Wolfson Bass Tournament opens registration

Registration is now open for the Wolfson Children’s Hospital Bass Tournament. The annual competition and boat drawing benefits C. Herman and Mary Virginia Terry Heart Institute.

Featured events (all at Palatka City Docks):

• Thursday, May 15: Lads & Lasses Tournament (one male, one female boater).

• Friday, May 16: VIP & Friends Tournament (sponsor boats pre-fish).

• Saturday, May 17: 36th Annual Wolfson Children’s Hospital Bass Tournament.

Register online at giving.baptistjax.com/event/2025-wolfson-childrens-bass-tournament/e581823 before noon May 13. In-person registrations will take place at the Palatka City Docks from 4 a.m. to safe light the morning of May 15 and May 16 and from 3 a.m. to safe light on May 17. Boats launch at safe light. The Palatka City Docks are located at 319 River St., Palatka.

Tournament schedule

• Thursday, May 15: Weigh-in begins at 3 p.m. Lads & Lasses winners announced.

• Friday, May 16: Weigh-in begins at 3 p.m. VIP & Friends winners announced.

• Saturday, May 17: Weigh-in begins at 3 p.m. Tournament winners announced.

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 36th 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. 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.