Welcome to the 2026 season of the Kentucky Bass Federation!
Not counting the 4 fall division tournaments of the South Central Division on Lake Cumberland that have already been completed, we have 24 additional tournaments in 6 different divisions for 2026. The divisions range from the Ohio River valley to the lakes in southern, central, and eastern Kentucky. No matter where you are, if you are near a Kentucky body of water there should be a tournament close to home. New in 2025 and continuing in 2026, 70% of the tournament entries at each qualifier are paid back to anglers at the ramp the day of the qualifier, increasing the payout to the anglers at each event while maintaining additional fees to pay out at the State Championship tournament at the end of the year.
Anglers and Co-anglers in the state division tournaments compete for a number of prizes and advancement opportunities. Each division crowns an Angler and Co-angler of the Year after the four division tournaments have been completed and each division AOY goes directly to the Kentucky State Championship Tournament (assuming four total tournaments fished) and also qualifies for the TBF National Semi-Final. Additionally, all anglers that fish a minimum of 4 tournaments from any of the 6 divisions qualify for the Kentucky State Championship Tournament. Angler and Co-angler of the year points are calculated using the best 4 tournament finishes from any number of the 28 total tournaments available. These points are carried into the State Championship tournament where an overall statewide Angler and Co-Angler of the year are crowned.
At the State Championship Tournament, all in attendance are fishing for the right to go directly to the TBF National Semi-Final tournament and the TBF National Championship by winning either the Angler or Co-angler side of the tournament. The division AOY winners are also competing with the next 10 highest overall AOY points leaders for the overall statewide AOY crowns. Those winners are determined by the best 4 AOY points totals entering the tournament plus the points earned on Day 1 of the championship and Day 2 of the championship added together (Day 2 determined by the points earned by place finished on Day 2, not the overall tournament finish). In 2025, the KBF paid $2,200 to the State Champion boater and $2,000 to the overall statewide Angler of the Year.
Finally, the KBF sends a percentage of all entries in the division tournaments plus the State Championship to the TBF National Semi-Final tournament each year. In addition to the State Champion Angler and Co-angler winners and the Division AOYs, the remaining spots are determined by final statewide AOY standings including the best 4 division tournaments plus the State Championship points. Anglers and Co-anglers fishing the National Semi-Final are competing for additional prizes and money and vying to compete in the TBF National Championship.
-BDS
