Bassmaster Elite Ends Entry Fees – A New Era of Professional Bass Fishing Begins

With No Fees and a Performance-Based Payout, Professional Bass Fishing Can Finally Claim Its Legitimate Place Among Other Pro Sports

Long awaited, the time is finally right to elevate these competitors to true professionals. / bassmaster.com

Professional bass fishing is entering a new era. For the first time in its 20-year history, the Bassmaster Elite Series will no longer require entry fees, a groundbreaking decision that finally grants the sport legitimacy on par with other pro sports like golf and tennis. Starting in 2025, Elite Series competitors will fish without paying to compete, thanks to B.A.S.S.'s efforts to create a sustainable, no-fee model supported by record-breaking viewership and solid partnerships.

B.A.S.S. CEO Chase Anderson highlighted that they carefully considered this shift to ensure it would be viable long-term. "With the money we’re allocating to payouts in 2025, we can offer substantial winnings without risking angler money," he explained. This shift lessens the financial burden on anglers and makes the Elite Series uniquely competitive among bass fishing leagues. An analysis shows that under this new model, 85% of Elite Series anglers would have seen higher earnings in at least one of the past four years.

To support this change, B.A.S.S. is boosting its investment in Elite Series payouts by an additional $200,000, bringing total payouts for the Elite Series and Bassmaster Classic over $4.1 million, higher than any other league’s contribution. This model incorporates a "pay for performance" structure. Previously, payout distributions favored lower placements over top performers, meaning those who finished as low as 50th earned the same as those in 11th. But going forward, payout structure will reward performance with the highest amounts going to the top finishers. This model will apply to the Classic as well, with payouts now more fairly distributed from 1st through 56th place.

Now each tournament will start with the competitors not wondering if they can dig themselves out of a financial hole. / Kurt Mazurek

The decision to eliminate entry fees addresses rising economic challenges for anglers. Elite Series competitors have long expressed concerns over each season’s $45,000 entry fees, which often prevented talented anglers lacking financial backing from participating. The new structure removes this financial barrier, opening doors for more skilled anglers to compete on bass fishing's biggest stage. Anderson emphasized that the removal of fees not only improves individual earnings by $45,000 but also creates an environment where anglers can fish more freely, elevating the quality of competition and excitement for Bassmaster fans. This historic change marks a thrilling new chapter for competitive bass fishing.

Unfortunately, bass fishing, like so many other things in life lately, includes an overabundance of drama and outspoken critics. Yes, you can do the math to show that consistent, middle-of-the-pack anglers will not make nearly as much money from winnings as they used to. While that may be true, if you look back 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.

And according to veteran Elite Pro, Greg Hackney, he’s thrilled he won’t have to shell out another $45,000 in entry fees just to get the opportunity to compete this year. In his quarter century of Bassmaster competition, Hackney’s entry fees have totaled almost $1 million.

Greg Hackney has been playing this game for a long time and he's excited about the change. / bassmaster.com

“I went back on the numbers, and it works,” Hackney said. “On a good year, you’re not worried about it. But a bad year won’t sting as bad. They’ll sting mentally, but at least they won’t hurt your pocketbook and affect your family as they had in the past.”

“And now, when you hit a big lick, you’ve really hit one. I always take my entry fees out of my winnings. When you win an event, now first place is legitimately $100,000. You clear $100,000.”

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