Ultimate Angler Championship coming to Scottsboro

Clarion Top News

Thursday, 31 October 2024 13:30

Last week a huge announcement was made at Goose Pond Colony.
Director of Communications for Unified Pros Susan Carothers, Unified Pros President Danny Groves, Mayor Jim McCamy, Senate Majority Leader Steve Livingston, Lieutenant Governor Will Ainsworth and Alabama Department of Conservation Commissioner Chris Blankenship, along with other officials of Jackson County and Scottsboro attended the announcement.

If you dig into the history of tournament bass fishing, you’ll find the blood, sweat, and tears of a dedicated group of anglers and hard-working folks in Alabama. Front-and-center, you’ll find the late Ray Scott, the genius behind the first professional bass fishing tournaments dating back to the 1960s.

Years after the launch of the Bassmaster Series and the Bassmaster Classic (aka “The Super Bowl of Bass Fishing”), numerous other national pro bass fishing circuits popped up, many of which still exist today, like Bassmaster itself, MLF, NPFL and several others.

Well, meet a new, first-of-its-kind, organization founded in Scott’s home state of Alabama, a group called Unified Pros: a nonprofit, with no ownership, promising to be the biggest news in tournament bass fishing since those early days of Ray Scott, Roland Martin, Bill Dance, Jimmy Houston and other passionate anglers who birthed a new professional sport and subsequently created a billion-dollar-plus industry across the world.

Working hand-in-hand, Unified Pros and the State of Alabama will launch its first tournament, the Ultimate Angler Championship from October 5-11, 2025 on Lake Guntersville at Goose Pond Colony in Scottsboro, with a guaranteed 1st Place payout of $500,000, the largest pot in bass fishing’s history, and a total of over $1 million in cash payouts.

Ainsworth said, “The Ultimate Angler Championship is not just a fishing tournament; it is an opportunity to unite anglers from diverse backgrounds, highlighting their talents while fostering camaraderie and mutual respect for a sport we all love in the place where tournament bass fishing began, the great state of Alabama.”

Livingston said, “Alabama offers outdoor recreational activities unlike any other place in the world, and we are committed to conserving our abundant, God-given natural resources. We are absolutely thrilled to host The Ultimate Angler World Championship in Scottsboro, as we put Alabama on the map for competitive fishing and will continue to raise funds for further conservation initiatives.”

McCamy stated, “We are honored to host the Ultimate Angler World Championship right here in Goose Pond Colony and show the world why Scottsboro is someplace special.”

The Ultimate Angler Tournament is being modeled after The Masters golf tournament, and will be open to qualifying college anglers, amateurs, and pros. The tournament winner will be the first and only champion crowned across multiple bass fishing leagues and tournament trails.

The tournament is set to take place October 5-11, 2025 at Goose Pond Colony in Scottsboro.