American Bass Anglers - American Fishing Tour

Entry Fees:
Divisional Qualifier: $70.00 (includes big bass)
Divisional Championship: $140.00 (includes big bass)
Regional Championship: $150.00 (does not include big bass)
National Championship: No Entry Fee

Payback:

Format: Draw

Partners are paired the morning of the event. Boaters that bring their boats will be able to use them. Boater and non-boaters share locations for the day and expenses but the boaters does not give up operation of the boat.

See rules on format questions Click Here:

Divisional Qualifying events

Divisional Qualifying events first place is worth 200 points at 1 point increments. For example: 1st Place 200-points, 2nd Place 199-points and so on. With a full field, (20 anglers or more) you will receive maximum points.

Divisional Championships

Divisional Championships first place is worth 400 points at 2 point increment.) For example: 1st Place 400-points, 2nd Place 398-points and so on. With a full field, (20 anglers or more) you will receive maximum points.

Regional Championships

In 2007 ABA will hold 4 regionally based championships. The Regional Championships will be 2-day tournament held in each of the 4 regions (see chart). Each Regional will have an entry fee and a payback of well over 150%.

(Click here to see a Regional Chart)

Regional Championship:

• Anglers must fish 4 divisional qualifying events and 1 divisional championship to qualify for a regional championship.
• Anglers will be able to compete in any qualifying event nationwide but their points will be counted within the region in which they fish the event.
• Anglers can qualify for multiple regional championships by competing in a minimum of 4 divisional qualifying tournaments and 1 divisional championship within the region they wish to compete.
• The top 500 point holders from a region (division location based) will be invited to that regional championship.
• The point system used now will be used for each region, which is: 200 points for a divisional qualfying tournament, 400 points for a divisional championship and 2,000 points for the regional.
• First place will be a cash payout. With a full field of 500 the payout of first place will be $10,000* plus Triton Gold Bonus of $5,000 if qualifications are met.(*payout based on a full field)
• Regional Draw Boat: At each Regional Championship there will be one Triton bass boat equipped with a Mercury Marine outboard and Lowrance Electronics given away by draw. To be eligible for a draw boat you must a qualified contestant at a Regional Championship and must be present at the time of the drawing.
• A member may only win one draw boat per calendar year.
• Regional Points Leader after the Regional Championship will receive $1,000 cash.
• Regional Points Leader will be invited to the AOY Final Round.

Regional Championship Format:

• Six day practice, two day competition
• Saturday thru Thursday Practice
• Friday and Saturday Tournament
• Registration and pairing same night, Thursday

Boat Draw - Regional

• Anglers must be a qualified and registered contestant for the Regional and be present in order to be eligible for any boat draw.
• A member can only win one boat by draw per calendar year.

Points stop at the regional

• Each Region will have an Angler of the Year (Top Point Holder) who will advance to the Angler of the Year “Final Round”.
• Each Regional AOY will receive $1,000 in cash for achieving the title (Money paid at AOY Final Round).
• If there are any ties in a region for AOY the cash award will be divided and both anglers will go to the final round.
• Service Teams will be recognized and awarded plaques at the Nationals just prior to the AOY Final Round weigh in.

The ABA National Championship

Boaters (Top 50 from each Region by points)

• No Entry Fee
• Top 50 from each region by points will be invited to compete as boaters in the national championship.
• Top 10% from previous national will be invited to compete as boaters in the national championship.
• Winner gets a Triton/Mercury Tr21 X2 with 225 plus Triton Gold Bonus of $10,000 if qualifications are met.(*payout based on a full field)
• $30,000 cash payout will be paid to 15% of the field. (*payout based on a full field)
• 3 days practice (Sunday, Monday, and Tuesday)
• 4 days Tournament (Wednesday, Thursday, Friday and Saturday)
• Field Cut to top 25 on Friday after weigh-in
• Top 25 compete Saturday with observers
• Creel Limit – 5 per day or state law

Non-Boater (51 – 100 from each region by points) (All New Non-Boater Title)

• Point Holders 51-100 from each region will be invited to compete as Non-Boaters.
• No Entry Fee
• $15,000 cash payout will be paid to 15% of the field.
• Anglers must have fished 4 divisional qualifying events, 1 divisional championship and a 1 regional championship (minimum) to fish the championship.
• Creel Limit – 3
• The non-boaters competition stops on Friday.

Boater Slots for Championships

Angler of the Year

The top points holder form each Regional Championship will advance to the American Bass Anglers AOY final round.

Angler of the Year Final Round

At the 2007 ABA National Championship the top point holder from each region will be invited to a one-day practice and one-day fish off named the Angler of the Year Final Round. The qualifiers for the AOY Final Round will be determined after the Regional Championship by points. Each Regional will be worth 2,000 points for first place with 5 point separation per place.

The AOY Final Round is a winner takes all event. The AOY Final Round will be held the Friday and Saturday prior to the start of official practice at the 2007 National Championship site. The contestants will fish from their own boats with an observer.

Once the final round is complete they will have used 2 days of their official practice and will not be allowed on the championship waters Sunday or Monday. They will be allowed a final of day of practice on Tuesday prior to the first day of competition. This only applies if the same lake is used for the Final Round and the National Championship. If the AOY Final Round Lake is different than the National Championship Lake the AOY Final Round contestants will be allowed to practice for the National Championship on all practice days.

The 2007 National Championship Lake will have a 30 day off- limits and the finalists in the AOY final round will not be allowed to receive any help for this event. The 2007 official rules will be released in late 2006.

How the Points will work for 2007

• A divisional qualifying tournament is worth 200 to first place with a one point separation per place. Best possible points total from 4 divisional qualifying events is 800.
• A divisional championship is worth 400 points to first place with a two point separation per place. The best possible points prior to the Regional Championship are 1,200 points.
• A Regional Championships will be worth 2,000 points for first place with 5 point separation per place.
• An angler's points will be determined by their 4 best divisional qualifying events + their best divisional championship + their Regional Championship per region.

2007 Competition Teams

The top Competition Team members will be determined after the Regional Championships by points. Any ties in Competition Team AOY will be broken by their first day weight at the 2007 ABA National Championship. Ties in 2nd - 5th place in the Competition teams will split any awards. Competition Teams are made up of Military and Non-Military Service teams of Army, Navy, Air Force, Marines, Homeland Security, Eagle, and Lady Anglers.

The 2007 ABA Championship

The format for the 2007 National Championship will also change slightly from years past. The Championship will be extended by one day. Currently, the National Championship is a 6 day long event with the first three days used as practice and the final three are competition days. In 2007 one day will be added to the competition. The field will be cut on Friday to the top 25 anglers which will fish the final day out of their own boats with non-boater or an observer. More information on the 2007 ABA National Championship will be released later this year.

Awards for 2007

Angler of the Year:

• The 2007 AOY will receive a Triton Tr21 X2 Series bass boat with a Mercury Marine 225hp Optimax outboard motor completely loaded including Lowrance Electronics.
• The AOY will also receive their entries fees paid for all 5 of the 2008 Southern Tour qualifying events.

National Champion:

• The 2007 National Champion will receive a Triton Tr21 X2 bass boat with a Mercury Marine outboard motor completely loaded including Lowrance Electronics.
• The 2007 National Champion will receive his/her entry fees paid for the 2008 ABA qualifying season. This includes certificates for 4 divisional qualifying tournaments, 1 divisional championship and 1 Regional Championship.
• The 2007 National Champion will automatically qualify for the 2008 ABA Championship.

Regional Championships:

First place will be a cash payout. With a full field of 500 the payout of first place will be $10,000* plus Triton Gold Bonus of $5,000 if qualifications are met. (*payout based on a full field)

Regional Draw Boat: At each Regional Championship there will be one Triton bass boat equipped with a Mercury Marine outboard and Lowrance Electronics given away by draw. To be eligible for a draw boat you must fish 4 divisional qualifying events, 1 divisional championship and 1 Regional Championship and you must be a contestant at the Regional Championship. A member may only win one draw boat per calendar year.

Regional Points Leader after the Regional Championship will receive $1,000 cash.

Regional Points Leader will be invited to the AOY Final Round.

Competition Teams :

The top Competition Team members will be determined after the Regional Championships by points. Any ties in Competition Team AOY will be broken by their first day weight at the 2007 ABA National Championship. Ties in 2nd - 5th place in the Competition teams will split any awards. Competition Teams are made up of Military and Non-Military Service teams of Army, Navy, Air Force, Marines, Homeland Security, Eagle, and Lady Anglers.

Questions:

The changes will be exciting for the weekend anglers that fish American Bass Anglers and we know it will create a buzz and a lot of questions. Here are a few of the questions and answers.

Q. Can I still fish any divisional qualifying event or divisional championship anywhere in the country?

A. Yes, ABA members will be able to compete in any qualifying event nationwide but their points will be counted within the region in which they fish the event.

Q. How will the points structure work?

A. Here is an example of an ABA angler that fishes 7 divisional qualifying events, 1 divisional championship and the Regional Championship. The Angler's 4 best divisional qualfying tournaments + the angler's best divisional championship + Regional Champion finished is used to determine the angler's points. In this example case the angler fished 6 divisional qualifying events. The anglers was given credit for the 4 divisional qualfying tournament best finishes which totaled 788 total points of the best possible being 800 points. The angler finished second at his divisional championship and was awarded 398 points out of a possible 400. At the Regional Championship the angler placed 3 and received 1,990 points out of a possible 2,000 points.

You add together the 4 best divisional qualfying tournaments point total of 788 to the points from the divisional championship of 398 and the 1,990 from the Regional Championship and the anglers end of the year points totaled 3,176 out of possible 3,200 points.

Q. What is the easiest way to track my current point standings?

A. The ABA website is the quickest way to track your current point standings. Each angler that fishes in ABA events has their own page that shows all their results, points and even events they have registered for.

Q. Can I fish in more than one Regional Championship?

A. Yes, Anglers can qualify for multiple regional championships by competing in a minimum of 4 divisional qualfying tournaments and 1 divisional championship within the region they wish to compete.

Q. If there is a tie(s) with AOY at the regional do both of the anglers get to advance to the Final Round?

A. Yes, if there are any ties for AOY in a Region after the Regional Championship the tied anglers will be invited to the Final Round.

Q. The top 50 by points from each regional advance to the championship. What happens if any of the top 50 from a regional does not accept the invitation to the national?

A. If any of the top 50 does not accept the invitiation the slot will be offered to the next angler by points from the same region until the 50 slots from that region is filled.

Q. The top 50 by points from the 2006 championship will get invited to compete in the 2007 championship automatically if they fish the minimum 4 divisional qualfying tournaments, 1 divisional championship and their regional championship. What if any of those anglers do not accept the invitation will ABA go down the list past the top 10% from the 2006 championship?

A. No, this exemption only applies to the top 50 by points from the 2006 championship.

Q. Will there be an entry fee for the Regional Championship?

A. Yes, each qualifier will have an entry fee of $150

Q. At each regional championship ABA is giving away a draw boat. Why is the winner getting cash and not the boat?

A. Since 2000 when the organization became American Bass Anglers and even before then an angler must have won either the Championship or AOY in order to win fully rigged Triton Tr21X Series with a Mercury 225hp Optimax Outboard with Lowrance Electronics and MotorGuide trolling motor. This has not changed and the same will be true in 2007. However, starting in 2001 ABA began giving away a draw boat/motor at the National Championship. The number of draw boats is simply being increased so the regional championships will each have a draw boat.

Q. Why not just end the championship on Friday and not advance the top 20 into Saturday?

A. This is a Championship for the weekend angler and this raises the bar for the weekend angler is designed bring more attention to the weekend angler and their accomplishments.

Q. When will the Regional Championships be held?

A. The Northern Regionals will be held in September of 2007 and the 2 Southern Regional Championships will be held in October of 2007.

Q. Will the Regional Championship affect when the National Championship is held?

A. Yes, the 2007 Championship is now being planned for November 2007.

Q. Will active duty military serving overseas still be able to qualify for the end of the year events?

A. Yes, ABA has a long standing tradition that allows for active duty military ABA members that have served overseas which caused them not to be able to qualify for the championship by points to automatically qualify for the ABA championship. In 2007 the slots held in reserve for active duty military serving overseas will be for the Regional Championships.

More questions or comments email American Bass Anglers at info@americanbassanglers.com