MONTGOMERY, Ala. - BASS Tournament Director Trip Weldon today announced that BASS will restructure the payout schedule for its four Elite 50 bass fishing events in 2005. While the total payout for the series will remain at $1.6 million, BASS will pay $400,000 per event rather than a lesser amount at each event and larger cash prizes at the end of the series.
The four Elite 50 events for 2005 will be held at Smith Lake, Ala., on April 20-23, Lake Dardanelle, Ark., on May 18-21, Lewisville Lake, Texas, on June 1-4 and Lake Wissota, Wis., on June 15-18.
"Last year we paid out the same amount of money," said Dean Kessel, BASS' Vice President of Operations, "but we paid most of it at the end of the season to the series' points leaders. This year we're going to pay it out evenly at each of the four events. It'll help us to transition into the 'majors' for 2006."
BASS made a major industry splash when it announced the Elite 50 format in 2004. The series is the first major tournament trail in which the competitors pay no entry fees and fish for top cash prizes.
Fifty anglers will qualify to fish the Elite 50 series in 2005. They include 2004 Bassmaster Classic champion Takahiro Omori, the 2005 Bassmaster Angler of the Year, the 2005 Rookie of the Year, the top 20 anglers on the all-time BASS money list and the top 27 anglers in the Bassmaster Angler of the Year point standings over the past three seasons.
In 2006, the Elite 50 series will give way to three "majors," the Bassmaster American, the Bassmaster Legend and the Bassmaster Memorial. Each major will feature no entry fees and a first-place prize of $250,000.
2005 Elite 50 Payout Schedule
Place Prize
1 100,000
2 20,000
3 12,000
4 11,000
5 10,300
6 10,000
7 7,000
8 6,800
9 6,600
10 6,400
11 6,200
12 6,000
13 5,700
14 5,600
15 5,500
16 5,500
17 5,500
18 5,500
19 5,500
20 5,400
21 5,200
22 5,200
23 5,200
24 5,200
25 5,200
26 5,200
27 5,200
28 5,200
29 5,200
30 5,200
31 5,200
32 5,200
33 5,200
34 5,200
35 5,200
36 5,100
37 5,100
38 5,100
39 5,100
40 5,100
41 5,000
42 5,000
43 5,000
44 5,000
45 5,000
46 5,000
47 5,000
48 5,000
49 5,000
50 5,000
TOTAL 400,000