Friday, September 20 – 7:00 PM
Close to 600 anglers came through registration tonight and are set to compete in the Bass Pro Shops Big Bass Bash presented by Berkley on Kentucky Lake in Henry County and Paris, TN. This will conclude live blog coverage of the final official practice day.
Tournament coverage will continue bright and early tomorrow, beginning with the live blog on the website and live weigh-in beginning to be streamed immediately following take off. Also, be sure to follow along on ACA social media channels for more content and coverage!
Friday, September 20 – 5:00 PM
As anglers proceed through registration, they will be provided with a yellow AFTCO Bank Bag. The AFTCO Bank Bag program encourages anglers to clean up local parks, rivers, lakes, and streams. Anglers will be able to fill up the yellow bag with trash throughout the weekend and return it full to an ACA staff member in return for a $25 AFTCO gift card.
Friday, September 20 – 3:40 PM
Berkley has provided baits for anglers to grab as they proceed through check-in/registration tonight. On Day 2 of tournament competition, anglers will be permitted to use only Berkley baits. These baits, along with the complete offering of Berkley products, will be great options to use out on Kentucky Lake this weekend!
Friday, September 20 – 2:40 PM
At the official registration meeting this afternoon, anglers will be receiving free snack bags to have throughout the tournament. These snack bags are presented by Berkley. Special thanks to Berkley for their support of collegiate anglers!
Friday, September 20 – 1:45 PM
As anglers come to the registration meeting tonight, the first 50 will have the opportunity to receive a Bass Pro Shops hat! Make plans to get there early so you can secure one of these awesome hats!
Friday, September 20 – 1:20 PM
Abu Garcia has been a long-time supporter of college fishing and the Association of Collegiate Anglers. As part of this support, Abu Garcia is the presenting sponsor for the Bass Pro Shops School of the Year presented by Abu Garcia.
Last season, the University of Montevallo continued to make history as it became the first ever program to finish the season ranked number one four times. Watch this video to hear about this historic milestone:
Friday, September 20 – 12:55 PM
The Bass Pro Shops Big Bass Bash presented by Berkley is a no-entry-fee tournament that will pay out more than $20,000 in prizes and contingencies. This payout includes 80 individual places over the span of seven sessions, numerous exact weights, as well as the Overall Big Bass. The prize list includes product and gift cards from Bass Pro Shops, Berkley, Abu Garcia, Power-Pole, Bajío, Turtlebox, Trailer Valet, and more. View the complete prize list here.
Friday, September 20 – 12:15 PM
Today is the final day of Official Practice for the Bass Pro Shops Big Bass Bash presented by Berkley. Conditions this week have been stable. Warm temperatures, sunny skies, and light winds have been the weather pattern the last several days. Those same conditions are forecasted to continue through tournament competition. Given the reports and fish catch pictures we’ve seen, anglers should be able to continue to have success throughout the event.
Friday, September 20 – 12:00 PM
Tournament contingency bonuses offer anglers a great way to earn additional payouts when they place well in sanctioned events. This weekend’s tournament is eligible for the Ranger Cup, Nitro Rewards, and Triton Gold programs offered by Bass Pro Shops and the White River Marine Group. Qualified anglers could earn up to an additional $8,000. Find out more about these programs and others at this link.
Friday, September 20 – 10:30 AM
The host site for this weekend’s event is Kentucky Lake in Henry County and Paris, TN. This is the second time in which the Association of Collegiate Anglers has contested an event at Lake Hartwell.
This year the ACA is celebrating its 20th season. Over that period of time, Henry County and Paris, TN have played a key role with the ACA and growth of collegiate bass fishing. For over 10 years now, the ACA has been working with Henry County and Paris, TN to bring major college fishing events to Kentucky Lake.
The Association of Collegiate Anglers would like to give a special thanks to the folks with Henry County and Paris, TN for their help and support!
Friday, September 20 – 9:30 AM
The Bass Pro Shops Big Bass Bash presented by Berkley is the first ACA major event of the 2024-25 season on the Bass Pro Shops Collegiate Bass Fishing Series. This event is also the first ACA double points tournament to count towards the 2024-25 Bass Pro Shops School of the Year presented by Abu Garcia. Schools will be eligible to earn points for their two highest-placing bass inside of the Top 150 for the final tournament standings, and first place will receive 1,750 points.
Entering this event, Emmanuel University is in first place. A total of 21 of the Top 25 teams are set to compete at Kentucky Lake this weekend. View the complete current rankings at this link.
Friday, September 20 – 8:45 AM
Today’s live blog is presented by Abu Garcia. Abu Garcia has been a longtime supporter of the ACA and college anglers.
This summer, Abu Garcia introduced several new and improved items. The first of those products that we’ll highlight are the fifth generation Abu Garcia Revo low-profile casting reels. The new Abu Garcia Revo Premier is designed for the angler who wants Revo performance, the Premier gives anglers a reel that has all the power, but without the weight. Click here to learn more.
Abu Garcia also recently introduced the Max X spinning reels. Utilizing key features normally only found in premium high-end reels, the new Abu Garcia Max X spinning reel offers unparalleled performance at a fraction of the price. From targeting smaller trout and panfish, all the way up to catfish and stripers, the Max X is available in a wide range of sizes to handle every angler’s favorite species. Click here to read more.
Friday, September 20 – 8:25 AM
Check out this smallmouth bass caught by Hunter Fillmore from Top 25 ranked Bethel University!
Smallmouth bass will be a key player here at Kentucky Lake this weekend. Though a smallmouth likely will not win the event, 3-4 pound quality smallmouth bass will claim some prizes throughout the course of the event.
Friday, September 20 – 7:45 AM
Fall is a great time of year to travel to Paris, TN and Kentucky Lake! Cool morning temperatures bring comfortable conditions to be outdoors as warming temperatures in the afternoon make for a pleasant time to be on the water.
Entering this weekend’s event, the weather pattern appears to be stable. Highs are projected to be in the mid to upper 80’s with nightly lows dipping down near the 60 degree mark. Both tournament days show a minimal chance for rain, partly cloudy, and light winds. This weather pattern sets up like standard fall conditions, providing anglers with a great setting to go fishing.
Friday, September 20 – 6:45 AM
Good Friday morning from Kentucky Lake in Henry County and Paris, TN! The Association of Collegiate Anglers is set to host its first event of the 2024-25 season on the Bass Pro Shops Collegiate Bass Fishing Series. This season is a historical milestone, as it marks the 20th season for the ACA.
The Bass Pro Shops Big Bass Bash presented by Berkley will be contested on September 21st – 22nd, with official takeoff and weigh-in happening at Paris Landing State Park and Marina. Today marks the final day of official practice for this no-entry-fee event which also includes media coverage on a variety of streaming platforms, live coverage, social media promotions and is nationally televised on several networks. Live blog coverage for the last day of practice is presented by Abu Garcia.
Stay tuned here throughout the day for product features, updates from on-the-water, and more!
