Tournament Director- Blake Jackson 618-201-5280
This is the High School Series where anglers enrolled in school as of January 1st, 2025 in the grades of 7th-12th grade will be able to compete in these events. This will be a team event with a boat captain 18 years of age or older operating the boat during the day. We will be hosting 10+ Events in 8+ States. All High School Events will be a FREE ENTRY FEE to all teams that would like to participate with a current ABT Membership. ABT High School Series will also be launching our “State School of the Year Race” where details on this can be found below.
Looking to Sign up your school or club? Click Here for the 2025 Coaches Packet — 2025 Coaches Packet
High School Series Event Awards
Each High School Series Event will be the State Championship for that state the event is taking place in and will consist of a minimum of $3,000.00 in prizes, gift cards, awards and scholarships with hopes of increasing this as sponsor support continues to grow. The High School Series will also be hosting a FREE ENTRY FEE High School Series Classic that will have a guaranteed minimum of over $40,000.00 in prizes, gift cards, awards and scholarships with hopes of increasing this as sponsor support continues to grow.
2025 High School Series Schedule
Coming Soon: We will be hosting 10+ Events across the country in 2025 in 8+ different states. Once these dates and locations are finalized, we will update accordingly. If you would like to give your suggestion on certain lakes, you would like to see a High School Series Event to be held on, please contact us and we will see if we can make that happen.
High School Series Details
Each ABT High School State Championship event will have a rules and registration meeting the day before the event with the information on times and locations being found on the tournament information page for each event. During this registration meeting anglers will be responsible for bringing/ signing all liability and release form. All anglers and boat captains will be served lunch/ dinner during this meeting along with door prizes for anglers participating in the event. Each team on tournament morning will receive food and drinks courtesy of our great sponsors the morning of the event as they check in that morning. Each event will close with an awards ceremony as we will distribute prizes for the top finishers, random draw prizes and medals/plaques for participants.
High School Series State School of the Year Race
ABT is excited to launch a Brand-new School Team of the Year title for each state. This race will be for the entire School/Club that each angler is affiliated with. The State School of the Year Race will consist of 4 Events that take place from January 1st, 2025, through July 1st, 2025, that are approved high school tournaments through American Bass Trail. Each school/club will have to be registered as a School Team of the Year contestant before their first event that school/club fishes in to count for points in this race with all participating members on that school/ club must be a current ABT member. Every approved high school event will be listed on each states High School Series page here on our website. Each State will have a $2,000.00 award in cash/prizes for the School of the Year winnings that will be given to the school/club. The top five schools/ clubs will then be competing for the National School of the Year Title at the Classic event against all of the other states top five schools/ clubs. All of these teams will be on a level playing field with the top placing two teams from these schools being counted together from the Classic event to become the National School of the Year for an additional $3,000.00 in cash/prizes.
What are the ABT Approved High School Events? These are events that anyone may submit to ABT for approval of event to be counted for the School of the Year Race (Ex. School sanctioned events, state trail events. etc). These events must be open to every school and approved/posted on ABT Website 14 days prior the start of the event. These events must then file an official copy of the results of this event to ABT with angler’s name, weight & school.
What is the ABT School of the Year Race points system? The points system will be place of finish in the event 1st-100 points 2nd- 99 points 3rd-98 points etc. PLUS, overall weight in the event for each team PLUS number of boats in the event. EXAMPLE: Team A finishes in first place with 12.24 lbs. with 27 boats in the event Team A would receive 100+ 12.24+ 27 = 139.24 Points. Each event will only count for your schools/ club top finishing team. The ABT State Championship event will count your top 2 teams.
What is the ABT School of the Year Race dropping of events? All approved events will be counted for points in the School of the Year Race but will only count your Schools/ Club Top FOUR events in points. Your school/club will be able to fish more than four events but your lowest events in points will be dropped.
High School Series Classic Details
The 2025 High School Series Classic will take place in July 2025 and will offer a $40,000.00 prize purse in the form of prizes, gift cards, awards and scholarships. Teams will be able to qualify for this event in multiple ways listed below.
- Finish in the top 30 of any ABT State Championship. (Anglers will be allowed to fish in any state championship event no matter if they are from that state or not)
- Your school/ club finishes inside the top 5 of your state team of the year race your entire school/club will be able to attend.
- Your school/ club has 10+ members or entire school/club team is members of American Bass Trail your school/club will be awarded 2 team positions automatically.
ABT High School Series KickBack Program
ABT is excited to announce the new KickBack Program with its High School Series. This program will be for any school/club affiliated with American Bass Trail High School Series that its entire team or 10+ members of that team are current/active members.
How to Enroll your School/ Club in the ABT KickBack Program?
- Your School Coach/ Club President will enroll your School/ Club with Blake Jackson (618-201-5280 – blake@americanfishingtournaments.net). Blake will supply your School Coach/ Club President with documents including your anglers’ names, ages and school/ club information. Once approved and all documents have been approved you school/ club will be listed under the approved Illinois ABT School of the Year Race Schools/ Clubs. Once approved your school/ club will be updated on the American Bass Trail Membership KickBack Option as well.
What Does Your School/ Club receive in the ABT KickBack Program?
- Every 2025 American Bass Trail event under the entire organization requires a current $50.00 membership to fish. With that being said in 2025 we have added where $10.00 (20%) of that membership amount will be donated to the School/ Club that each member selects will they are registering (This includes High School Anglers) The only schools/ clubs who will be available for this KickBack are the approved School of the Year Race schools/ clubs. We are on pace to have over 2,500 members in 2025 and will award all of this KickBack Program Money at the ABT High School Series Classic to the school coach/ club presidents in the form of a check.
