2022 150 Solo Tour Entry Cut Off 2/22
Field Set for the Top 150 Solo Eufaula March 4, 5
ATHENS, Ala. – In 2021, American Bass Anglers introduced the Top 150 Solo Tour with the concept of offering the next level of competition for the ABA members. The Tour has an entry fee of $600 per event and provides anglers with the opportunity to win up to $20,000 per Divisional event. American Bass Anglers introduced the 2022 season with several significant changes in October. These changes increase competition and provide a path to a new Solo Tour Championship. The Top 150 Solo is not for the faint of heart, as this is the next level of competition. The field is now set for the first event.
There are no limitations on who can compete in Top 150 Solo events other than anglers must meet minimum qualifications and the limit of 150 total anglers. The Tour is named the Top 150 for a reason, and we expect the field to be one of the best fields of anglers ever assembled in an ABA event. Setting limitations to who can compete is only used for the Weekend Angler series ABA offers such as the American Fishing Tour, the American Couples Series, and the Open Series. If you want to be the best, you have to compete against the best.
The Tour for 2022 has two divisions, one in the southeast and one in the southwest (TX and OK). Each division will hold three two-day (Friday, Saturday) qualifying events. The winning anglers can win up to $20,000 first place at each qualifier based on a 150-angler field.
At the divisional qualifying events, anglers receive points based on their place of finish. First place receives 250 points. There is a one-point separation per place, second-place finishes are awarded 249, and so on. At the end of the three divisional qualifiers, a perfect score would be 750 points. Points are crucial as the top 15 anglers from each division will advance to the new for the 2022 season, the Top 150 Solo Tour Championship by points after all three divisional qualifiers. Anglers must compete in all three divisional events to qualify for the Tour Championship.
Additionally, the anglers who did not qualify by points, who fished all three of their divisional qualifiers in their division, will be invited to a two-day wild card event held on Ross Barnett in September. From this wild card, the top 5 anglers will also advance to the Tour Champion by their place of finish.
Qualifying through their divisions by points and additionally from the wild card, the Tour Championship field will be a total of 35 anglers. The Championship is scheduled for early October on Kentucky Lake out of Paris Landing. The Championship is formatted like the divisional events with two days of competition (Friday-Saturday), with first-place earning up to $25,000. In addition, every angler in the field will receive a payout.
In 2022 one additional advancement has been added beyond the Tour Championship. The top five anglers by points from each division, after the Tour Championship by points, advance to the 2023 Ray Scott Championship.
“The anglers love the format of fishing solo events. It puts them in total control of their tournament destiny,” said Morris Sheehan, Owner of American Bass Anglers and Bass Fishing Hall of Fame Member. “Over the years, we have seen most anglers pushed out of the upper-level events because of extremely high entry fees of $1,700 to as high as over $5,000 per event. The Top 150 Solo Tour entry of $600 is perfect for the aspiring angler wanting to take that step into a higher level of competition with maxing out their credit cards or event having to borrow money.”
Southeast Division
The Southeast Division kicks off the season March 4-5, 2022, at Lake Eufaula, Ala. (Registration Link) The tournament runs out of Lakepoint Resort State Park, located at 104 Lakepoint Drive near the town of Eufaula, Ala. Officially dubbed Walter F. George Reservoir, the impoundment covers 45,181 acres along the Chattahoochee River spanning part of the Alabama-Georgia border.
Anglers must register before 5 pm CT 10 days prior to the event. For the Eufaula event, the registration cut-off is 5 pm CT on February 22, 2022. No registrations will be accepted after the cut-off date.
From Eufaula, the Southeast Division travels to north Alabama to fish Lake Guntersville. Slated to run May 6-7, the tournament launches out of Goose Pond Ramp at 417 Ed Hembree Drive in Scottsboro. The largest reservoir in Alabama snakes 75 miles along the Tennessee River and spreads across 69,100 acres.
The Southeast Division ends its season June 16-17 on Lake Chickamauga. The tournament launches out of Chester Frost Park, located at 2277 Gold Point Circle North in Hixson, Tenn. Lake “Chick” covers 36,240 acres on the Tennessee River from the Watts Bar Dam to the Chickamauga Dam.
Southeast Dates
3/04-05 Eufaula Lake Point Resort (Field Set)
5/06-07 Guntersville Goose Pond (Entry Cut Off) 4/26 (REGISTRATION LINK)
6/17-18 Chickamauga Chester Frost Park (Entry Cut Off) 6/7 (REGISTRATION LINK)The field for March 4,5 Lake Eufaula, AL (link)
Southwest DivisionThe Southwest Division kicks off its new season March 18-19 at Lake Texoma. The anglers will run out of Highport Marina, located at 120 Texoma Harbor Drive in Pottsboro, Texas. Impounded on the Red River, which forms the border between Texas and Oklahoma, Lake Texoma covers 74,686 acres. Anglers must register before 5 pm CT 10 days prior to the event. For the Texoma event, the registration cut-off is 5 pm CT on March 8, 2022.
From Lake Texoma, the competitors head to Lake Eufaula near the town of Eufaula, Okla. The tournament runs April 22-23 out of South Point Cove. The largest lake in Oklahoma and the 15th largest lake entirely within the United States covers about 102,200 acres on the Canadian River.
The Southwest Division ends its regular season June 17-18 at Lake Sam Rayburn. The anglers will take off from Cassel Boykin Landing near Zavalla, Texas. The largest reservoir entirely within Texas, “Big Sam” covers 114,500 acres on the Angelina River.
There is a registration cut-off ten days prior to each event, and no entries after 5 pm CT on these dates.
Southwest Dates
3/18-19 Texoma Highport Marina (Entry Cut Off) 3/8 (REGISTRATION LINK)
4/22-23 Eufaula South Point Cove (Entry Cut Off) 4/12 (REGISTRATION LINK)
6/17-18 Rayburn Cassels Boykin (Entry Cut Off) 6/7 (REGISTRATION LINK)For more information or to register for any ABA Solo 150 event, see www.americanbassanglers.com/Top150.
For more information about any other American Bass Anglers tournament trail, visit www.americanbassanglers.com or call (256) 232-0406.
American Bass Anglers is sponsored by Caymas Boats, Mercury Marine, T-H Marine, Garmin Electronics, Power Pole, Lucas Oil, Monster Energy, REKS Sunglasses, Optima Batteries, Hotel Planner.com, and LurePartsOnline.com.
This story was written by ABA staff writer John N. Felsher. To submit articles of interest email info@americanbassanglers.com.
