Registration is open for the 25th annual Rotary Club of Jacksonville Bass Tournament, which has larger prizes and tournament improvements to celebrate the event’s 25th year.
The tournament will be held on Lake Jacksonville on Saturday, April 5, 2025. Slots are available for 45 boats in the first buddy tournament of the season.
Tournament Chair Pete Carteaux said, “The Rotary Club of Jacksonville is excited to share several improvements in this momentous 25th year of the tournament. In response to fishermen’s opinions, this tournament will offer much larger prizes than in prior years. The top prize will be $2,500 (compared to a top prize of $900 last year), with second through fifth prizes ranging from $1,000 to $200. These larger prizes are made possible by important support provided by the Hotels of South Jacksonville.
Secondly, the tournament is moving from Sunday to Saturday in response the requests of previous participants. This should allow even more people to enjoy the event.
Further, online registration and payment will be possible for the first time, facilitating this process for participants,” said Carteaux.
Carteaux continued, “Last year at our tournament, Daniel Curless caught a Big Bass that weighed in at 9.06 pounds. The City of Jacksonville Department of Parks and Lakes staff verified this was a Lake Jacksonville record! Since this is a catch-and-release tournament, that big fish is still out there for future contestants to find! Participants are invited to compete in the Big Bass Pot for $20 per boat with 100% payback going to the Big Bass winner.”
Rotary Club President Daniel Lepper said, “We are really happy to again invite several high school bass fishing teams to participate in this year’s competition. We hope to continue encouraging more young people to engage in the sport of bass fishing.”
Interested persons are invited to access full tournament rules and information at https://jacksonvillerotary.org/bass-tournament/. Online registration and payment may be made at https://form.jotform.com/250396508923059. Requests for additional information can be directed to Tournament Chair Pete Carteaux at 605-592-6173 or bass@jacksonvillerotary.org.