2026 Year in Review (AOY)
Upcoming
09/11-12/26 Lake Gaston Classic
Upcoming
08/25/26 Neuse River 2026 Event #5
Parker Mills & Brian Bell take the cake at the final regular season event on the Neuse, besting the 40 boat field with a winning stringer of 16.96lbs. Low water and sweltering heat left the anglers maneuvering the entire river to find a limit on what ended up as a super tough bite. Many team reported crowded honey holes and limited bites. The tough bite drove tight weights at the scales, with most of the top finishers within a pound of one another, ultimately taking 13.13 to get paid. Lucas Thore and Hunter Wood found the elusive kicker bite on this day with a 6.09 Big Fish. The tough conditions tightened up the weights making a quality bite a major differentiator. This made for an tighter points race for those teams battling out across the top 10 for those Team Bassmaster qualification spots! Stay tuned for the upcoming classic on Lake Gaston in September!!!
07/25/26 Neuse River OPEN Event
Hunter Wood & Lucas Thore take the top spot in the 2026 OPEN event on the Neuse River. The duo weighed in an impressive 22.60lb limit, strong record weights for the river in July. The story of the day was the have and have not's, with four strong limits weighed in at the top and dropping fast from there. Heavy rains throughout the week leading up to the event left anglers scrambling to find good water - the champs made the best of the morning bite window capturing most of their weight before the rain set in during the event. Most anglers reported catching a fair amount of fish but the big girls were harder to come by on this wet day. Strong weights are a good sign of things to come as we look to wrap the points race on the river upcoming in August!!
06/06/26 Roanoke River 2026 Event #4
JT Denton and Brock Rouse come out on top on the Roanoke, besting the 52 boat field with a limit weighing 20.73 pounds. Teams enjoyed beautiful weather, soft SW breeze throughout the day with temps pushing into the 90's by weigh in. Sunny skies and the light winds had the fish chewing in the Roanoke early. Most teams reported catching heavy numbers before 10 with top finishers finding those kicker bites in the main river. Despite the low water levels the bite was strong and the heat had the fish positioned in the limited current you could find. The final tally had the top four teams within less than a pound and it taking over 16 to break into the top 10. The points race is shaping up to be a nailbiter for those vying for the Bassmaster Team Championship!
05/02/26 Lake Gaston 2025 Event #3
Ryan Harrell takes the top spot at Lake Gaston, besting the 45-boat field with a limit weighing 19.46 pounds. Teams were faced with cold front conditions, but the rain held off for the day making for suitable conditions for big bites. Overcast skies hampered the spawn bite but paired with light winds teams were able to find some healthy females in all stages of the spawn. While the largemouth bags dominated the check positions, there were some impressive spotted bass weighed in, with some topping 5lbs each. Threatening rain kept the local traffic to a minimum and many anglers reported having not other anglers around them all day. The trial injected a new element with the loyalty incentives and teams reported appreciation for the additional benefit. Points race is heating up as we turn to the back half of the season.
4/11/26 Tar River 2026 Event #2
Wilson Johnson & Elwood Hackney take the top spot on the Tar-Pamlico Rivers with a 17.85 pound limit. The family duo worked hard to understand the bite and maximize a key stretch for kicker bites throughout the day. Most teams reported catching numbers of fish but it was those with the kicker bites that landed in the check line. Beautiful weather greeted the anglers, partly cloudy skies paired with soft NW winds opened the playing field up for all on this day. 33 limits were recorded out of the 45 boat field indicating a strong bite despite the busy waterway on such a beautiful Saturday. Water temps were reported in the low 60's for most competing teams.
03/21/26 Neuse River 2026 Event #1
Lance Murray and Justin Everett took the home the gold at the first Prime Time Tournament of the season held on the Neuse/Trent Rivers. Anglers enjoyed average 60 degree water temps paired with beautiful spring weather, light winds and sunny skies. Spring rains just prior to the event impacted the Neuse while super low water conditions left anglers chasing fish that pulled off the bank. Most anglers reported catching a fair amount of fish with bycatch numbers up from both striped bass and trout. While a bed could be found here and there most reports were heavy pre-spawn condition. A total of 34 limits were weighed from the 57 boat field, with an average of 2.31lbs per fish on the day.
2025 Year in Review (AOY)
The inaugural season of the Prime Time Tournament Trail was respectable having averaged 42 boats across 5 qualifying events and registering over 140 unique memberships. Qualifying events each registered guaranteed payouts with top prize of $1,000. The year end two-day classic event regis tered a payout over $7,000 with the winners taking $3,000 accompanied with some serious hardware. Strong payouts when paired with an $80 entry. The tournament committee generated a member survey to review the 2025 season in anticipation of enhancements as we work to formulate the 2026 season. We appreciate your input and look forward to expanding in the coming year.
8/22-23/25 Neuse River 2025 Classic
Jesse Grady & Billy Padrick win the first Prime Time Tournament Trail Classic. The duo came out strong on Day 1 with a 19.56 limit and a stud of a big fish @ 6.71lbs. With a commanding 5lb lead, the boys closed it out on Day 2 being the only competitors to top 30lbs for the event. This event came down to strategy given the wild and unusual conditions presented on the river systems. The boys took home $3,000 and trophies that would require ratchet straps to transport!!! Balance of the field was made up of several family and father/son teams - exactly what this trail is designed around. Thanks to the entire membership base for the support across 2025, the party is just getting started.
8/9/25 Neuse River 2025 Event #5
Team Killinger takes the gold on the Neuse! Ryan and Dickie Killinger weigh a strong 18.20# limit to take 1st place at the fifth stop of the Prime Time Tournament Trail. The father son duo put their decades of experience on the river to work in adverse conditions. Heavy summer showers the week prior, paired with several days of stiff NE winds made for interesting conditions across the fishery, mostly high water and challenging clarity. Most teams reported a strong bite when the clouds rolled in, followed by a swift halt around late morning. With 31 teams recording 5 fish limits and 12 bass over 5 pounds each brought across the scales it's clear the Neuse/Trent rivers put out both numbers and quality.
7/26/25 Roanoke River 2025 Event #4
Adam Baldwin & Eric Roberson burn down the field at the Roanoke, claiming 1st place at the fourth stop of the Prime Time Tournament Trail. They led the 52 boat field on the scorcher of a day in July with an 18lb sack. The day gave clear skies and extreme temperatures, paired with very little wind, making for calm conditions. With rising water local on the Roanoke many teams chose to catch some wind by burning gas. Several teams reported a slow bite with mixed quality. Some teams found a good kicker and rode it into the money line. With an average fish weight of 2.74# in the heat of the summer it validates that the Albemarle is one of the states top fisheries, even when conditions are tough.
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6/28/25 Neuse River 2025 Event #3
Ronald Jones & Zach Wallace finish on top of the third stop of the Prime Time Tournament, leading the 47 boat field on the Neuse in June with a 17lb sack. The majority of the field remained local to the area given the intense heat and favorable water levels in the Neuse as the river was dropping significantly throughout the week prior. Summer thunderstorms would hamper parts of the waterway during the event but many teams managed to find the bite. A total of 35 limits were brought to the scales of the 47 boat field. This catch rate rivals the rate produced at last event, and with average fish weight of 2.26# it reinforces the health of the Eastern NC river systems today.
4/26/25 Tar River 2025 Event #2
Travis Mewborn & Jason Pittman took the home the gold at the second Prime Time Tournament of the season held on the Tar/Pamlico Rivers. Stiff SW winds 10-20mph didn't scare the duo from burnin' gas to a first place finish. Majority of the field reported a strong early bite driven by the water pulling out of the river from both tide and wind. With water temps averaging low 70's from most, fish were found in all stages of the spawn with the bulk being post-spawn fry gaurders. A total of 27 limits were weighed from the 32 boat field. With that kind of catch rate, paired with an aveage of 2.4lbs per fish it is clear that the Tar/Pamlico basin is in good health in terms of population and size.
3/22/25 Neuse River 2025 Event #1
Austin King & Cody Aman take the inaugural Prime Time Tournament riding two big bites to the top of the 48 boat field!!! Heavy rains coming into the event pushed the Neuse water levels up river high and out of the banks; and stiff SW winds on the day made for super low water levels in the Trent. Despite the conditions many teams found the numbers, with 32 limits weighed of the 48 teams competing. Anglers landing in the check line were able to find the elusive quality bite(s) on a tough pre-spawn bite by making critical game-day decisions on location. Great start to the 2025 season and buildout for this years Classic Prize!