The maximum field for next year's BASSFest tournament at Kentucky Lake will be 144 anglers and Elite Series anglers will earn points toward the Angler of the Year standings.
Those were two of the changes included in literature B.A.S.S. recently circulated to Elite Series anglers regarding the 2015 season.
The top 10 non-Elite Series anglers from each Opens division (2014 standings) will be eligible to participate in BASSFest, scheduled for June 3-7, 2015 at Paris, Tenn. Entry fee for an Opens angler will be $6,000.
The highest-finishing Elite Series angler in the 5-day event will earn 100 points with the second Elite Series angler earning 99 and so on. In 2014, each Elite Series angler received 100 points, meaning BASSFest had no bearing on the AOY race.
The format for BASSFest is unchanged from this year's event at Lake Chickamauga. The full field will fish the first two days at Kentucky Lake. The top 50 after 2 days will get a day off while the balance of the field will compete at Barkley Lake on day 3. The top 10 from Barkley Lake will join the top 50 on day 4 back at Kentucky Lake with the top 12 advancing to the final day. Weights from Barkley Lake will not factor into cumulative weights.
