BASS announced Monday that the organization will head to Alabama, the state where it was founded more than 40 years ago, in 2011 for the Bassmaster Elite Series Postseason, the third consecutive year the Toyota Tundra Bassmaster Angler of the Year will be awarded in the River Region.

The Postseason is set for July 23-30 and will again be played out on two productive Alabama fisheries, with the first leg, the Trophy Chase, set for Lake Jordan out of Wetumpka and the finale, the Trophy Triumph, slated for the Alabama River from Montgomery. 

Rich with BASS history, Alabama has hosted 11 Bassmaster Classics and will also host two Elite Series regular-season events in 2011: The Alabama Charge (Pickwick Lake, April 6-9, Florence) and the Dixie Duel (Wheeler Lake; June 16-19; Decatur).  Later this week, the 2010 Bassmaster Elite Series will end and the 2010 AOY will be crowned in downtown Montgomery, the city where BASS was founded in 1968 and headquartered for more than 35 years. 

“The growth of the Postseason wouldn’t have been possible without the Montgomery River Region,” said Tom Ricks, vice president and general manager, BASS.  “Their ability to activate and provide ancillary entertainment options for fans around the Postseason has been truly impressive and we are confident that we can continue to build on this event.”

The schedule will follow the Postseason format with two practice days on each fishery followed by two competition days.  Entertainment surrounding the Postseason will be announced at a later date.

The top 12 anglers in the Toyota Tundra Bassmaster Angler of the Year points at the end of the Bassmaster Elite Series regular season will qualify for 2011 Toyota Trucks Championship Week. The regular season concludes with the June 16-19 Dixie Duel out on Wheeler. 

BASS introduced the Postseason format in 2009 to increase the focus on one of the most prestigious awards in the sport: the Toyota Tundra Bassmaster Angler of the Year. The inaugural postseason delivered on excitement and a down-to-the-wire finish, as Kevin VanDam of Kalamazoo, Mich., and Skeet Reese of Auburn, Calif., the 2007 AOY, competed fiercely for the title with VanDam taking his fifth AOY title.

BASS will match the prestige of the postseason with an ambitious multimedia schedule. As part of daily, live updates on Bassmaster.com, the popular webcast Hooked Up will host on-the-water coverage from practice and competition days, coupled with live post-competition interviews.

Postseason scores are calculated by taking the regular-season AOY points for each qualifying angler, moving the decimal one place to the left, and rounding to the nearest tenth. Additionally, each angler receives two bonus points for each regular-season win. For the two postseason events, anglers will be scored on a 50-point sliding scale. Full details can be found at Bassmaster.com.

For more information, contact BASS Communications at (407) 566-2208.

Bassmaster Elite Series Official Sponsors: Toyota, Berkley, Evan Williams Bourbon,

Humminbird, Mercury, Minn Kota, Skeeter and Yamaha

Bassmaster Elite Series Supporting Sponsors: Lowrance, Triton Boats, Nitro Boats, Bass Pro Shops, Ramada and Power-Pole. 

Local Sponsors: The City of Wetumpka, The City of Montgomery, Riverfront Facilities and the Montgomery Area Chamber of Commerce and Convention & Visitors Bureau.

TOYOTA TRUCKS CHAMPIONSHIP WEEK

July 23-24              Trophy Chase                                                       Lake Jordan                          Wetumpka, Ala.

July 29-30              Trophy Triumph                                                   Alabama River                       Montgomery, Ala

About BASS

For more than 40 years, BASS has served as the authority on bass fishing.  The organization advances the sport through advocacy, outreach and its expansive tournament structure while championing efforts to connect directly with the passionate community of bass anglers through its Bassmaster media vehicles.

The Bassmaster brand and its considerable multimedia platforms are guided by a mission to serve all fishing fans. Through its industry-leading publications Bassmaster Magazine, BASS Times and Fishing Tackle Retailer; comprehensive Web properties in Bassmaster.com, BASSInsider.com, and ESPN3.com, and ESPN2 television programming, Bassmaster provides rich, leading-edge content true to the lifestyle.

BASS oversees the prestigious Bassmaster Tournament Trail, which includes the Bassmaster Elite Series, Bassmaster Opens, BASS Federation Nation and the ultimate celebration of competitive fishing, the Bassmaster Classic.

BASS offers an array of services to its more than 500,000 members while spearheading progressive, positive change on issues related to conservation and water access. The organization is headquartered in Celebration, Fla.