The Bassmaster Elite Series continues its season in Sweet Home Alabama when Gadsden hosts the Whataburger Bassmaster Elite at Neely Henry Lake May 6-9, 2021. Daily launches and weigh-ins will take place at the Gadsden City Boat Docks, also known as Coosa Landing. The tournament is hosted by The City of Gadsden and Greater Gadsden Area Tourism.
The tournament pits 99 of the top bass anglers in the world against big bass and one another as they battle for the coveted championship trophy, $100,000 first-place prize, and a total purse of more than $760,000.
The Yellowhammer State will be well-represented by the 12 Elite Series pros who call Alabama home, including 2019 Bassmaster Angler of the Year Scott Canterbury of Odenville. Other Alabama anglers competing include Justin Atkins, Clent Davis, Justin Hamner, Matt Herren, Kelley Jaye, Steve Kennedy, Wes Logan, Josh Stracner, Gerald Swindle, Bill Weidler and Kyle Welcher.
Launch each morning will be at safe daylight, about 545 a.m. with weigh-in each day at 2 p.m. Both are free and the public is encouraged to attend. Coosa Landing will be closed for the event and parking will be available at The Venue at Coosa Landing.
Beyond the tournament action taking place on this Coosa River fishery, sports fans can experience the thrill of skimming across the river during a demo boat rides from Nitro, Ranger and Mercury, enjoy two days of family-friendly activities and sample local food while strolling along the Riverwalk and Coosa Landing at the free Bassmaster Outdoors Expo on Saturday and Sunday from noon until 4 pm.
While the pro anglers will compete to bring in the heaviest weights during the four-day fishing tournament, it is truly Gadsden that has landed “a big one.” When the Basspro.com Bassmaster Opens visited Neely Henry last October, officials estimated that — even with pandemic-associated restrictions on crowd sizes and gatherings — the event generated an economic impact of $1 million for the greater Gadsden area.
Live coverage for all four days of the Bassmaster Elite at Neely Henry Lake can be streamed on Bassmaster.com and the FOX Sports digital platforms. FS1 will also broadcast live with the tournament leaders beginning at 7 a.m. CT on Saturday and Sunday.
