournament meetings, will be subject to a polygraph and shall also be subject to carrying an official observer in the boat during the tournament.

"After two successful years of the Tournament Series, we decided to expand upon our current audience. With the additional two divisions and single entries, the Alabama Bass Trail is excited to offer additional opportunities for more anglers to qualify for the championship," said Alabama Bass Trail Program Director Kay Donaldson.

The maximum number of boats qualifying for the Tournament Series Championship is 145. That number shall be comprised of the 10 divisional tournament winning teams, top 55 teams in points from both divisions that fished all five events in their respective divisions, top five collegiate teams and top five couples' teams along with the top 15 student teams collectively from both divisions that fished all five events in their respective division. Hosted by the Eufaula-Barbour County Chamber of Commerce, the championship tournament is set for October 7-8, 2016 on Lake Eufaula.

Sanctioned by BASS (Bass Anglers Sportsman Society), the Alabama Bass Trail Tournament Series gets underway February 20, 2016. The tournament trail contains two divisions: North and South. Each division is made up of five tournaments on five different lakes. Maximum number of boats for each tournament is 225. Teams must fish in all five tournaments in their respective division.

North Division:
Lewis Smith Lake February 27, 2016 hosted by the Chamber of Commerce of Walker County
Lake Guntersville March 19, 2016 hosted by Marshall County CVB
Pickwick Lake April 23, 2016 hosted by TBD
Neely Henry Lake May 21, 2016 hosted by City of Gadsden Parks & Recreation
Weiss Lake June 18, 2016 hosted by Cherokee County Chamber of Commerce
South Division:
Lake Martin February 20, 2016 hosted by Alexander City Chamber of Commerce
Lay Lake March 12, 2016 hosted by Shelby County Commission
Mobile-Tensaw Delta April 9, 2016 hosted by Mobile Sports Authority and Mobile CVB
Alabama River May 14, 2016 hosted by the City of Camden (Millers Ferry)
Lake Jordan June 4, 2016 hosted by TBD

Anglers who fished all five events in their respective divisions in 2015 will be given a priority entry period from August 1 to August 14, 2015, to register online at www.alabamabasstrail.org for the 2016 season. Registration will be open to the public on August 15, 2015. Entry fee per tournament is $1,250 per team, which includes registration for all five tournaments in respective division.

Alabama Bass Trail Tournament Series sponsors are Bill Penney Toyota, the Alabama Tourism Department, Phoenix Bass Boats, Inc., Academy Sports & Outdoors, Garmin, T & H Marine Supplies, Inc., Alabama Power Company, Buffalo Rock, Inc., Jet-Pep, Inc., AFS Inc., Tennessee Valley Authority, Window World, Inc., Hydrowave, LEER Truck Caps and Tonneau Covers, Vicious Fishing, E3 Sports Apparel, Navionics and Frogg Toggs, Inc. Southern Stream Live will be the live-streaming company.

For more information, call Alabama Bass Trail Program Director Kay Donaldson at 855.934.7425 or visitwww.alabamabasstrail.org.

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 13 bass fishing lakes consist of Lake Guntersville, Wheeler Lake, Pickwick Lake, Lewis Smith Lake, Neely Henry Lake, Weiss Lake, Lake Martin, Lay Lake, Logan Martin Lake, Lake Jordan, Alabama River (Millers Ferry), Lake Eufaula, and the Mobile-Tensaw River Delta. For more information, visitwww.alabamabasstrail.org.