Tournament

By Jason Duran

The Alabama Bass Trail 100 kicked off its 2025 season with an exciting event at Lake Guntersville, Alabama. Recently, teams had been catching over 30-pound bags, and many found fish with relative ease. However, conditions changed, and the 100-boat field encountered a very different lake as they competed for a total purse of $100,000. The team of Matt Adams and Jason Whitehead secured first place with an impressive total weight of 28.49 pounds.

Matt and Jason shared their preparation for the event, with Matt explaining, “We came here to fish our way. We wanted to fish deep and utilize the Live Scope. Jason is probably the best on the lake when it comes to using the Live Scope; he’s out here every day guiding. I was here three or four times a week leading up to this event. Our practice was very productive, and we found the fish setting up as expected. We feel like there are three different bodies of water at Lake Guntersville: the south end, the mid-lake area, and upriver with the grass. Today, we fished downriver on the south end, which is an area we normally don't fish. Jason located a large school of fish a week ago, and it was significant enough that we were worried other teams might find them too. Given the caliber of the teams here, it was likely that they would. Jason had guiding trips this week, and after each trip, he made sure to ride by and check if the fish were still there. Fortunately, we didn’t see anyone else fishing in that area, and the fish remained in place. However, today was much different from our practice. The skies were overcast, and a major cold front was expected to move through the area the day before. Our game plan was to stick with what we discovered during practice.” Matt noted, “The fish were much different today than during practice. While they were still in the area, they had set up differently.” They didn’t give up on the fish and remained focused on their main spot. “It started off strong when we caught a big one weighing 6.68 pounds on our third cast. Throughout the day, we caught approximately 40 fish without losing any. We also landed a bunch of fish around 3.50 pounds and just culled them back quickly. Our key bait was the 6th Sense Whale Swimbait, which helped us catch the big one.” Their ability to locate that big school of fish, combined with their knowledge of the lake, paid off, allowing them to bring in a total weight of 28.49 pounds. This impressive catch earned them the top prize of $25,000.

Close behind, the team of James Austin Swindle and Elliott Gault claimed second place with a total weight of 27.63 pounds. Their day started off quite challenging; about 400 yards from the blast-off, their motor went into guardian mode, which limited their speed to only about 30 mph all day. As a result, they quickly decided to abandon the areas they had located during practice. Knowing they would need to find spots close to take-off, they looked for areas like what they found in practice. They identified a few areas close by and began working to locate fish in new waters. Despite the tough conditions, they managed to catch fish. Typically, teams that have success on the water don't call it a difficult day, but this is how they described their experience. They remained persistent and worked hard to overcome the obstacles they faced. At 10:15 AM, they hadn’t caught a single fish, and many of the fish they spotted on their Live Scope turned out to be drum or rocks that resembled fish on the bottom. They only managed to cull up twice throughout the day, with the last fish they caught coming just 20 minutes before weigh-in; it weighed over 6 pounds and helped them reach their second-place weight. The key to their success was searching for grass clumps in slightly deeper water. They preferred not to fish right up against the bank but instead looked in about 10 feet of water, seeking out areas just off the edge in deeper water. While many teams typically fish these areas using a trap or a Chatterbait, which can catch all sizes of fish, they focused on finding larger fish and got fewer bites because of it. They used a Bass Mafia 6 inch Daingerous Swimbait. They went to Waterfront on Friday to get more in the blackback shad color. Through perseverance and adaptability, they overcame the challenges and secured a $12,500 payday.

Justin Bussey and Ben Webb secured third place with a total catch weighing 26.03 pounds, earning them a prize of $10,000. They were named the 2024 Anglers of the Year for the ABT North, as well as the overall AOY. They signed up for the ABT 100 this year. Winning AOY last year provided them with a prepaid entry into the ABT North Division. During practice on Thursday and Friday, strong winds made conditions challenging, but the sun came out on Friday, improving fishing conditions. In practice, they felt they could easily catch 30 pounds. However, the weather changed, and like others, they found the fish to set up differently. Bussey explained, “Technically, it is pre-spawn conditions, and the big females like to move higher in the water column when the sun is shining. But when it's cloudy and overcast, it gets darker, and they tend to stay deeper, making it difficult to get a reaction from them. Every day is different when fishing here, so you have to go find the fish and make adjustments." The team noted that their key bait in these conditions was any plastic minnow, stating that they all seemed to be effective. This third-place finish marks a strong start to their ABT 100 season and demonstrates that they remain a team to watch.

The next stop of three for the ABT 100 will be Lake Eufaula on June 7, 2025.  

The top ten standings are below. For a complete list of standings, please visit the results page.

Download and listen to the ABT Podcast on your favorite Podcast app by searching for “Alabama Bass Trail Podcast.”  The Podcast is released each week on Tuesday. 

The 2025 Alabama Bass Trail Sponsors Include: Phoenix Boats, AMFirst, Landers – McLarty Chevrolet, McGraw – Webb Chevrolet, Rapala, VMC, Crush City, Buffalo Rock, Academy Sports & Outdoors, Jack’s, Garmin, Alabama State Parks, Halo Fishing, Snag proof, NetBait, Bait Fuel, TH Marine Supplies, Power-Pole, Pro Guide Batteries, American Trailer Rental, Yamaha, Anheuser-Busch, American Baitworks, E3 Sports Apparel,  FishAlabama.org, Sweet Home Alabama, and Alabama Mountain Lakes.