Smith Mountain Lake, Virginia

May 2 - 5, 2024 | $175,000


Event Details

Mercury Marine Blue Ridge Big Bass Classic - $175,000 Guaranteed Prizes & Payouts

4 DAY EVENT (THURSDAY, FRIDAY, SATURDAY & SUNDAY)

Entry Fee: Four Day $325 |Three Day $250 | Two Day $165 | One Day $115 | Youth $75 (Entry fees are per angler)

Start fishing time (first cast) will be 6:00 am for all four days.  You will receive a text to start fishing.  If you do not receive a text, you may begin fishing at 6:00 am.  Please see the text section below if you are not receiving texts.

Click here to see rules
 
Location: 
Smith Mountain Lake, Virginia

Weigh in Site: 
Goodhue Boat Company formerly (Crazy Horse Marina) 400 Crazy Horse Dr., Moneta, VA 24121

 Guaranteed Overall Grand Prize: $55,600

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2024 NITRO® Z18 rigged with a Mercury® 150L Pro XS outboard, Minn Kota® Ultrex® 24V, 80-lb, Bow Humminbird® HELIX™ 9 SI G4N with GPS, Console Humminbird® HELIX™ 8 SI G4N with GPS, Hot Foot throttle, genuine two tone cover, tandem-axle upgrade 2 brakes, 14" tire/wheel upgrade with spare.  NITRO® trailer w/powder-coat finish & GALVASHIELD® Impact corrosion & chip protection. To learn more about NITRO® boats visit the website at Nitro.com.


Guaranteed Total Hourly Paybacks: $84,700
1st: $1000, 2nd: $500, 3rd: $300, 4th: $250, 5th: $225, 6th: $200, 7th: $175, 8th: $150, 9th: $125, 10th: $100

Youth Division Total Payback: $600
1st: $300, 2nd: $200, 3rd: $100

Early Entry Rods: $25,000 Fenwick Eagle Series Casting Rod,  Model #EGLB73MH-FC, Value $99.95
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Early entry rods go to the first 250 four and three day online entrants. A two day, one day or Youth entry is not eligible for a free rod.
See the Fenwick Eagle rod details here.

Early entry promo rods may be picked up on the day listed below or during any tournament day. Please do not call our offices related to early entry rods. There is a rod counter at the top of each event page. Rods are gone when counter shows zero. We will post the date the counter goes to zero on the site. *Another angler may pick up your rod for you if you're unable to be present.

Rod Pick Up: Wedneday May 1st 4 - 6 pm at Goodhue Boat Company formerly (Crazy Horse Marina). You may also pick up rods on any of the tournament days.

Fenwick Eagle Rod Features:
24/30 ton graphite blend with proprietary reinforcing resin
Fenwick designed reel seat fits the crux of your hand for a custom natural feel
Stainless steel guide frames with thin zirconia inserts
Multi-material full length grips for the best blend of feel, balance and durability

Event Registration:
Registration for an Event closes at 9:00 p.m. on the Wednesday prior to the beginning of the Event for a four-day entry. There will be no morning registration on Thursday, Friday, Saturday and/or Sunday of the Event.  Participants may register online prior to the Event, no onsite registration due to Covid protocols. Once an event begins, participants that register late online on must do so before  9:00 p.m. on Thursday and Friday and before 6 p.m. on Saturday for the remaining days and must also adhere to the off limits rules listed in section 6.02.
Click here to see the rule

Text System:
You may enter yourself in the text system for this event by texting the word sml to the number 90294. We will enter your number in the system, but some carriers block this type of message, so by entering yourself this will prevent the chance of being blocked.  Also, if you have previously opted out of our system, you will have to put yourself back in the system by texting the above keyword. If you opt-out we cannot put you back in the system.
Android users:  If you have an android and you aren't receiving texts from us, you will need to search the number 90294 in your text app and accept that it is not spam.

Start Time: 
Due to the varying times of year that we host our tournaments, we will notify everyone of the start time the day prior to the start of the tournament. We will notify you via text message. Start time (first cast) for each tournament will be safe light and set by the tournament director. You may launch and be on the water but you may not begin fishing until we notify you of first cast. Please do not call our offices related to start time. We will post start fishing time on this page and text out the time the week of the event.  You will also be sent a live leaderboard link once the event starts.

Weigh in Times: All days of event
8-9am, 9-10am, 10-11am, 11am-12pm, 12-1pm, 1-2pm, 2-3pm.

Fish Size Limits:
Largemouth - Smallmouth - Spotted - 14" minimum

Participants under 18 years of age must be accompanied by a parent or adult with written parental permission. (Written parental permission must be provided to Event staff prior to the start of the Event) Participants under the age of 18 years may not fish alone in the Event.
Junior Division for 2025.  Participants 12 and under will compete for a top 3 event payout, at a reduced entry fee. The entry fee for the entire event is $75 (regardless of the number of days fished) and we will pay three places for the top three bass weighed in during the event.  Anglers 13 and over will compete for full payouts and pay full entry fees.

Click here for parental consent form

See Results Photos


Tournament Sponsors