Bassmaster Bringing High School and College Fishing to Lay Lake

Lay Lake, the same storied fishery that has hosted four Bassmaster Classics, will host three high school and college tournaments with Classic implications in 2020.

Young anglers in the Mossy Oak Fishing Bassmaster High School Classic presented by Academy Sports + Outdoors and Carhartt Bassmaster College Classic presented by Bass Pro Shops will weigh-in on the big stage in front of thousands as part of the festivities at the 2020 Academy Sports + Outdoors Bassmaster Classic presented by Huk. The high school teams weigh in on Saturday, March 7, while college anglers will be highlighted on Sunday, March 8.

These exhibition tournaments feature college fishing’s top names and rising stars from 2019 competition. College national champions Carter McNeil and Cole Floyd of Bethel University, college Team of the Year KJ Queen and Dax Ewart of Bethel University and top junior team Braden McNamara and Mike Abbott of Hartley’s Hawgs will be joined by top finishers from each regular season high school and college derby.

The Top 10 teams from the College Series tournament were held on nearby Smith Lake Feb. 27-29 and Top 2 teams from the High School Series event on March 1, also on Smith Lake, determined the remainder of the High School and College Classic fields.

Fall will see the best anglers from the college ranks back on Lay Lake for the 2020 College Classic Bracket, which will be held Sept. 15-17. The Top 4 teams from the College Series National Championship will compete individually in a head-to-head format with a coveted invitation to the 2021 Bassmaster Classic going to the winner.

Bethel’s Cody Huff won the 2019 College Classic Bracket, and continued his hot-streak leading up to the Bassmaster Classic with a team win in January at the Carhartt Bassmaster College Series at Toledo Bend presented by Bass Pro Shops.

Best known for its spotted and largemouth bass fishing, Lay Lake, a 12,000-acre Southern Company reservoir, is a top choice for anglers year-round.

All events are being hosted by Discover Shelby County.

About B.A.S.S. - B.A.S.S. is the worldwide authority on bass fishing and keeper of the culture of the sport, providing cutting edge content on bass fishing whenever, wherever and however bass fishing fans want to use it. Headquartered in Birmingham, Ala., the 515,000-member organization’s fully integrated media platforms include the industry’s leading magazines (Bassmaster and B.A.S.S. Times), website (Bassmaster.com), television show (The Bassmasters on ESPN2 and The Pursuit Channel), radio show (Bassmaster Radio), social media programs and events. For more than 50 years, B.A.S.S. has been dedicated to access, conservation and youth fishing.

The Bassmaster Tournament Trail includes the most prestigious events at each level of competition, including the Bassmaster Elite Series, Basspro.com Bassmaster Opens Series, TNT Fireworks B.A.S.S. Nation Series, Carhartt Bassmaster College Series presented by Bass Pro Shops, Mossy Oak Fishing Bassmaster High School Series presented by Academy Sports + Outdoors, Bassmaster Team Championship, new Huk Bassmaster B.A.S.S. Nation Kayak Series powered by TourneyX presented by Abu Garcia and the ultimate celebration of competitive fishing, the Academy Sports + Outdoors Bassmaster Classic presented by Huk.