ABT Tournament draws 100 boats of anglers ‘fishing for the money’

ABT Tournament Trail Director Kay Donaldson said even though there are some points given for the ABT standings during this three-tournament series, this is one where pro and amateur anglers are all fishing for the money.  

The ABT 100 Alabama Bass Trail tournament June 3 was limited to 100 boats, but there is a huge payout. 

“It’s a $3,000 entry fee over the three tournaments, but we pay out over $300,000,” Donaldson said.“And that’s kind of the great part about it. It’sa limited field. It’s a higher entree fee but a much higher payback than a normal Alabama Bass Trail Tournament.”  

“The tournament was great,” Donaldson said. “Bridgeport Landing is such a fine facility, and the City of Camden rolled out the red carpet for us. You couldn’t have asked for better hospitality, and our guys thought the same thing.” 

The only problem during the tournament was unstable water. “If I had a gripe -- and it happens every time we come to the Alabama River, I don’t care if it’s Cooter’s Pond or Miller’s Ferry -- they drop the water every time we’re there,” she said. Donaldson said the water was dropped two feet Thursday. Then she said it would rise a few inches, then drop again.  

She credits the unstable water for low bag weights. “We were expecting a 21-pound bag to win, and it took just over 15 pounds. Tournaments leading up to this one were getting 18- and 20-pound bags. Unstable water makes the fish really finicky.”  

With all of the positive praise for the facility and the town, Donaldson explained why Miller’s Ferry are not a regular stop on the ABT Tournament Series. “Housing really limits us there,” Donaldson said. “Not having enough rooms.” She said this time there seemed to be more available, but with a normal tournament there will be 225 boats, most with two or more people.  

Limited cell service is another problem. “Our live coverage was good, but there were a lot of areas where we could not go because of the limited cell service,” she said. She noted that there is a new Verizon tower in the area, but for some reason it has not been put into use. 

Here are the top five teams; 

1. Jason Kilpatrick of Valley and Keenan Connell of Chatomwith a bag weight of 15.42 pounds and winnings of $25,000. 

2. Jeff Richey of Pell City and Charlie Cummings of Leeds with 15.24 pounds and winnings of $12,500. 

3. C.J. Knight from Sylacauga and Mitchell Jennings of Valley weighing in 14.51 pounds and taking home $10,000 for the effort. 

4. Brian Stiffler of Pelham and Westley Gore of Clanton with a 14.10-pound bag and a $9,000 purse. 

5. Ben Williamson of Wedowee and Bo Williamson of Bowdon, Ga. with a 14.07-pound bag good for $7,500. 

You can get the complete rundown and more information about the ABT 100 at www.alabamabasstrail100.org/alabama-river-millers-ferry-results . And if you need more information about the Alabama Bass Trail, go www.alabamabasstrail.org.