More Than 630 College Anglers Set to Open at Berkley Big Bass Bash

[WB Staff]

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More Than 630 College Anglers Set to Open at Big Bass Bash presented by Berkley

SAN ANTONIO, TX (September 17, 2025) – The first event of the 2025-26 season for the Association of Collegiate Anglers is the Bass Pro Shops Big Bass Bash presented by Berkley. This no-entry-fee, nationally televised, double points event will be contested at Kentucky Lake in Henry County and Paris, TN on September 20-21. Over 630 anglers, including 22 of the Top 25 ranked teams in the ACA Pre-Season Poll, are set to compete for more than $40,000 in prizes and contingencies, as well as double points to count towards the Bass Pro Shops School of the Year presented by Abu Garcia. This major tournament will feature media coverage on a variety of streaming platforms, live coverage, social media promotions and is nationally televised on several networks.

The Bass Pro Shops Big Bass Bash presented by Berkley is a two-day big bass format event that will pay out a total of 80 places, Overall Big Bass, and several exact weight bonuses. On Day 1 of tournament competition, there will be four weigh-in sessions. Those sessions will close at 9:00 AM, 11:00 AM, 1:00 PM, and 3:00 PM. Each session will pay out prizes to the Top 10 biggest bass. Day 1 sessions are presented by these sponsors: Session 1 – Engel Coolers, Session 2 – MillerTech, Session 3 – Bass Pro Shops, and Session 4 – Garmin.

Day 2 of tournament competition will be comprised of three weigh-in sessions. Those sessions will close at 9:30 AM, 11:30 AM, and 1:30 PM. Tournament competition concludes earlier on Sunday afternoon to allow anglers time to travel and return to campus for classes on Monday. The first two sessions of Day 2 will pay out the Top 10 biggest bass. Day 2 Session 3 will award prizes to the Top 20 biggest bass weighed in during that session. Day 2 sessions are presented by these sponsors: Session 1 – Abu Garcia, Session 2 – Bob’s Machine shop, Session 3 – Berkley Fishing.

Following the conclusion of weigh-in on Day 2, the overall tournament standings will be finalized, and first place will be awarded the “Overall Big Bass” title for the event. First place will pay out close to $5,000 in additional prizes.

View the complete prize list here.

Anglers will be eligible for thousands of dollars in contingency and bonus payouts during the first event of the ACA’s 21stseason at Kentucky Lake. View the list of contingency programs available to anglers at this link. All total, the Bass Pro Shops Big Bass Bash presented by Berkley will award well over $40,000 in prizes and contingencies.

The Top 10 finishing anglers in the overall event standings will earn automatic qualification into the 2026 Collegiate Bass Fishing Championship presented by Bass Pro Shops at Pickwick Lake next May. View the complete Championship qualification criteria.

Along with the valuable prizes and contingencies up for grabs, the Bass Pro Shops Big Bass Bash presented by Berkley is an ACA double points event. Schools will be eligible to earn points for their two highest-placing fish inside of the Top 150 in the overall event standings. First place will be awarded 1,750 points. Bass fishing clubs/teams that are able to place two fish high up in the standings will be able to earn 3,000 plus points. 22 of the Top 25 teams in the ACA’s annual Pre-Season Poll are set to compete at Kentucky Lake this upcoming weekend. An updated points standings will be released prior to the start of the event.

The presenting sponsor for this event is Berkley Fishing. On the second day of tournament competition, anglers will be permitted to use only Berkley baits. Read the Official Rules to view the complete details. The ACA recently published a feature article highlighting Berkley baits that could be key for success at Kentucky Lake. Check out that article at this link.

With school starting back up and fall weather beginning to set in, it’s a great time to be out on the water and kick off a new season on the Bass Pro Shops Collegiate Bass Fishing Series. The host site for this event is Kentucky Lake in Henry County and Paris, TN. The ACA has been contesting major events here for well over 10 years. The host community and fishery provide a great back drop for this major college fishing event. Read a complete lake preview article here.

The ACA will provide live coverage of the Bass Pro Shops Big Bass Bash presented by Berkley at Kentucky Lake in Paris, TN. Live weigh-in, for both days of tournament competition, will be streamed on the ACA website. The tournament live blog will begin on Friday with the final day of Official Practice and run through the conclusion of Day 2 of tournament competition. The live blog, along with live weigh-in, a live leaderboard, recap articles, photos and more can be found on the ACA website.