CHATTANOOGA, Tenn. — After the tremendous success of their Bill Dance Giant Bass Open tournament series in Tennessee the past two years, the management team of the Bill Dance Giant Bass Open have unveiled a new event that’s open to anglers of all ages, in all regions of the country.
The Bill Dance Nationwide Giant Bass Open is a year-long tournament with a format that’ll make every big bass you catch a little more important.
Maybe a lot more important.
“Whether you’re fishing out of a boat, a kayak or off the bank, you could be reeling in giant cash and prizes through the Bill Dance Nationwide Giant Bass Open,” said Dance, who’s been a superstar in the fishing industry for more than a half-century. “It’s only $44.99 for an entire year — a full year. Think about that. You’ll spend more than that taking your family out for a movie in one night.”
Here’s how the tournament works:
Anglers can sign up by visiting the website FishingChaos.com, creating a profile, and paying the $44.99 entry fee for the region of their choice and then decide whether to fish in the length division or weight division. When they catch a bass that meets the criteria for their region, they’ll earn membership into the Bill Dance Giant Bass Club.
Members will receive a unique commemorative coin that’s bound to be the envy of trophy cases everywhere, plus a window decal that identifies them as a member of the Bill Dance Giant Bass Club. Winners from each region and division will receive cash prizes and all additional anglers that joined the Bill Dance Giant Bass Club each month will go into that month’s drawing for even more cash and prizes. Monthly prizes and payout will be determined by the number of nationwide entrants and will eventually include a 21-foot fiberglass bass boat and a Ford F-250 truck given away at the end of the year.
Every cast you make — for a solid year from your entry date — will literally be part of its own tournament.
“The beauty of the format is that every big fish counts,” said Shane Frazier, CEO of the Giant Bass Open organization that has grown by leaps and bounds since the first two-day tournament was held in October 2023. “We’ve all been practicing for tournaments and caught a big fish and thought, ‘Man, that one would have really helped me on tournament day.’ Now, it will.
“You can even be fishing a tournament, catch a big fish and get double credit for it. You can win money in the tournament you’re fishing and also enter your catch in the Giant Bass Open. We like to say, it makes every cast count for the next 365 days after you sign up. It is literally a 24/7/365 scenario.”
The tournament is only open to public waters, and the criteria is different for each of the five regions to join the Bill Dance Giant Bass Club:
Central — Length 21 inches; Weight 5 1/2 pounds
Northeast — Length 21 inches; Weight 5 1/2 pounds
Southeast — Length 22 inches; Weight 7 pounds
West — Length 21 inches; Weight 5 1/2 pounds
Nationwide/Big 3 (California, Florida, Texas) — Length 24 inches; Weight 9 pounds.
In each division, all fish entered with a minimum length of 18 inches or minimum weight of 4 pounds gives anglers an additional chance at the year-end drawing, but they will not provide entrance into the Bill Dance Big Bass Club. The year-end prizes will be determined by the number of nationwide entrants and could include a Ford F-250 truck and a 21-foot fiberglass bass boat.
“The length element has become such a big thing, especially with kayak anglers,” Frazier said. “The Fishing Chaos site has always allowed anglers to enter fish based on length, but I think we are the first tournament to accept weight on Fishing Chaos. I think it’s great to be able to offer both.”
Anglers must decide when they enroll which division — weight or length — they’d like to fish. Then they can consult the rules section at Fishing Chaos to learn the acceptable bump boards for measuring fish and the preferred digital scales for weighing. A special code will be provided each month by Fishing Chaos and must be visible in each photo submission.
Entrants must also select the region they want to fish. But if they make a trip out of that region, they have the option of switching their membership to another region temporarily through the Fishing Chaos App.
No live bait is allowed, and participants must possess all required fishing permits and licenses. Top-level pros from the Bassmaster Elite Series, Major League Fishing Bass Pro Tour and National Professional Fishing League are eligible to fish, but not eligible for the end-of-the-year grand prizes.
Once the number of nationwide entrants reaches 50,000, a special winner’s-only, no-entry fee Championship tournament will be held on a Bill Dance Signature Lake in Tennessee for the Top 10 anglers from every state who submit the five longest fish and the five heaviest fish for the year. The tournament will have a minimum payout of $100,000 — and like the year-end drawings, top-level pros will not be eligible for the event.
“We wanted to make fishing fun, affordable and accessible, and we believe we have accomplished all of these things with this exciting new format” said Dance, who beams with excitement anytime he talks about the new venture. “Once you join, every cast counts — whether you’re fishing from a boat or from the bank, day or night, you’re entered in a tournament that could lead to a win anytime you have a bait in the water.
“That’s exciting to me — and I truly believe it’ll be exciting to anglers everywhere.”
Frazier believes the addition of the nationwide tournament will also increase angler participation in the Bill Dance Giant Bass Open circuit in Tennessee. Those tournaments, which are held on Bill Dance Signature Lakes, feature hourly weigh-ins with more than 230 cash prizes over the course of each two-day event in the adult and youth divisions.
The tournaments have experienced incredible growth in just one year. 2024 was the inaugural season where they had more than 1,700 anglers from 26 states comes and fish. Through two-thirds of the 2025 season they have seen a 24% growth YoY.
For information about the big-fish tournaments being held on Bill Dance Signature Lakes, visit giantbassopen.com. For more information on the new nationwide format, visit gbonationwide.com.
Five simple steps to win!
Sign up at FishingChaos.com and pay your membership fee of $44.99 (good for 12 months).
Choose the region of the country you’ll be fishing and whether you want to compete in the length or weight division.
Go fishing! A lot!
When you catch a bass that meets the criteria for your region, take a photo following the instructions given by Fishing Chaos.
Wait to be notified at the end of the month to see if you’ve won.