By MLF Communications Staff

The Bass Pro Tour is set to return to Alabama next week for the third stop on the 2022 season at Lewis Smith Lake in Cullman, Alabama.

The event, which runs today through Monday, marks the second time the BPT has competed on the venue. In 2019, Dean Rojas of Lake Havasu City, Arizona, rode the morning shad spawn in the Championship Round to put 30 fish on the ScoreTracker for 47 pounds to take home the trophy and top award of $100,000.

Cullman resident and BPT competitor Matt Lee said that after back-to-back mediocre events, he needs a “redemption tournament” and what better place to do it than right in his own backyard.

“I started the 2021 season with two terrible events that bit me in the long run, so this year I really wanted to make the Knockout Round in the early events,” said Lee. “I didn’t quite make the cut in the last two tournaments, but I finished close. I just can’t stumble any more.

"This next event on Smith Lake is a bit of added pressure because it’s my home body of water, so I know it well and should catch them there, but the group of guys we fish against are so good that it can be difficult to separate yourself.”

Lee said the first two events of the 2022 season were a tough bite for everyone on the tour, turning into more of a big-fish tournament than a numbers game. While he’s had opportunities, he just hasn’t quite made it happen.

“This tournament really all depends on the weather,” said Lee. “It could be a difficult time to catch fish on Smith Lake because the weather is still transitioning, but it looks like we’ll get some rain, which will make for better fishing.

“The fish aren’t all out deep or up in shallow water and guys can catch them both shallow and deep, which really spreads the fish out and makes it more challenging to figure out. I expect we will see a lot of different styles and techniques of fishing throughout the event.”

Lee said the lake being wide open makes the event even more complex for local anglers as well, because there isn’t really a “home-lake advantage”, and anglers can fish to their strengths.

“I expect we’ll see guys catching largemouth in stained water and spotted bass in clean water – fishing out deep in over 100 feet of water and up on the bank where bass are getting ready to spawn,” said Lee. “This is really going to be another tournament where anyone can come and fish in whatever manner they choose to.”

When asked about his weight predictions, Lee said it’s difficult to speculate weight on the Bass Pro Tour where every scorable fish counts because if the weather is right and an angler gets on the fish, that number can change drastically in a short amount of time. However, Lee estimates it will take an average of 33 pounds per day to make it into the Top 10 and at least 50 pounds to win the Championship Round.

“Cullman competes with anywhere else, as far as fishing fans go, and the fisheries in the area – including Smith Lake and the Tennessee River – are nationally known fishing destinations,” said Lee. “I graduated from Cullman High School, so being from that community and watching Smith Lake grow into more and more of the tournament scene and hosting professional events is awesome.

“I don’t think anyone who comes to Cullman or Smith Lake has a bad thing to say about the area, the community or the fishery. It’s a great place to call home and when you add the fishing component, that makes it really special.”

Anglers will launch each day at 7:30 a.m. from the Smith Lake State Park, located at 403 County Road 386 in Çullman. Takeouts will be held at the park beginning at 4:30 p.m. Fans are welcome to attend all launch and takeout events and also encouraged to follow the event online throughout the day on the MLF NOW! livestream and ScoreTracker coverage at MajorLeagueFishing.com.

The tournament will feature anglers competing with a 1-pound, 8-ounce minimum weight requirement for a bass to be deemed scorable. Minimum weights are determined individually for each competition waters that the Bass Pro Tour visits, based on the productivity, bass population and anticipated average size of fish in each fishery.

The 40 Anglers in Group A compete in their two-day Qualifying Round on Wednesday and Friday, with the 40 anglers in Group B on on the water Thursday and Saturday. After each two-day Qualifying Round is complete, the anglers who finish in 2nd through 20th place from both groups advance to Sunday’s Knockout Round, while the winner of each group advances directly to Monday’s Championship Round. In the Knockout Round, weights are zeroed, and the remaining 38 anglers compete to finish in the Top 8 to advance to the Championship Round. In the final--day Championship Round, weights are again zeroed and the highest one-day total wins the top prize of $100,000.

The MLF NOW! broadcast team of Chad McKee, Marty Stone and J.T. Kenney will break down the extended action on all six days of competition from 7:45 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. CT. MLF NOW! will be livestreamed on MajorLeagueFishing.com and the MyOutdoorTV (MOTV) app.