Smith Mountain Lake, Virginia
April 11 - 13, 2025 | $162,500
Event Details
Mercury Marine Blue Ridge Mountains Big Bass Classic - $162,500 GUARANTEED PRIZES & PAYOUTS
3 DAY EVENT
April 11-13 (Friday-Sunday)
April 11-13 (Friday-Sunday)
Entry Fee
Three Day $250 | Two Day $165 | One Day $115 | Youth $75 (Entry fees are per angler)
Location
Smith Mountain Lake, Virginia
Smith Mountain Lake, Virginia
Weigh-in Site
Mariners Landing, 1217 Graves Harbor Trail, Huddleston, VA 24104
Start Time (first cast)
Start fishing time will be announced the week of the tournament.
GUARANTEED OVERALL GRAND PRIZE: $55,980
2025 NITRO® Z18 rigged with a Mercury® 150 L Pro XS® FourStroke, Minn Kota® Ultrex® QUEST™ 24V, 115-lb thrust, Bow Humminbird® HELIX™ 9 G4N with Side Imaging® & GPS, Console Humminbird® HELIX™ 9 G4N with Side Imaging® & GPS, Hot Foot® throttle, genuine two-tone cover, NITRO® trailer w/powder-coat finish & GALVASHIELD® Impact corrosion & chip protection, tandem-axle upgrade w/2 brakes, 18" black tire/wheel upgrade with spare and fiberglass fenders. To learn more about NITRO® boats, visit the website at Nitro.com.
Guaranteed Total Hourly Paybacks: $63,525
1st: $1,000
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 prizes go to the first 250 two or three-day online entrants. A one-day entry is not eligible for an early entry prize.
Early entry prizes may be picked up on the day listed below or during any tournament day. Please don't call our offices about early entry prizes. There is a prize counter at the top of each event page. Prizes are gone when the counter shows zero. We will post the date the counter goes to zero on the site. *Another angler may pick up your early entry prize if you cannot attend.
Early Entry Prize Pick-up
Thursday, April 10th, 4-6 PM, Mariners Landing, 1217 Graves Harbor Trail, Huddleston, VA 24104. You may also pick up prizes on any of the tournament days during the tournament.
Early Entry Prize Features
• 9 stainless steel ball bearings +1 roller bearing
• X2-Cräftic™ alloy frame
• EXD concept design
• Asymmetrical body design
• C6 Carbon sideplates
• IVCB-6 braking system
• Power Stack Carbon Matrix Drag System
• 90mm bowed aluminum handle with oversized knobs
• Duragear Gen II gear system
• X2-Cräftic™ alloy frame
• EXD concept design
• Asymmetrical body design
• C6 Carbon sideplates
• IVCB-6 braking system
• Power Stack Carbon Matrix Drag System
• 90mm bowed aluminum handle with oversized knobs
• Duragear Gen II gear system
Event Registration
Registration for an Event closes at 9:00 p.m. on the Thursday before the beginning of the Event for a three-day entry. There will be no morning registration on Friday, Saturday, and/or Sunday of the Event. Participants may register online before the Event or in person during prize pickup hours at the designated time above. Once an event begins, participants who register late online must do so before 9:00 p.m. on 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 rule 6.02
Text System
You may enter yourself in the text system for this event by texting the word sml to the number 833-933-1717. We will enter your number in the system, but some carriers block this type of message, so entering yourself will prevent the chance of being blocked. Also, if you have previously opted out of our system, you must 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 aren't receiving texts from us, you will need to search for the number 833-933-1717 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 before 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 the first cast. Please do not call our offices related to start time. We will post the 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 begins.
Weigh-in Times: All days of the event
8-9 am
9-10 am
10-11 am
11 am-12 pm
12-1 pm
1-2 pm
2-3 pm
Fish Size Limits
Largemouth - Smallmouth - Spotted - 14" minimum
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.
