Guntersville Lake, Alabama
October 9 - 11, 2026 | $175,000
Event Details
Gerald Swindle Big Bass Classic presented by Marshall County Tourism and Sports - $175,000 GUARANTEED PRIZES & PAYOUTS
IMPORTANT WEATHER AND SCHEDULE UPDATE
Due to forecasted conditions and high winds, competition and weigh-ins on Saturday, October 10, have been canceled. The tournament will be held Friday, October 9, and Sunday, October 11.
In accordance with Rule 5.09, hourly payouts have been increased for Friday and Sunday.
UPDATED HOURLY PAYOUT SCHEDULE FOR FRIDAY AND SUNDAY
- 1st: $1,500
- 2nd: $750
- 3rd: $450
- 4th: $370
- 5th: $330
- 6th: $300
- 7th: $265
- 8th: $225
- 9th: $200
- 10th: $150
SATURDAY OFF-LIMITS AND SAFETY NOTICE
There will be no official competition or weigh-ins Saturday. Normal tournament-day off-limits rules will apply. Beginning at 3:00 p.m. Saturday, no fishing or fish-locating activity is permitted until Sunday’s official First Cast.
Because of the forecasted conditions, we strongly recommend that anglers stay off the water for the entire day Saturday.
If your two-day registration included Saturday, your entry will automatically be updated to Friday and Sunday. No action is required.
Location
Guntersville Lake, Alabama
Guntersville Lake, Alabama
Weigh-in Site
Guntersville State Park, 24 State Campground Rd., Guntersville, AL 35976
The start time (first cast) will be 6:15 AM CST for all three days. You will receive a text to start fishing. If you don't receive a text and have an Android, please see the section below regarding Android phones.
GUARANTEED OVERALL GRAND PRIZE: $58,570
2026 NITRO® Z18 rigged with a Mercury® 150 L Pro XS® FourStroke
Minn Kota® Ultrex® QUEST™ 24V, 115-lb thrust, Bow Humminbird® XPLORE™ 9, Console Humminbird® XPLORE™ 9, 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.
Youth Division Total Payback: $600
1st: $300
2nd: $200
3rd: $100
Early Entry Prizes: $50,000
NEW - Revo® X VoltiQ™ Low Profile Reel - NEW Retail Value: $199.95
Click here to see the new Revo X VoltiQ reel
Early-entry prizes go to the first 250 two- or three-day online entrants. One-day and youth entries are ineligible 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, October 8th, from 4-6 pm at Guntersville State Park. You may also pick up prizes on any of the tournament days.
Minn Kota® Ultrex® QUEST™ 24V, 115-lb thrust, Bow Humminbird® XPLORE™ 9, Console Humminbird® XPLORE™ 9, 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.
Youth Division Total Payback: $600
1st: $300
2nd: $200
3rd: $100
Early Entry Prizes: $50,000
NEW - Revo® X VoltiQ™ Low Profile Reel - NEW Retail Value: $199.95
Click here to see the new Revo X VoltiQ reel
Early-entry prizes go to the first 250 two- or three-day online entrants. One-day and youth entries are ineligible 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, October 8th, from 4-6 pm at Guntersville State Park. You may also pick up prizes on any of the tournament days.
Revo® X VoltiQ™ Low Profile Reel Features:
- Electronic casting system
- 7 stainless steel ball bearings +1 roller bearing
- A-symmetrical body design
- EXD concept design
- C6 Carbon frame
- Carbon Matrix™ Drag System
- 90mm bowed aluminum handle with oversized knobs
- Duragear Gen II gear system
Event Registration
Registration for a three-day Event closes at 9:00 p.m. on the Thursday before the event begins. 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 at the designated time above during prize pickup hours. 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.
Text System
You may enter yourself in the text system for this event by texting the word "gerald" to 833-933-1717. We will enter your number in the system, but some carriers block this type of message, so entering it yourself will prevent the chance of being blocked. Also, if you have previously opted out of our system, you must re-opt in by texting the word start to 833-933-1717. 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
Because we host our tournaments at different times of year, we will notify everyone of the start time the week 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 regarding the start time. We will post the start-fishing time on this page and text 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
Registration for a three-day Event closes at 9:00 p.m. on the Thursday before the event begins. 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 at the designated time above during prize pickup hours. 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.
Text System
You may enter yourself in the text system for this event by texting the word "gerald" to 833-933-1717. We will enter your number in the system, but some carriers block this type of message, so entering it yourself will prevent the chance of being blocked. Also, if you have previously opted out of our system, you must re-opt in by texting the word start to 833-933-1717. 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
Because we host our tournaments at different times of year, we will notify everyone of the start time the week 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 regarding the start time. We will post the start-fishing time on this page and text 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
Hotel Information
Fish Size Limits
Largemouth - Smallmouth - 15" minimum
Spotted - No minimum length
Largemouth - Smallmouth - 15" minimum
Spotted - No minimum length
Participants under 18 years of age must be accompanied by a parent or adult with written parental permission. If the youth angler is fishing with a parent or relative, no consent is needed. (Written parental permission must be provided to Event staff before the start of the Event) Participants under 18 years of age may not fish alone during the Event.
Junior Division for 2026. 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.
