Elite Series Switches To No-Entry-Fee Model For '25

B.A.S.S. Communications and BassFan Staff

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. – B.A.S.S. announced today that the Bassmaster Elite Series, heading into its 20th season in 2025, will no longer require angler entry fees.

B.A.S.S. stated in its press release that the organization has long believed that the ultimate goal of its 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. B.A.S.S. said that record-breaking viewership of Bassmaster LIVE on FOX networks and Bassmaster.com, paired with strong long-term partnerships, were factors in the decision.

“We have been looking at this model for quite some time,” said B.A.S.S. CEO Chase Anderson. “But, we wanted to make sure that when we flip this switch, which we believe will change the face of professional bass fishing, that the concept is sustainable for the future. For the past several months, we’ve done our due diligence and came to the realization that, with the money we planned to allocate to payouts in 2025, we could offer attractive payouts without putting angler money at risk. This change greatly reduces the risk and financial strain required to compete at bass fishing’s highest level. Now, the Elite Series is in a league of its own, and the only league equivalent to other major individual sports.”

B.A.S.S. stated in the release that over the last four years, had Elite Series pros been fishing under the 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 percent 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.

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 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 percent 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.

However, instead of $10,000 checks going down to 50th place, now only the Top 10 will realize five-figure paydays. Anglers finishing 28th through 40th will receive less than $1,000.

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 ($2,500 as opposed to $10,000 previously).

B.A.S.S. stated that Elite Series anglers have consistently communicated that the current economic environment made it difficult to pay the $45,000 entry fee previously required to compete. During the Elite angler meeting in August, competitors asked if having no entry fees would ever become a reality.

Secondly, since the inception of the Elite Series 20 years ago, there have been talented anglers who did not accept their Elite Series berth based on the high cost of entry. The organization hopes that removing this barrier will inspire all qualified anglers, not just those with a bankroll, to compete.

“Our anglers have been saying for years that the ultimate goal should be a no-entry-fee league,” Anderson said. “Now, we’ve essentially improved their bottom line by $45,000 each through taking away the weight of entry fee payments, while at the same time increasing our contribution to payouts. We believe this will not only benefit each of them individually, but allow them to fish more freely, which should create even more spectacular bass fishing action for Bassmaster fans. We are extremely excited about the future of our sport.”

The first event of the 2025 Bassmaster Elite Series will be held on the St. Johns River out of Palatka, Fla., February 20-23.

To see the payout structure for 2025 Elite Series events and the Angler of the Year race, click here.

For the new Bassmaster Classic payouts, click here.

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