BIRMINGHAM, Ala. — Professional bass fishing will never be the same. Ever. That’s a huge statement. In this case, it’s true. B.A.S.S. just announced that the Bassmaster Elite Series, heading into its 20th season, will no longer require entry fees. Yes, you heard that correctly. In 2025, competitors will no longer fish for their own money. No longer are Elite Series pros required to pay to play.
This historic decision was not made lightly. B.A.S.S. has long believed that the ultimate goal of the organization’s highest level of competition should be on par with other individual professional sports, like golf and tennis, which do not require pros to pay entry fees to compete.
Over the last four years, had Elite Series pros been fishing under the new optimized no-entry-fee model, two thirds of the field would have realized more winnings. Moreover, of the anglers who have fished the past four years, 85% of them would have fared better under the no-entry-fee model in at least one of those years. In other words, there are only a handful of instances in the past four years where this no-entry-fee model would not have put more money in anglers’ pockets.
To pull back the curtain on the economics of this new model, you have to understand the incredible investment B.A.S.S. is making into the Elite Series payout. The league is increasing its contribution to payouts by $200,000 for 2025, which puts the total investment in payouts for the Elite Series and Bassmaster Classic over $4.1 million (almost $600,000 higher than the contribution of any other bass fishing league). B.A.S.S. is also rolling out a new optimized payout model with an emphasis on pay for performance, which provides an additional 23% boost to earnings over the previous model each year.
The pay-for-performance concept is new, as surprising as that sounds. Historically, anglers voted to pay further down the field for the opportunity to earn a check. For example, 51st through 75th place were receiving checks, but those checks were less than their entry fees. Another odd statistic: Under the previous structure, 11th place and 50th place were receiving the same payout. Now, that is not the case. For 2025, the payouts will be graduated down the field. The Top 10 will net the same winnings as before, with first place continuing to receive $100,000. For those placing between 11th and 18th, the earnings realized is actually better. The new payout structure will continue down to 40th place, which will be the new Day 3 cutline for the Elites. The Bassmaster Angler of the Year winner will continue to receive $100,000 with the prize for second place increasing to $50,000 and 3rd through 5th will receive checks. Similarly, the Classic will now have a more graduated payout structure with the winner still receiving $300,000 and the Top 11 finishers receiving the exact same amount as last year. For Classic anglers placing 12th through 25th, a graduated scale for performance is now in place. Anglers finishing 26th through 56th will continue to receive a check.
Although it is hard to anticipate the waves this decision will make within the sport, there were several deciding factors that B.A.S.S. considered before pulling the trigger. First, current Elite Series anglers have consistently communicated that the current economic environment is making it difficult to pay the $45,000 entry fee previously required to compete. This substantial amount of money was at risk for each angler. During the Elite angler meeting in August, competitors asked if having no entry fees would ever become a reality? Now, it is. Removing this risk was, in large part, a driving factor in the decision. Secondly, since the inception of the Elite Series 20 years ago, there have been tremendously talented anglers who did not accept their Elite Series berth based on the high cost of entry. Removing this barrier will purify the competitive landscape of the Elites and inspire all talented anglers, not just those with a bankroll, to fish on bass fishing’s biggest stage.