Bassmaster Elite Qualifier Relocates to Wheeler Lake 

The Bassmaster Elite Qualifier at Pickwick Lake in Tennessee scheduled for October will be relocated to Wheeler Lake in Decatur, Alabama, and hosted by Decatur Morgan County Tourism after a tournament scheduling conflict.

The first Elite Qualifier is scheduled for September in Plattsburgh, New York, before the series heads to Alabama then the final event in November in Clewiston, Florida. In addition to the 100 anglers qualifying from both divisions of the St. Croix Bassmaster Opens, all current Bassmaster Elite Series anglers will be eligible to compete in the qualifiers, as well as the second- and third-place finishers from the 2024 Mercury B.A.S.S. Nation Championship.

“Moving a tournament is never easy,” said Executive Director of Tournaments Hank Weldon. “Ultimately, we needed to keep our anglers in mind as well as anglers who are planning on fishing the other events. We are thankful for our friends in Tennessee and Pickwick Landing State Park for understanding as well as Decatur Morgan County Tourism committing to host the second stop of the EQs.  Wheeler fishes great in October. It will be exciting to see the EQs start to take shape at this second stop.”

B.A.S.S. is committed to the “win and you’re in” concept for the 2026 Bassmaster Classic. Anglers who fish every event in a division of the Opens will receive a berth to the Classic if they win an event. The same applies to the three-event EQ series. New for this year, the number of anglers who will qualify for the Elite Series has been increased to 10 from nine the past two years.

2025 Elite Qualifiers

September 18-20: Lake Champlain, Plattsburgh, New York
October 2-4: Wheeler Lake, Decatur, Alabama
November 13-15: Lake Okeechobee, Clewiston, Florida