DECATUR-The North Division of the popular Alabama Bass Trail Tournament Series will make its fifth and final stop for 2023 in Decatur later this month, bringing with it 450 amateur anglers to fish the waters of Wheeler Lake where a guaranteed first place prize of $10,000 is up for grabs. Hosted by Decatur Morgan County Tourism, the tournament is set for Saturday, June 24, 2023, at Ingalls Harbor.
Sanctioned by BASS (Bass Anglers Sportsman Society), the ABT Tournament Series contains two divisions, North and South, and each division is made up of five tournaments on five different lakes. The maximum number of boats for each tournament is 225. Registration for the tournament on Wheeler Lake is full at 225 two-angler teams, with anglers traveling from across the southeastern United States to compete.
Takeoff is set for 5:30 a.m. and weigh-in begins at 2:30 p.m. at Ingalls Harbor, located at 802 Wilson Street NW in Decatur. Takeoff and weigh-ins are free and open to the public. Spectators are asked to bring their own portable chairs and enjoy the excitement that weigh-ins bring to a tournament.
The tournament on Wheeler Lake offers an incredible payout with a $10,000 guaranteed first place prize and pays 40 places totaling $47,400. In celebration of the tournament series’ tenth anniversary, the Alabama Bass Trail will pay two additional teams $500 at each of the 10 regular season tournaments. The two additional paychecks will be awarded to teams who finish in 75th place and 150th place at each regular season tournament in 2023.
Payout Schedule:
| First place | $10,000 |
| Second place | $ 5,000 |
| Third place | $ 4,000 |
| Fourth place | $ 3,000 |
| Fifth place | $ 2,000 |
| Sixth place | $ 1,500 |
| Seventh place | $ 1,100 |
| Eighth place | $ 1,100 |
| Ninth place | $ 1,100 |
| Tenth place | $ 1,100 |
| 11th – 20th | $750 each |
| 21st – 40th | $500 each |
| 75th and 150th | $500 each |
WOTM-TV will provide live-streaming during tournament and weigh-in hours and Angler’s Channel will film and produce the Alabama Bass Trail television series for Bally Sports Southeast, WOTM and WAFF to air on Sept. 3 and 10, 2023.
For more information on the June 24 tournament on Wheeler Lake, call Decatur Morgan County Tourism President & CEO Danielle Gibson.
For more information on the Alabama Bass Trail and the tournament series, call Program Director Kay Donaldson at 855-934-7425 or visit www.alabamabasstrail.org
Media Release/ Danielle Gibson, President & CEO
Decatur Morgan County Tourism, Inc.
