Registration open for the Wolfson bass tournament

Registration is now open for the 37th annual Wolfson Children’s Hospital Bass Tournament, which debuts an exciting new twoday format this year. As both the hospital and the tournament have grown, so has organizers’ commitment to creating the best experience for all participants and to increasing the impact on the children’s hospital. On Friday of the event, the Friends of Wolfson Children’s and Lads & Lasses tournaments will be held. Prize categories and awards across all tournaments will remain unchanged.

Featured events (all at Palatka City Docks): 

Friday, May 15: 

• Friends of Wolfson Children’s Tournament  

• Lads & Lasses Tournament (one male, one female boater)

Saturday, May 16: 

• 37th Annual Wolfson Children’s Hospital Bass Tournament 

Register online at giving.baptistjax.com/event/2026-wolfson-childrens-bass-tournament/e694022 before noon May 12. In-person registrations will take place at the Palatka City Docks from 4 a.m. to safe light the morning of Friday, May 15, and from 3 a.m. to safe light on Saturday, May 16. Boats launch at safe light. The Palatka City Docks are located at 319 River St., Palatka. 

Tournament schedule: 

Friday, May 15: 

• Friends of Wolfson Children’s Tournament: Launch at approximately 6 a.m. (or safe light). Weigh-in begins at 3 p.m.  

• Lads & Lasses Tournament: Launch at approximately 6:30 a.m. Weigh-in begins at 3:30 p.m.

Saturday, May 16: 

• 37th Annual Wolfson Children’s Hospital Bass Tournament: Launch at approximately 6 a.m. (or safe light). Weigh-in begins at 3 p.m. Weigh-ins continue in 10-minute increments, staggered by boat number. After weigh-in, winners are brought to the stage for awards and cash prizes. 

The highlights: 

• More than $40,000 in cash prizes will be awarded to competitors from across the Southeast. 

• For a suggested donation of $20, anyone may enter a drawing for a new Bullet Boat with a trailer, courtesy of Bullet Boats and Mercury. All proceeds from the drawing will help fund new technology for the C. Herman and Mary Virginia Terry Heart Institute at Wolfson Children’s Hospital. To enter the bass boat drawing or for information on when ticket sales close, go to WolfsonBassTournament.com.  

• Now in its 37th year, the Wolfson Children's Bass Tournament is one of the largest and longest-running bass fishing tournaments in Florida.  

• Since the first tournament in 1989, the event has raised more than $7 million for Wolfson Children’s and the patients treated there. 

Tournament history:  In 1989, the Plant Facilities Department of Baptist Medical Center Jacksonville, along with several others, organized the Bass Tournament to fund capital improvements and purchase the latest medical technology for Wolfson Children’s Hospital, the only children’s hospital in Northeast Florida. Today, the tournament welcomes thousands of anglers during the three-day event, which has raised millions for specialized treatments and lifesaving equipment. 

To register for the Wolfson Children’s Hospital Bass tournament, enter the bass boat drawing or donate to the hospital’s mission, go to WolfsonBassTournament.com.