HUGE Field of College Anglers Set to Compete in the Bass Pro Shops Big Bass Bash presented by Berkley

PARIS, TN (September 15, 2022) – The Association of Collegiate Anglers (ACA) is set to kick off a new season of the Bass Pro Shops Collegiate Bass Fishing Series at Kentucky Lake in Henry County and Paris, TN.  Over 520 of the country’s best college anglers are set to compete in the Bass Pro Shops Big Bass Bash presented by Berkley on September 17-18, 2022.

This event has long been one of the most popular college fishing events in the nation.   It’s also one of the five ACA major televised events on the schedule for the 2022-2023 season.   This event will be a two-day big bass format event paying out over $20,000 in prizes & contingencies and double points to count towards the Bass Pro Shops School of the Year presented by Abu Garcia.   This ACA big bass format event will pay out a total of 80 individual places.

For more than 10 years, the ACA has contested major college fishing events on Kentucky Lake in Henry County and Paris, TN.  Each year, hundreds of college anglers plan their spring break around this event to make the trip to compete in this prestigious big bass tournament.  Due to inclement weather that impacted the area back in March of this year, the Association of Collegiate Anglers rescheduled if for the fall.

Day 1 will consist of four weigh-in sessions, with each session paying out a total of 10 places.  Closing session times for Day 1 are 9:00 AM, 11:00 AM, 1:00 PM, and 3:00 PM.  Day 2 is made up of three total weigh-in sessions.  The first two sessions will pay 10 places, and the final session will award the Top 20 spots.  Weigh-in sessions on Day 2 will close at 9:30 AM, 11:30 AM, and 1:30 PM.

The Bass Pro Shops Big Bass Bash presented by Berkley is the first ACA double points event of the season in the race for Bass Pro Shops School of the Year presented by Abu Garcia.  Many of the nation’s highest ranked fishing teams are on-hand here this week vying for valuable points.  Adrian College enters this tournament as the number one ranked team.  Being that this is the first ACA double points event in this current season, there is a lot of pressure riding on the anglers and schools competing this weekend.  For some teams, this tournament will place them squarely in the hunt to be ranked number one come season’s end.  However, for others, a slight stumble this week could seal their fate and remove them from the race for that top spot.

See the latest School of Year standings here.

Located in Henry County and Paris, TN, Kentucky Lake is the host site for this week’s ACA major tournament.  Kentucky Lake offers a vast playing field for anglers to go out and fish their strengths.  From offshore ledges to rocky shorelines, and flooded wood cover, there are plenty of places for anglers to target these fall time Tennessee River bass.

Read the complete Lake Preview article.

Berkley is the presenting sponsor of the event.  Through the years, Berkley has invested countless hours and effort into youth fish and helping to fuel the growth of the sport at this level.  This support and effort has helped to grow the Bass Pro Shops Big Bass Bash presented by Berkley into one of the most popular, highest attended events in all of collegiate bass fishing.

On Day 2 of tournament competition, anglers will be permitted to use only Berkley baits.  View one of the latest articles published on our website previewing Berkley baits for fall fishing on Kentucky Lake.

The Association of Collegiate Anglers will be providing live coverage throughout the event.  Every weigh-in session will be streamed live on Outdoor Action TV.  Download the app to your tv, phone, or favorite device.  Along with the live video streaming, ACA staff will be posting unique content to social media and the College Series website leading up to, ad during the tournament.