Friday, October 4, 2013 ATHENS, Ala. – American Bass Anglers officials announced today the 2014 Weekend Bass Series season details with several enhancements. The series offers a boater/co-angler format with 20 divisions. Both boaters and co-anglers may advance to one of four regional championships. Top finishers from each of these regional championships advance to the no-entry fee Weekend Angler Bass Classic with $100,000 going to the champion.
The Weekend Bass Series is designed for the weekend bass angler with 100 qualifying events held annually for both boaters and co-anglers, which allow anglers to compete for top prize money while improving their bass fishing skills. In 2014, 25 percent of the field from each event will earn a check, an increase from 2013. In addition, anglers may also win cash awards for catching the big bass.
Each of the 20 divisions will host four single-day qualifying events, each with a total purse of up to $52,000 cash plus sponsor-supported bonuses. To enter the tournaments, boaters pay $200 and co-anglers pay $100 per event after paying an annual ABA membership fee of $25. In each qualifying event, the winning boater may receive up to $6,000 cash, based on a full field. The winner may also qualify for another $7,000 in Triton Gold bonus money totaling a whopping $13,000 for a day of fishing! The winning co-angler in each event may win up to $3,000 with a full field, plus the opportunity to collect significant bonus cash and prizes from tournament sponsors.
At the end of each divisional season, each division will hold a two-day divisional championship to crown an Angler of the Year for that division. This event carries a total purse of up to $74,500. The winning boater may take home as much as $16,000 in winnings and Triton Gold bonus money. Divisional Anglers of the Year will each receive a special sponsor package and automatically advance to the Weekend Angler Bass Classic regardless of their regional championship finish. Entry fees for the two-day divisional championship are $300 for boaters and $150 for co-anglers.
At the regional championships, the top 40 boaters and co-anglers from five different divisions will complete for more than $150,000 in cash and prizes. These championships will payback 100 percent of the entry fees and more than 170 percent overall, based on a full field. Winning boaters may earn up to $14,000 in cash, a new Triton/Mercury boat and trailer package equipped with Carlisle Tires and Wheels and ODYSSEY batteries, plus qualify for a $7,000 Triton Gold bonus for a first place prize package valued at $57,000 in all. The top co-anglers will take home up to $7,000 in cash, a new Triton boat and trailer package with Carlisle Tires and Wheels and ODYSSEY batteries. For the regional championships, boaters pay $300 to enter with co-anglers paying $150. The top 25 percent of the field will receive a check and the top 20 percent will advance to the 2014 Weekend Angler Bass Classic, the most prestigious event of the year for the competitors. The no-entry fee 2014 Weekend Angler Bass Classic will be held on Wheeler Lake in Decatur, Ala., from Nov. 15-18.
At the national championship, the winning boater will receive a check for $100,000 and up to $105,000 in bonuses plus a new special award to be announced at the 2013 national championship. The co-angler champion will win $50,000 and up to $52,250 in sponsor bonuses.
As a special championship bonus the boater champion will also receive sponsorship and entry fees into one of two professional bass tournament circuits. This will put the 2014 champion within striking distance of one of two professional world championships of their choice. No other organization offers this to the weekend angler from this type of format.
Sponsored by Triton and Mercury, The tour also offers the ABA Alliance Program, which pays anglers’ entry fees. This program pays up to $1,100 in entry fees plus ABA membership to any ABA tour for new Triton/Mercury owners. To learn more about the program visit www.tritonboats.com.
Currently there are several sponsor programs available for the anglers to win more cash from sponsors such as: Triton Gold, Mercury Bonus Bucks, MotorGuide Bonus Bucks, T-H Marine Atlas Awards, Royal Purple Rewards.
Registration for the 2014 season begins Monday, Oct. 21, 2013, at 8 a.m. CST. For more information, visit www.weekendseries.com or call (256) 232-0406. ABA Lifetime members and Triton Boat owners receive priority registration.
Also new for 2014 and starting October 21, 2013 there will be no handling fees associated with any online registration for any American Bass Anglers tournament. Late fees will still applied as required (see the 2014 rules for more details).
American Bass Anglers is sponsored by: Triton Boats, Mercury Marine, Busch Beer, Royal Purple, Best Western Hotels, ODYSSEY Batteries, Carlisle Tire and Wheel, T-H Marine, Livingston Lures, BioborEB, and Simms Fishing Products.
2013 Season Schedules – Also available online at www.weekendseries.com
Alabama North – Division – 1
02/15 Guntersville – State Park
04/19 Neely Henry – Coosa Landing
05/17 Wheeler – Ingalls Harbor
06/07 Weiss – Little River Marina
08/16-17 2-Day Guntersville – State Park
South Alabama – Division – 2
02/08 Martin – Wind Creek State Park
03/15 Lay Lake – Beeswax Creek
05/17 Eufaula – Lakepoint Resort State Park
06/14 Logan Martin – Lakeside Park
09/27- 28 Eufaula – Lakepoint Resort State Park
Florida – Division – 6
01/25 Okeechobee – Scott Driver Park
03/08 Harris Chain – Hickory Point
04/05 Toho – Lakefront Park
06/07 Harris Chain – Hickory Point Recreational Facility
08/16-17 Kissimmee Chain – Camp Mack
Georgia – Division – 8
02/01 Seminole – Bainbridge Boat Basin
02/22 Sinclair – Little River Park
03/29 Oconee – Sugar Creek Marina
05/03 Eufaula – Lakepoint Resort State Park
09/20-21 Eufaula – Lakepoint Resort State Park
Kentucky – Division – 15
02/22 Kentucky Lake – Moore’s Resort
04/05 Barkley – Barkley State Park
05/10 Kentucky Lake – Moore’s Resort
07/12 Kentucky Lake – Paris Landing
09/09-10 Kentucky Lake – Moore’s Resort
Louisiana North- Division – 12 (New)
01/25 Red River – Red River South
02/22 Black Lake – Chandler’s Landing
03/22 Lake D’Arbonne – Ludwig Marina
04/05 Red River – Grand Ecore
07/26-27 Toledo Bend – Cypress Bend
Louisiana South- Division – 13
02/01 Bayou Black – Bob’s Bayou Black Marina
03/01 Lake Henderson – I-10 Landing
05/03 Atchafalaya Basin – Doiron’s Landing
06/07 Pearl River – East Pearl Boat Ramp
07/19-20 Red River – Buhlow State Park
Maryland – Division – 21
03/29 Potomac – Smallwood State Park
05/17 Potomac – Smallwood State Park
06/28 Potomac – Smallwood State Park
07/19 Potomac – Smallwood State Park
09/06-07 Potomac – Smallwood State Park
Mississippi – Division – 17
02/01 Pickwick – JP Coleman
03/15 Pickwick – JP Coleman
05/03 Pickwick – JP Coleman
06/14 Pickwick – JP Coleman
08/09-10 Pickwick – JP Coleman
Missouri -Division – 16
03/03 Table Rock – Table Rock State Park
04/26 Lake of the Ozark – Public Beach #2
06/28 Truman – Sterett Creek
07/19 Truman – Sterett Creek
09/13-14 Lake of the Ozark – Public Beach #2
New York – Division – 23
06/14 Lake Champlain – Plattsburgh NY
06/28 Chautauqua Lake – Mayville NY
07/26 Oneida Lake – Oneida Shores Park
08/16 1000 Island St. Law. River – Cape Vincent NY
09/13-14 Oneida Lake – Oneida Shores Park
North Carolina – Division – 5
03/15 Norman – Pinnacle Ramp
04/19 Kerr – Nutbush
06/14 High Rock – Tamarac Marine
08/02 Wiley – Ebenezer State Park
08/30-31 High Rock – Tamarac Marine
Oklahoma – Division – 14
03/29 Lake Tenkiller – Chicken Creek Landing
04/26 Lake Eufaula – Eufaula Cove
05/31 Grand Lake – Wolf Creek
06/28 Ft. Gibson – Taylor Ferry North
09/20-/21 Grand Lake – Wolf Creek
Ohio – Division – 20
04/12 Rocky Forks – East Shore Marina
05/10 Indian Lake – Moundwood
06/07 Alum Creek – New Galena
07/12 Mosquito Lake – Mosquito Lake State Park
08/16-17 Lake Erie – Sandusky
South Carolina – Division – 9
01/18 Murray – Dreher Island State Park
03/22 Russell – Richard B. Russell State Park
04/26 Santee Cooper – John C. Land III
06/21 Lake Greenwood – The 45 Landing
09/06-07 Hartwell – Gum Branch
Tennessee Central – Division – 3
03/01 Center Hill – Ragland Bottoms
03/29 Paris Landing – Paris Landing
04/12 Old Hickory – Sanders Ferry
06/21 Old Hickory – Sanders Ferry
08/23-24 Kentucky Lake – Paris Landing
Tennessee East – Division – 4
02/15 Chickamauga – Dayton Boat Dock
03/01 Watts Bar – Tom Fuller Park
04/12 Chickamauga – Dayton Boat Dock
06/28 Watts Bar – Tom Fuller Park
08/23-24 Chickamauga – Dayton Boat Dock
Texas Southeast – Division – 10
03/08 Sam Rayburn – Umphrey Pavilion
04/12 Sam Rayburn – Umphrey Pavilion
05/10 Sam Rayburn – Umphrey Pavilion
06/14 Toledo Bend – Fin & Feather Resort
09/13-14 Sam Rayburn – Umphrey Pavilion
Texas East – Division – 11
02/15 Lake Palestine – Villages Marina
03/15 Lake Tyler – Lake Tyler Marina
05/17 Richland Chambers – Oak Cove Marina
06/21 Cedar Creek – Log Cabin
07/12-13 Lake O’ the Pines – Johnson Creek
Virginia – Division – 19
03/22 Kerr – North Bend
04/26 Anna – Sturgeon Creek
05/24 James River – River Front Park
07/26 James River – Osborne Landing
09/13-14 Kerr – North Bend
Championships
Southern Regional Championship
• 09/26-27 Chickamauga – Dayton, Tennessee
Divisions attending: North Alabama, Kentucky, Mississippi, Missouri, Central Tennessee
Northeast Regional Championship
• 09/26-27 High Rock Lake – Salisbury, North Carolina
Divisions attending: Maryland, New York, North Carolina, Ohio and Virginia
South Central Regional Championship
• 10/10-11 Red River – Alexandria, LA
Divisions attending: North Louisiana, Louisiana South, Oklahoma, Texas East, and Texas Southeast
Southeast Regional Championship
• 10/17-18 Toho – Kissimmee, Florida
Divisions attending: Georgia, South Carolina, Alabama South, Florida, East Tennessee
Weekend Angler Bass Classic
• 11/12-15 Wheeler Decatur, Alabama
About American Bass Anglers
American Bass Anglers is the largest tournament organization for the weekend angler. American Bass Anglers operates the American Fishing Tour, The Weekend Bass Series, the American Couples Series and the annual Military Team Bass Championship. Each tour is designed specifically for the weekend angler, offering low-cost, close-to-home events where anglers can qualify for a larger championship. For more information on American Bass Anglers, visit www.americanbassanglers.com.
For more information about American Bass Anglers or the Weekend Bass Series, visit www.weekendseries.com or call (256) 232-0406.
