2025 Bassmaster Elite Series: Pasquotank River, NC Conditions, Schedule & Updates

The third stop of the 2025 Bassmaster Elite Series is about to get started on the Pasquotank River and Albemarle Sound, in Elizabeth City, North Carolina sponsored by St. Croix Rods. From April 10th to the 13th, the Bassmaster’s top level pros will all be battling for their chance to take home a big, blue trophy and the $100,000 first prize.

Where to Watch the Bassmaster Elite Series LIVE

Watch Live: Bassmaster LIVE
Basstrack Unofficial Weights During Competition: BASSTrakk
LIVE Daily Weigh In: Weigh In Show
T.V. Coverage on FOX/FS1: Broadcast Schedule Here
The ROKU Channel: Free Access to Elite Coverage

Attend the Bassmaster Elite Series at Elizabeth City, NC

The event takes off from Waterfront Park at 7:00 a.m. each morning and weigh-ins start at 3:00 p.m. every afternoon. Plus, there will be a free, family-friendly, bass fishing expo on the weekend in conjunction with Hooked on the Harbor which includes local food trucks, a live radio broadcast, a beer garden featuring local breweries and a corn hole tournament on Sunday.

A map of Waterfront Park in Elizabeth City, NC, sight of takeoffs, the expo and daily weigh-ins. — Waterfront Park in Elizabeth City, NC is sight of takeoffs, the expo and daily weigh-ins. | Google

Pasquotank River Bass Fishing Conditions & Expert Predictions

Sunrise on the Pasquotank River, NC. | Dreamstime.com | © Oliapr | 70970013

This waterway along the coast of North Carolina is one of the bigger wildcards B.A.S.S. has put on their schedule in quite a while. It’s huge, it’s diverse, and very little published information or tournament history exists.

B.A.S.S has hosted tournaments there in the past, but not for decades—literally, not since 1981 when Basil Bacon won the three-day North Carolina Invitational with 46 pounds, 12 ounces. From the small amount of recent information available, it would appear to be a much different fishery now with much bigger fish.

Basil Bacon competing in a Bassmaster tournament on the Pasquotank River in 1981 — It's been a long time since the Bassmasters have held a tournament on these waters. | B.A.S.S.

I spoke with second year Elite angler, second place finisher at the recent Bassmaster Classic, and FXR Pro Trey McKinney. He told me he had found lots of big fish during a February pre-practice visit he made, but so far official practice had been a little tougher.

“This place is just so big, that you could fish for the next five years and only see half of it.”

“It can be a 15-degree water temp difference from creek-to-creek, bay-to-bay. Even though it’s all connected and it’s all one place, it’s so big that every river is on a different schedule seasonally.”

“One guy might find that one river that’s two weeks ahead of schedule compared to everything else, and smash ‘em.”

I asked Trey how much the fact that this is a tidal system would play into the equation.

“The closer you are to the ocean, the more the tide affects the fishing. Like, the Gator River has a huge tide swing. But the farther you get away from the ocean, like on the Chowan or the Roanoke, that tide is basically nonexistent. Every river is its own ecosystem.”

A scenic summer view of the Roanoke River near Plymouth, NC. — Each river in the system is its own unique ecosystem, and lots of the water looks fish-y. | Dreamstime.com | © Jaymade | 19843578

I had heard that traveling across Ablemarle Sound could be pretty challenging in a 21-foot bass boat. McKinney agreed wholeheartedly.

“Oh, absolutely! It’s dangerous. The thing about this place is the separation between the waves. It’s hard not to stuff ‘em. If it blows ten-miles-per-hour, it’s rough. Honestly, I wish Bassmaster would have chosen a different launch location. At that launch ramp we’re probably farthest away from the best fishing. Unfortunately, I think that’s going to limit how well this place could show out.”

I noted that it’s almost 15 miles from the launch site just to get to the mouth of the Pasquotank River where it meets the Sound. So getting to any of the other rivers is a serious commitment. And once you get to any of the rivers, you’re probably not just planning to fish the mouth of it. Lots of guys are likely to make some really long and challenging runs.

This map shows just how big this system is. The distance from takeoff to the mouth of the Paquotank at almost 15 miles. — To get an idea of just how big this system is, I plotted the distance from takeoff to the mouth of the Paquotank at Ablemarle Sound at almost 15 miles. These anglers are going to be making some really long runs. | Google

Trey said, “I think the key is going to be which guy has the right combination of the closest run balanced by the biggest fish—more time to fish for the best quality of fish.”

McKinney also said that he found fish in all three phases of the spawn. While there will be guys who specialize in sight fishing targeting spawning bass, much of the water here has a tonic stain to it making it less than ideal.

Ablemarle Sound, NC Weather Forecast

A long-term weather forecast for both Elizabeth City, NC and Plymouth, NC — This fishery is so big I thought it made sense to look at a couple long term forecasts, and they are slightly different. Takeoff is at Elizabeth City, NC towards the northeast part of the system while Plymouth, NC is southwest where the Roanoke River flows. | weatherunderground.com

Welcher Dominates Bassmaster Elite on Pasquotank River: Record Total Wins by Over 45-Pound Margin

Kyle Welcher on the Bassmaster Elite stage at the Pasquotank River in North Carolina holding up his first Elite trophy — 2023 Angler of the Year Crushes Field by 45+ Pounds and Lands a Century Belt in North Carolina | B.A.S.S.

Elite pro and 2023 Angler of the Year, Kyle Welcher, has claimed his first Bassmaster Elite Series victory in dramatic fashion, shattering long-standing records along the way. His amazing four-day total of 118 pounds, 12 ounces of Pasquotank River, North Carolina bass earned him a big blue trophy and the $100,000 first-place prize...FULL STORY HERE.

2025 Bassmaster Elite Rules: What’s Changed?

The tournament playing field includes the Pasquotank River/Albemarle Sound and all rivers, creeks and canals connecting to Pasquotank River/Albemarle Sound. Only that water open to ALL public fishing will be considered tournament waters.

The daily limit is 5 bass with a 14 inch minimum.

The full field will start competition on Days 1 and 2. On Day 3 the field will be cut to the top 50. Only the Top 10 after Day 3 will qualify to fish on the fourth and final day, Championship Sunday.

Reminder of the New Electronics Rules for the 2025 Bassmaster Elite Series

1. Total Screen Size

Boats are restricted to no more than 55 inches of screen size. Inches are measured per the (diagonal) display screen size listed on each manufacturer's website rounded to the nearest inch.

2. Limited Live Transducers

Each competitor’s boat is limited to one (1) live transducer and this transducer must be mounted on the trolling motor shaft at the bow area of the boat.

3. Electronics Placement

All electronics must be mounted in a way not to obstruct the competitor’s line of sight while piloting the boat on plane. It is recommended that console electronics be mounted in a manner where the tops of graphs are no higher than 26 inches from the steering column where it exits the console, and bow electronics be mounted in a manner where the tops of graphs are no higher than 18 inches from the front deck.