Alabama Bass Trail Tournament Series

Decatur, Ala. – The Alabama Bass Trail is excited to announce the launch of a new tournament series
beginning February, 2014. The 10 lake team-style tournament series will be held on ten of the lakes of
the Alabama Bass Trail with the championship tournament taking place on the 11th lake. Attracting
amateur anglers from across the southeastern United States, each tournament is expected to generate an
approximate $500,000 economic impact for host cities.

“Alabama is a great state for fishing,” Governor Robert Bentley said. “We have professional
tournaments here on a regular basis. The goal of this amateur tournament is simple. We want to
encourage more people to fish where the pros fish. The Alabama Bass Trail was established to help us
share our lakes and rivers with more people. When more people come to our lakes and rivers that
increases tourism. And when tourism increases, that benefits our local and state economies.”

Sanctioned by BASS (Bass Anglers Sportsman Society), the Alabama Bass Trail Tournament Series
gets underway February 1, 2014. The tournament trail will feature two divisions: Northern and
Southern. Each division is made up of five tournaments on five different lakes. Each tournament will
have a $10,000 guaranteed first place prize and will pay 20 places. Maximum number of boats is 200.

Northern Division:
Lake Guntersville February 1, 2014 hosted by Marshall County CVB
Pickwick Lake March 22, 2014 hosted by Florence-Lauderdale Tourism
Neely Henry Lake April 5, 2014 hosted by City of Gadsden Parks & Recreation
Wheeler Lake May 31, 2014 hosted by Decatur-Morgan County CVBLogan Martin Lake June 21, 2014

Southern Division:
Mobile-Tensaw Delta March 1, 2014 hosted by North Baldwin Chamber of Commerce
Lake Eufaula March 15, 2014 hosted by Eufaula-Barbour County Chamber of Commerce
Lake Jordan April 19, 2014 hosted by Wetumpka Chamber of Commerce
Millers Ferry May 10, 2014 hosted by Wilcox County Chamber and the City of Monroeville
Lay Lake June 7 hosted by Shelby County Commission

The championship is a 125 boat, two-day event. The 125 boats are comprised of the top 50 teams
inpoints from both divisions that fished all five events in their respective divisions along with the top
25 student boats collectively from both divisions that fished all five events in their respective division.

Hosted by Chamber of Commerce of Walker County, the championship tournament is set for October
10-11, 2014 on Lewis Smith Lake.

The championship is a no entry tournament and the first place prize is a fully-rigged 2015 Phoenix 619
Pro with a Mercury 150, trolling motor and electronics valued at $37,495 with an additional
$40,000 in cash and prizes. Phoenix Bass boats will also offer the tier one First Flight incentive plan
to tournament winners in a qualifying Phoenix boat.

“The Alabama Bass Trail is excited to announce this new tournament for amateur anglers. Since the
launch of the Alabama Bass Trail in 2012, we have received numerous requests for the development of
a tournament series. We are challenged with creating more fishing opportunities in the state of
Alabama, and we believe this gives anglers in the southeast an opportunity to fish a highly competitive
trail on the best lakes in Alabama,” said Alabama Bass Trail Program Director Kay Donaldson.

A few select tournaments including the February 1 launch tournament will be filmed and aired at a
later broadcast on Anglers Channel reaching a viewership of over 10 million households.

“We are all grateful for Governor Bentley’s vision and will work together to make the Tournament
Series a success,” said Lee Sentell, director of the Alabama Tourism Department. Just two years ago,
Sentell, Governor Bentley, and the staff of the Alabama Mountain Lakes Tourist Association began
laying the groundwork for the Alabama Bass Trail. After its launch in the spring of 2012, its popularity
quickly grew and Donaldson look for another opportunity to reach out to anglers.

Alabama Bass Trail Tournament sponsors include Bill Penney Toyota, the Alabama Tourism
Department, Phoenix Bass Boats, Inc., McDonalds of Alabama, and Pradco-FISHING representing
BOOYAH and YUM, Dobyns Rods, Randy Jones Agency – Nationwide, T & H Marine Supplies, Inc.,
Alabama Power Company, Buffalo Rock, Inc., Jet-Pep, Inc., Tennessee Valley Authority, Rigid
Industries, Inc., and Frogg Toggs, Inc., Go Pro and Gander Mountain. Fishlife will be the official
tournament directors and Elite Outdoors Media will be the live-streaming company.

Registration will be available online beginning at noon on September 30th at
www.alabamabasstrail.org. Entry fee per tournament is $250 per team or from September 30-October
30 2013, teams can register for all five tournaments for $1150.

According to Donaldson, each tournament is expected to pump an estimated $500,000 into the local
economy of the host city. “Anglers typically pre-fish, or scout a location, three or four days prior to a
tournament, and during this time, they patronize restaurants, gas stations, and tackle shops. During a
tournament, approximately $300 is spent each day on accommodations, gasoline, food and other
supplies,” stated Donaldson.

For more information, call Donaldson at 855.934.7425 or visit www.alabamabasstrail.org.
About Alabama Bass Trail

The Alabama Bass Trail is a program of the Alabama Mountain Lakes Tourist Association. Its mission
is to promote Alabama as a year round fishing destination, to preserve natural resources for generations
to come, and to educate high school and college aged students to be good stewards of natural
resources. The 11 bass fishing lakes consist of Lake Guntersville, Wheeler Lake, Pickwick Lake,
Lewis Smith Lake, Neely Henry Lake, Lay Lake, Logan Martin Lake, Lake Jordan, Alabama River
(Millers Ferry), Lake Eufaula, and the Mobile-Tensaw River Delta. For more information, visit
www.alabamabasstrail.org.