The 2022 Bassmaster Elite Series season is right around the corner, which means it’s time for a new season of Rapala Bassmaster Fantasy Fishing and Mercury Bassmaster Drain the Lake Challenge. Beginning today, you can head over to bassmasterfantasy.com and set your roster for the first Bassmaster Elite Series event at the St. Johns River to be held February 10-13.
“We’re launching early this year because there is so much fan interest,” said B.A.S.S. Digital VP Jim Sexton. “We wanted to give players more time to set their teams. The 2022 games have more prizes and there will be enhancements to the game coming next year.”
One of the biggest changes in Rapala Fantasy Fishing is a new addition to the Grand Prize Winner package. The 2022 Rapala Bassmaster Fantasy Fishing Grand Prize Winner will receive a trip to a to-be-determined location in South Carolina to fish with former Bassmaster Classic champion and current Bassmaster LIVE host Davy Hite. The trip will include round-trip, coach-class airfare (up to $500 in value), two nights hotel accommodations (up to $400 in value), one day of fishing with Davy Hite and $150 spending money.
“Fantasy Fishing has really been great for our sport,” said Hite. “It gives the fans of our sport an opportunity to engage and be a part of every single event.
“As much fun as Fantasy Fishing is, it’s also very difficult which is why the winner deserves a good prize. I’m really glad that I get to be a part of the prize pack.”
The Davy Hite fishing trip will cap off a prize package that also includes a $15,000 Bass Pro Shops gift card, $5,000 cash and a Rapala package that includes a Rapala hat, T-shirt and lures. Also, if the Grand Prize winner is a B.A.S.S. Member as of 6:00 AM ET on August 26th, 2022, he/she will receive an additional $500 Bass Pro Shop gift card. The total value of the Grand Prize is set at a minimum of $21,150 and a maximum of $21,650. Did I mention that it’s free to play?
While the grand prize for Fantasy Fishing is outstanding, players still have an opportunity to win prizes for each event. Individual tournament winners receive a $2,500 Bass Pro Shop gift card, $1,000 cash and a Rapala prize package that includes a wide variety of products. Also, if the individual tournament winner is a B.A.S.S. Member, he/she will be rewarded an additional $500 Bass Pro Shops gift card. The minimum value is set at $4,000 while the maximum can be $4,500, so even if you forget to set your lineup for an event or have a bad event, there’s still a chance to win in other events!
For more information about the prizes and rules for Rapala Bassmaster Fantasy Fishing, click here.
The Buckets
The 2022 Bassmaster Elite Series field consists of 94 anglers, including 13 new anglers who qualified via the 2021 Bassmaster Opens as well as the B.A.S.S. Nation champion. Below is how the Fantasy Fishing Buckets will lay out to start the 2022 season.
BUCKET A
- Seth Feider
- Chris Johnston
- Brandon Palaniuk
- Patrick Walters
- Cory Johnston
- Lee Livesay
- Caleb Sumrall
- Greg Hackney
- Brandon Cobb
- Drew Cook
- Jason Christie
- Austin Felix
- Wes Logan
- Brock Mosley
- Shane LeHew
- Taku Ito
- Brandon Lester
- Michael Iaconelli
- Hank Cherry Jr.
BUCKET B
- Jacob Powroznik
- Gerald Swindle
- Luke Palmer
- John Crews
- Kyle Welcher
- Jeff Gustafson
- Brandon Card
- Buddy Gross
- Hunter Shryock
- Joshua Stracner
- Matt Herren
- Steve Kennedy
- Drew Benton
- Chad Pipkens
- Bryan Schmitt
- Justin Hamner
- KJ Queen
- David Williams
- Joseph Webster
BUCKET C
- Bryan New
- David Mullins
- Marc Frazier
- Matt Robertson
- Stetson Blaylock
- Chris Zaldain
- Matt Arey
- Scott Martin
- Ray Hanselman Jr.
- Tyler Rivet
- John Cox
- Caleb Kuphall
- Keith Combs
- Scott Canterbury
- Clark Wendlandt
- Carl Jocumsen
- Josh Douglas
- Cody Huff
- Jonathan Kelley
BUCKET D
- Derek Hudnall
- Koby Kreiger
- Bill Lowen
- Bob Downey
- Pat Schlapper
- Chad Morgenthaler
- Mark Menendez
- Greg DiPalma
- Jake Whitaker
- Micah Frazier
- Ed Loughran III
- Skylar Hamilton
- Brad Whatley
- Cliff Prince
- Todd Auten
- Clifford Pirch
- Masayuki Matsushita
- Daisuke Aoki
- Jacob Foutz
BUCKET E
- Justin Atkins
- Kenta Kimura
- Jamie Hartman
- Jay Yelas
- Frank Talley
- Darold Gleason
- Bernie Schultz
- Mike Huff
- Paul Mueller
- Clent Davis
- David Fritts
- Rick Clunn
- Gary Clouse
- Jesse Tacoronte
- Jay Przekurat
- Alex Redwine
- Matty Wong
Mercury Bassmaster Drain the Lake Challenge
The 2022 Bassmaster Elite Series season will serve as the first full season fans can play Mercury Bassmaster Drain the Lake Challenge. If you missed out on playing Drain the Lake (DTL) in 2021, be sure to set your DTL rosters in addition to traditional Rapala Bassmaster Fantasy Fishing.
Drain the Lake is considered an elimination pool game. For the first event, you can select any eight anglers in the entire Bassmaster Elite Series field that you think will succeed in that particular event. The catch is that after you select an angler for an event, you will no longer be able to select him again for the rest of the season. The Drain the Lake format requires an entirely new strategy. As you select your team for each event, you’ll have to think ahead to the upcoming events and make sure the anglers on your team are not better suited to be picked for upcoming events.
The Grand Prize winner for Drain the Lake will win a trip to fish with Bassmaster LIVE Host Mark Zona in a to-be-determined location in Michigan that includes round-trip coach-class airfare (up to $500 in value), two nights hotel accommodations (up to a $400 value), one day fishing with Mark Zona and $150 spending money. Also, if the Grand Prize winner is a B.A.S.S. Member as of 6:00 AM ET on August 26th, 2022, he/she will receive an additional $500 Bass Pro Shop gift card. The total ARV of Grand Prize is set at a minimum of $1,050 and a maximum of $1,550. The winner of each individual tournament will also receive a prize package from Mercury that includes a $200 Mercury gift card, as well as an additional $500 Bass Pro Shops gift card if he/she is a B.A.S.S. Member.
To learn more about the Mercury Bassmaster Drain the Lake rules and prizes, click here.
Sign up today and set your rosters for the upcoming Bassmaster Elite Series season!
