USA Bassin – Find a Trail That Fits Your Skill Level and Budget
If you’ve been searching for a national tournament fishing trail, USA Bassin is the way to go. This series of fishing tournaments is perfect for novice anglers and offers trails for teams, co-eds, and youth. You’ll be able to find a tournament that fits your skill level and budget. Here’s a look at some of the different types of tournaments you can enter. If you’ve always wanted to try out fishing for largemouth bass, you may want to consider signing up for a USA Bassin event.
Open tournaments
The U.S.A. Bassin organizes two kinds of tournaments: open and member-only. Open tournaments are open to any angler, regardless of skill level, while Members-Only tournaments require a membership to participate. Young anglers can qualify for free memberships before Aug. 31 of the season, and membership allows participants to participate in tournaments where they can win a new boat, among other prizes.
Before participating in U.S.A. BASSIN events, contestants must obtain liability insurance. False information on this form may disqualify the contestant from the tournament. The name of the company, policy number, and the name of the agent binding the insurance will be required. Moreover, teams may not use their cell phones to obtain an advantage over the competition. Protests must be made in writing and submitted to the Divisional Tournament Director by the close of weigh-in. Verbal protests will not be accepted. The Divisional Tournament Director will determine the penalty for violating the State rules.
Member-only tournaments
You can fish any NEBASSIN member-only tournament, regardless of where it is held. This includes kayak/small boat events. You can request information from the NE Bassin director if you are interested in participating in an event. Points and awards are determined by division. If you do not fish a division’s entire schedule, you will not receive a free regional bid. However, you can participate in NEBASSIN member-only tournaments if you meet the necessary requirements.
The process of entry is simple and straightforward. Each division holds a pre-tournament meeting about 30 minutes before the event. Boats will be launched by the director at designated times, and anglers must arrive early to meet with tournament officials. Often, a boat inspection will be required before the tournament. Some states require a pre-takeoff meeting, which may be held on land or on the water. Failure to attend the pre-takeoff meeting may result in disqualification.
Off-limits areas
In the early days of tournament fishing, there were often two or three major team tournament organizations on each lake. The off-limits period created a friendly relationship between the organizations, and the anglers who participated often spent Sunday at another lake. This made for some very entertaining times. Often, they would go and fish the same lake as the other organization. The result: more fun for everyone! But when the competition turned competitive, off-limits areas became a necessity.
But what can you do if you’re the only one who doesn’t know about the off-limits period? For one, you can’t access tournament-related information on the lake’s off-limits. The off-limits period was reinstated a few weeks ago after a protest by a concessionaire who was losing revenue. In fact, one tournament organization dropped the off-limits period after the protest and threatened to charge anglers for their services.
Dream Team
The U.S. Angling Association sends a Dream Team of professional bass anglers to competitions around the world. These anglers will compete against other nations’ best bass fishermen to win top prizes and honors. There are several different ways to become a part of this team. Some of these opportunities include:
