2020 Travel Ban Exemption for Student Anglers

SAN ANTONIO, Tx. (September 29, 2020) – The fall of 2020 semester is providing a new set of challenges and unprecedented circumstances for student anglers and bass fishing tournament organizations to navigate during the COVID-19 Pandemic. In congruence with a recent statement released by B.A.S.S., the Association of Collegiate Anglers is allowing college anglers whose schools are currently under a travel ban to compete in the organization’s final event of the fall without affiliation to their respective school.

The Bass Pro Shops Collegiate Bass Fishing Series is scheduled to contest one more event before the end of the year:

AFTCO Collegiate Bass Open – Lake Dardanelle: October 10-11, 2020

This exemption will remain in place through the end of 2020. Anglers competing unaffiliated with a school or university will be personally responsible for ensuring they disassociate with their respective institution. Including, but not limited to: logos, jerseys, hats, and boat wraps. Unaffiliated anglers participating in ACA ran events will not have a school listed beside their name on official leaderboards.

For an angler to be eligible to compete this fall, they must have competed in an ACA, or B.A.S.S. college event during the 2019-2020 season and be currently enrolled at that school. When registering for events, anglers will be required to note which university they competed for last year. Freshman anglers will be awarded eligibility on a case by case basis. If a newcomer would like to participate in an ACA event, after submitting a registration form via collegiatebasschampionship.com, they will be required to verify their enrollment at a college institution and meet the ACA regulation standards required of all competing anglers.

Unaffiliated anglers will be eligible to compete in the ACA ran AFTCO Collegiate Bass Open next weekend, October 10-11 at Lake Dardanelle.  The registration link is live on our website and will close this Friday. Student anglers will be expected to provide the aforementioned information we’ve stated in this release to become eligible. Register here.

The ACA is focused on the continued growth and integrity of collegiate bass fishing, as well as the health and well-being of everyone involved with the sport. Staff members have been working with host communities and health officials to institute proper safe distancing measures at each event. This includes the mandated use of face coverings, hand sanitizing stations, staggered boat flights, and modified layouts at the weigh-in site to encourage safe distancing.

Anglers showed a great deal of responsibility and respect for fellow anglers and the surrounding community through their observance of these policies at the Championship back in June and the Big Bass Bash earlier this month. The same level of attention and detail will be incorporated at the upcoming AFTCO Open next weekend. To view the safe distancing plan for this event, view the Angler Packet.

The Bass Pro Shops School of the Year presented by Abu Garcia, college fishing’s only all-inclusive national ranking system, will award points to all teams competing in ACA and B.A.S.S. events per the original School of the Year criteria. For unaffiliated participating anglers, you will earn points for the school in which you competed for during the 2019-2020 season. For teams that do not want to be acknowledged in the School of the Year standings, please email college@carecotv.com stating so.

For any further questions or concerns please contact us via the previously mentioned email address.

Stay safe and see you soon,

ACA Staff