The State of Alabama is excited to announce it has teamed up with a nonprofit, Unified Pros, to give professional anglers from across the state and country an opportunity to take part in a premier fishing tournament.
The 2025 Ultimate Angler World Championship set for Lake Guntersville is reportedly 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.
There will be 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.
“The Ultimate Angler Championship is not just a fishing tournament,” Lieutenant Governor Will Ainsworth said, “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.”
State Senate Majority Leader Steve Livingston (R-Scottsboro) believes that the competition will accomplish two things in particular.
“Alabama offers outdoor recreational activities unlike any other place in the world, and we are committed to conserving our abundant, God-given natural resources,” Livingston said. “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.”
The tournament, the first ever hosted by the State of Alabama, will take place October 5-11, 2025 on Lake Guntersville near Scottsboro. The event will not only offer major payouts to winners, but also serve as platforms to raise awareness for outdoor activities and conservation efforts.
Bass fishing tournaments were largely created by a group of anglers from Alabama, specifically the late Ray Scott. Scott is hailed as 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.
Austen Shipley is a staff writer for Yellowhammer News, You can follow him on X @ShipleyAusten