2025 Strike King Bassmaster College National Championship

A prestigious event in the sport of fishing is coming back to East Tennessee. Bassmaster officials announced today that the 2025 Strike King Bassmaster College National Championship presented by Bass Pro Shops will take place on Cherokee Lake July 10-12…with takeoffs and weigh-ins at Cherokee Dam Boat Ramp on Renfro Road in Jefferson City. Visit Jefferson County TN will host the event, which showcases the country’s best up and coming student anglers. As many as 160 teams of anglers representing universities across the nation will compete for the title of national champions. Teams qualify through two divisions –Legends and Lunkers- with each division offering three tournaments throughout the season.

For 2025, the Legends Division features stops at Harris Chain of Lakes in Florida, Smith Lake in Alabama and Oklahoma’s Lake Eufaula. The Lunkers Division schedule visits Florida’s Lake Okeechobee, Buggs Island Reservoir in Virginia and Chickamauga Lake in Tennessee near Chattanooga.

Bassmasters is making a return to Cherokee Lake as it hosted a College Series event in 2023.