Bassmaster Announces Big Changes for 2019 Season

The Bassmaster Elite Series, which will vist Anderson's Green Pond Landing April 4-7 of next year, is announcing some major changes for the 2019.

After 50 years of setting the world standard for professional bass tournament competition, B.A.S.S. made historic changes to the Bassmaster Elite Series on Monday, which will attempt to elevate the sport new levels. Elite Series pros will begin the 2019 season with a smaller field of competition, vastly increased payouts, dramatically reduced entry fees and the promise of more exposure through the company’s industry-leading media platforms.

“We just celebrated our 50th anniversary at B.A.S.S., and made the decision to create an environment second to none in the world of professional bass fishing,” said Bruce Akin, CEO of B.A.S.S. “Our anglers have been loyal to the Elite Series, and we want to not only reward that loyalty, but also redefine what it means to be a professional angler. We feel the new Elite Series format accomplishes these goals, and also provides bass fishing fans with more of the content they crave.”

The 2019 Elite Series field size will be based on 80 anglers, down from 110 last year. This reduction in the number of competitors will not only allow the pros to get more exposure through B.A.S.S. media platforms, but also will improve their odds of winning and qualifying for the Bassmaster Classic.

The new format features three no-entry fee events that will payout $1 million each: Toyota Bassmaster Texas Fest benefiting Texas Parks and Wildlife Department, Toyota Bassmaster Angler of the Year Championship and the Bassmaster Classic presented by DICK’S Sporting Goods, bass fishing’s crown jewel. Additionally, the eight regular-season Elite Series events will now pay the entire field of anglers, a first in the world of professional fishing. First-place prize will remain $100,000, but now the last-place angler will earn $2,500. In total, B.A.S.S. is investing an additional $3 million in payouts and reduced entry fees for the 2019 Elite Series.

Not only has B.A.S.S. made a historic financial commitment to anglers through lower entry fees and higher payouts, but the organization also announced an increased investment in exposure opportunities for the pros. Starting with the 2019 season, the incredibly popular Bassmaster LIVE show on Bassmaster.com, which has generated over 2.5 million video views and 59 million minutes of content consumed by fans, will be produced all four days of Elite Series events. Plus, there will be live-streaming cameras on every boat on semi-final Saturday, as well as Bassmaster LIVE cameras on every angler for Championship Sunday.

The Bassmasters TV show is being revamped with a renewed focus of on-the-water footage featuring more anglers, catching more bass. Other opportunities for Elite Series anglers to get exposure for their sponsors include Bassmaster Magazine, which has a readership of 4.4 million; B.A.S.S. Times, which reaches 100,000 of the nations most avid anglers; Bassmaster Radio, which airs on 200 stations on the SB Nation network; and Bassmaster.com, which averages over 1 million unique visitors per month.

“We are beyond excited here in Anderson County to be hosting the Bassmaster Elite Series at Lake Hartwell and Green Pond Landing,” said Neil Paul, executive director of Visit Anderson. “To be able to host the Elite Series on the heels of the most-attended Bassmaster Classic of all time is a tremendous honor for our community. We look forward to providing a great experience to the best anglers in the world, the team at B.A.S.S. and the multitude of passionate fans of bass fishing.”

This year’s Classic was held at Green Pond in mid-March and drew more than 143,000 fans — a record for the "Super Bowl of Bass Fishing.