BASS Report

B.A.S.S. Announces Long-Awaited 2021 Bassmaster Elite Series Schedule

After the shortest offseason break in the trail's 16-year history, B.A.S.S. officials announced Thursday that the Bassmaster Elite Series will open its 2021 tournament slate Feb. 11-14 on the St. Johns River in Florida.

The season-opener will begin just over three months after the final event of a 2020 schedule that was reworked due to the COVID-19 pandemic, causing a much later finish than usual.

"We're as excited about this schedule as any that we've ever put together for the Elite Series," said B.A.S.S. CEO Bruce Akin. "It features a good mix of venues that have become fixtures for B.A.S.S. and a few we've been to before but haven't visited in a while."

The St. Johns River falls into the category of a fixture, with B.A.S.S. having visited the picturesque fishery 22 times for major events since 1973, including three times during the past five seasons.

From Florida, the season will shift north Feb. 25-28 to Knoxville, Tenn., which has played host to two fantastic major B.A.S.S. events the past four seasons, including the record-breaking 2019 Bassmaster Classic. Like that Classic, the 2021 event will take place on the Tennessee River where largemouth and smallmouth will both likely come into play.

Elite Series action will pause for the 2021 Academy Sports + Outdoors Bassmaster Classic presented by Huk, which is set for March 19-21 on Lake Ray Roberts near Fort Worth, Texas. Then the schedule will resume April 8-11 on another Texas fishery, the Sabine River in Orange.

Elite Series pros Brandon Cobb, Garrett Paquette, and Patrick Walters each earned a Century Belt - 100 pounds in a four-day event - on Lake Fork in 2019 and 2020 respectively, and more anglers hope to join their ranks when the Elite field heads back to the fishery April 22-25.

After their stops in Texas, the Elites will embark on a midseason Alabama swing, visiting Neely Henry Lake in Gadsden May 6-9, Lake Guntersville in Scottsboro May 20-23 and Pickwick Lake in Florence June 10-13. Though all in one state, each fishery will offer vastly different scenarios.

As warm weather takes hold across the country, the Elites will make what has become an annual swing to the north with a visit to Lake Champlain in Burlington, Vt., July 8-11, and a stop in the scenic Village of Waddington, N.Y., for a season-ending tournament on the St. Lawrence River July 15-18.

For the first time in history, all nine Bassmaster Elite Series events as well as the Academy Sports + Outdoors Bassmaster Classic presented by Huk will feature live television coverage on the FOX Sports platforms.

2021 Bassmaster Elite Series schedule

• Feb. 11-14, AFTCO Bassmaster Elite at St. Johns River, Palatka, Fla.
• Feb. 25-28, Tennessee River, Knoxville, Tenn.
• March 19-21, Academy Sports + Outdoors Bassmaster Classic presented by
• Huk, Lake Ray Roberts, Fort Worth, Texas
• April 8-11, Sabine River, Orange, Texas
• April 22-25, Lake Fork, Emory, Texas
• May 6-9, Neely Henry Lake, Gadsden, Ala.
• May 20-23, Lake Guntersville, Scottsboro, Ala.
• June 10-13, Pickwick Lake, Florence, Ala.
• July 8-11, Lake Champlain, Burlington, Vt.
• July 15-18, St. Lawrence River, Waddington, N.Y.
• Aug. 19-22, Make-up date