Listen to Patrick Walters give Key Tips for the start of the season.
Do you love watching Bassmaster Elite fishing pros duke it out all spring and summer in America’s most prestigious fishing tournament series?
If you do, maybe you should consider taking your passion for pro bass fishing to a whole new level – and maybe you’ll win some cool prizes from Rapala fishing lures in the process.
How, you may ask? Simple. By playing Rapala Bassmaster Fantasy Fishing at bassmasterfantasy.com.
With ten tournaments, including the granddaddy of them all, the Academy Sports + Outdoors Bassmaster Classic presented by Huk, tens of thousands of anglers from around the world compete online with each other by putting their knowledge of pro bass fishing to the test. Beginning with the first Bassmaster Elite tournament on Feb. 11 on the St. Johns River in Palatka, Florida, you can win cash and prizes, including lures, gear and apparel from the world’s leading fishing brand, Rapala, the legendary maker of premium lures, fishing tackle and accessories.
From one body of water to the next, you choose a team of Bassmaster Elite pros who compete in the following tournaments:
Feb. 11-14, AFTCO Bassmaster Elite at St. Johns River, Palatka, Fla.
Feb. 25-28, Tennessee River, Knoxville, Tenn.
March 18-21, Pickwick Lake, Florence, Ala.
April 8-11, Sabine River, Orange, Texas
April 22-25, Lake Fork, Quitman, Texas
May 6-9, Neely Henry Lake, Gadsden, Ala.
May 20-23, Lake Guntersville, Scottsboro, Ala.
June 11-13, Academy Sports + Outdoors Bassmaster Classic presented by Huk, Lake Ray Roberts, Fort Worth, Texas
July 8-11, Lake Champlain, Burlington, Vt.
July 15-18, St. Lawrence River, Waddington, N.Y.
Lots of Prizes
For 2021, Rapala Bassmaster Fantasy Fishing will award more than $90,000 in prizes. In addition to an exciting grand prize at the end of the season, the Top 20 points leaders in each tournament, as well as Top 5 in the points standings at the end of the season will win valuable prize packages, including Rapala Touch Screen Scales and culling kit, Rapala Performance Tool Combos, Rapala baits, VMC hooks, Sufix Line, Storm Lures, Terminator Jigs, clothing, cash prizes and more. The season points champion will win over $20,000 in gift cards, cash and gear, and for each Fantasy Fishing event, Rapala will award $2,500 in prizes.
Easy to Play, It’s Free, and It’s Fun
Anyone can play Rapala Bassmaster Fantasy Fishing. It’s easy to play – and it’s free. Play as an individual or invite your friends or co-workers to create your own league. After signing up at bassmasterfantasy.com, select five pro anglers for each of the Bassmaster Elite Series events and the Bassmaster Classic. The winner of each Fantasy Fishing tournament is determined based on the real-life, on-the-water performance of their five bass pros. Points are awarded based on each angler’s final standings at the end of each Elite Series event.
For easy, step-by-step instructions on how to play Rapala Bassmaster Fantasy Fishing, visit https://www.bassmaster.com/fantasy-fishing/how-play-fantasy-fishing.
“Rapala is excited to bring Rapala Bassmaster Fantasy Fishing to fans of the Bassmaster Elite Series everywhere,” said Matt Jensen, Rapala Director of Marketing. “Playing the game and following more anglers makes every tournament more intense. It’s going to be fun!”
“Fantasy sports are becoming a huge deal in every sport and that’s the case for bass fishing with the Bassmaster Elite Series,” said Ronnie Moore, co-host of Bassmaster Live. “Rapala Bassmaster Fantasy Fishing has seamlessly meshed the avid old school fans that have endless knowledge of the competitors with a newer generation that uses statistics and patterns in choosing successful anglers. The Screen of Knowledge has become a fun and exciting segment on Bassmaster LIVE and the new fans joining the sport via the Fox Sports coverage will love the interactive nature of Fantasy Fishing. The prizes and bragging rights give fans an opportunity to have skin in the game and follow it even closer every day.”
This year Fantasy Fishing gets even better, with expert advice during Bassmaster LIVE, which airs on FOX, FS1 and Bassmaster.com. The game is easy, it’s free, and there’s a deep pool of prizes, thanks to Bassmaster’s partnership with Rapala. There are 20 winners for every tournament, and a grand prize winner for the full season.
Become a Better Bass Angler
“One of the great side benefits of Fantasy Fishing is it helps you become a better angler by providing players with a vehicle to see which angler and techniques have the winning edge,” said Jim Sexton, Vice President and Editor-Digital for Bassmaster.
“My personal tips: choose anglers who have strong momentum,” added Sexton. “Once an angler gets on a roll, they tend to perform well for a while. And don’t just focus on the locals. That’s a mistake I’ve made several times. Sometimes an angler who is fishing a lake for the first time tends to see things with “fresh eyes.” The locals often rely on their history there.”
In addition to serving as title sponsor for Fantasy Fishing, Rapala is a supporting sponsor for the Bassmaster Elite Series, Basspro.com Bassmaster Opens Series, Carhartt Bassmaster College Series presented by Bass Pro Shops, Mossy Oak Fishing Bassmaster High School Series presented by Academy Sports + Outdoors, Bassmaster Team Championship and the grass-roots TNT Fireworks B.A.S.S. Nation regional and championship tournaments.
B.A.S.S. is the worldwide authority on bass fishing and keeper of the culture of the sport. It conducts a number of tournament series for bass anglers at all levels of experience, from the top pros in the world, to tournaments for high school and college students. Headquartered in Birmingham, Ala., the 515,000-member also connects with bass fishing fans through a multi-media platform including industry-leading magazines (Bassmaster and B.A.S.S. Times), its website (Bassmaster.com), its television show (The Bassmasters on ESPN2 and The Pursuit Channel), its radio show (Bassmaster Radio), and social media programs and events.