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Founded | 1967Montgomery, Alabama, U.S. | in
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Focus | Sport fishing and nature conservation |
Headquarters | Birmingham, Alabama |
Area served | Worldwide, primarily United States |
Website | www |
The Bass Anglers Sportsman Society (B.A.S.S.) is a fishing membership organization with more than a half a million members. It is geared toward bass fishermen, mainly in the United States but with members located worldwide. The society publishes Bassmaster magazine and other related publications, and also produces The Bassmasters weekly television program. B.A.S.S. is best known for the sport fishing tournament trails it conducts, and for its world championship event, the Bassmaster Classic. The society's logo is a blue shield with a leaping largemouth bass and the society's acronym.
In 1967, Ray Scott of Montgomery, Alabama launched the concept of competitive bass fishing by forming the Bass Anglers Sportsman Society. In late 2010, Alabama businessmen Don Logan and Jim Copeland plus veteran broadcaster Jerry McKinnis formed an ownership group to purchase the organization from ESPN. In 2011, the new owners relocated B.A.S.S. headquarters from Celebration, Florida, to Birmingham, Alabama. [1] In 2017 Anderson Media Corp., a 100-year-old family business founded in Ala., acquired a majority interest in B.A.S.S. [2]
The B.A.S.S. organization advances the sport through advocacy, outreach and an expansive tournament structure while connecting directly with the passionate community of bass anglers through its media vehicles. B.A.S.S. is a tournament and membership organization serving more than 515,000 members and their families. [3]
Most B.A.S.S. tournaments won:
At the 2020 Toyota Bassmaster Texas Fest benefiting Texas Parks & Wildlife Department, winner and Bassmaster Elite Series angler Patrick Walters set a Bassmaster record for margin of victory by finishing 29 pounds, 10 ounces ahead of the second-place finisher. [4]
The Angler of the Year (AOY) award is given to the angler who, at the end of the season, has accumulated the most points throughout the year's "Elite Series" tournaments. Winners of the award: [5]
The first ever B.A.S.S. Federation tournament was held in June 1967 on Beaver Lake, Arkansas. A total of 106 anglers from thirteen different states competed. In that All-American Bass Tournament, Scott charged a $100 entry fee with a chance to win $2,000 and a trip to Acapulco, Mexico. The winner of this first tournament was Stan Sloan.
Scott staged the first Bassmaster Classic in 1971 at Lake Mead, Nevada — though competitors didn't know the location until they were in an aircraft bound for Las Vegas. The "mystery lake" practice continued through 1976; the following year Scott announced the venue in advance so that fans could make plans to attend the event. Since then, the final weigh-in events, and fishing expositions held together with those events, have become huge spectator events filling large arenas and being broadcast live on FOX and FS1.
In 2021, all nine Bassmaster Elite events and the Bassmaster Classic were covered live on Fox Sports platforms and Fox Sports 1. [7]
B.A.S.S conducts multiple tournaments and series:
The Bassmaster Classic is considered the "Super Bowl of Fishing". This world championship event is held once every year and has become a fan favorite. This tournament has a first place prize of $300,000 USD.
As the name implies, this is the world's most elite group of bass anglers, competing for over $11 million in prizes throughout each season. This makes up bass fishing's most lucrative competitive league. This series schedule runs from coast to coast through all phases of the seasons of bass fishing.
This series sets a platform for amateur anglers to emerge as aspiring pros. Both boaters and non-boaters compete in the Bassmaster Opens, which provides advancement to the Bassmaster Elite Series. [8] Also, an automatic entry to the next years Bassmaster Classic is awarded to the winner of each Bassmaster Open event however in addition they must fish all three Open events in their division to qualify.
The Bassmaster College Series gives college anglers a platform where they can compete with their peers and get a taste of what it feels like to compete on a national level. The series pits teams of college anglers against one another for cash, prizes, bragging rights and a chance to compete in the Bassmaster Classic. [9]
This tour opened October 20, 2005 at Lake Lewisville in Dallas Texas and was presented by Triton and Legend Boats. The winner of each WBT took home a boat valued at $50,000. Australian born Kim Bain-Moore was the WBT's 2008 Angler of the Year as well as the end of season Championship winner. The tour was closed after the 2009 season won by Pam Martin Wells.
Formerly the B.A.S.S. Federation Nation, the name was changed to B.A.S.S. Nation at the beginning of the 2013 season. B.A.S.S. Nation is composed of bass tournament clubs throughout the country. They provide the opportunity for anglers to compete in bass tournaments at a local level as well as different state and national tournaments culminating in the opportunity to fish the Bassmaster Classic.
Bass fishing is the recreational fishing activity, typically via rod-based angling, for various game fishes of North America known collectively as black bass. There are numerous black bass species targeted in North America, including largemouth bass, smallmouth bass, spotted bass or Kentucky bass, and Guadalupe bass. All black bass species are members of the sunfish family Centrarchidae.
Roland Martin is a professional sport fisherman. Martin is host of Fishing with Roland Martin on the NBCSN television channel.
Michael Iaconelli, also known as Mike and by his nickname "Ike", is a professional bass fisherman, television personality, and podcast show host from Pittsgrove Township, New Jersey. Iaconelli competes on Major League Fishing. As of February 11, 2019, Mike's career tournament winnings with B.A.S.S. were $2,500,205, which includes 7 wins. Iaconelli's major accomplishments include the longest active streak of Bassmaster Classic qualifications with 17 consecutive appearances, the 2017 Major League Fishing Summit Cup Champion, 2003 Bassmaster Classic champion, as well as the 2006 Toyota Tundra Angler of the Year. Iaconelli is the only angler to have won the Bassmaster Classic, Bassmaster Angler of the Year and B.A.S.S. Nation Championship.
Kevin VanDam, often called simply "KVD," is a professional bass fisherman from Otsego, Michigan. He is the all-time money winner in professional bass fishing, having earned $7,089,388 through August 2022 according to Major League Fishing. He has captured four Bassmaster Classic titles, seven Toyota Tundra Angler of Year titles and was also the FLW Angler of the Year in 2001. VanDam has predominantly fished the Bass Anglers Sportsman Society (BASS) Bassmasters tournament series during his career but was also a founding member of Major League Fishing.
Rick Clunn is a professional bass fisherman.
The Best Outdoor Sportsman ESPY Award was an annual award honoring the achievements of an athlete from the world of outdoor sports —understood as those related to outdoor recreation and nature-based occupation, including sport fishing, most especially of bass, and lumberjacking, most especially the logrolling, wood chopping, and high-climbing disciplines thereof—on an amateur or professional level primarily in the United States or Canada. It was first presented as part of the ESPY Awards at the 2002 edition after broadcaster ESPN purchased the Bass Anglers Sportsman Society in mid-2001. The Best Outdoor Sportsman ESPY Award trophy, designed by sculptor Lawrence Nowlan, was given to the outdoor sportsperson adjudged to be the best in a given calendar year. From the 2004 to 2008 ceremonies, the winner was chosen by online voting through choices selected by the ESPN Select Nominating Committee. Before that, determination of the winners was made by an panel of experts. Through the 2001 iteration of the ESPY Awards, ceremonies were conducted in February of each year to honor achievements over the previous calendar year; awards presented thereafter are conferred in July and reflect performance from the June previous.
Dianna Clark is an American sport fisher. She resides in Bumpus Mills, Tennessee.
Larry Nixon is a professional fisherman from Bee Branch, Arkansas.
The Bassmaster Classic is a tournament in the sport of professional bass fishing, organized by the Bass Anglers Sportsman Society. It was first held in 1971 on Lake Mead, Nevada. Originally it was a fall event, (1971-1983) but it switched to a summer event in 1984 and then to a late winter event in 2006.
Mark Davis is a professional sport fisherman of the Bass Anglers Sportsman Society (B.A.S.S.) and is one of only two anglers to have won the B.A.S.S. Angler of the Year and the Bassmasters Classic tournament in the same year.
Ray Scott was an American outdoorsman who founded the Bass Anglers Sportsman Society (B.A.S.S.) in 1967 after a vision of "building the sport of bass fishing to its rightful place in the first rank of American sports." As the "godfather" of modern bass fishing, he created the first national bass tournament trail, Bassmaster Magazine, The Bassmasters television show and the BASS Federation. He was also well known for his contributions to conservation and boating safety.
Bassmaster Classic XLI was held February 18–20, 2011 in the Louisiana Delta surrounding New Orleans, Louisiana. Kevin VanDam of Kalamazoo, Michigan, won the event with a three-day total weight of 69 pounds, 11 ounces. He won $500,000 in prize money. The total weight for the classic was 1,506 pounds, 5 ounces with the heaviest average bass weight being 2.6850 pounds.
Lake Cataouatche is a 9,280 acres (3,760 ha) lake located southwest of New Orleans, Louisiana in St. Charles and Jefferson Parishes. Lake Cataouatche is connected to Lake Salvador to the south by Bayou Couba and Bayou Bardeaux.
Cliff Pace often called “Game Face Pace”, is a professional bass fisherman from Petal, Mississippi. Pace is the 43rd world champion of bass fishing and the 39th member of the B.A.S.S. Millionaires Club. Pace has predominantly fished the Bass Anglers Sportsman Society (BASS) Bassmasters tournament series during his career but now competes in the Major League Fishing Bass Pro Tour.
Jimmy Houston is a pro angler and TV host. He was on ESPN for 21 years before he switched to the Outdoor Life Network. He is currently on NBC Sports. In 1990, he was inducted into the National Fresh Water Fishing Hall of Fame. He is known for his distinctive laugh. With fellow fishermen Roland Martin and Bill Dance, he formed the company Th3 Legends to sell signature products.
Cliff Crochet, also known as "The Cajun Baby", is an American professional bass fisherman from Pierre Part, Louisiana. Crochet is a competitor on Bass Angler Sportsman Society's (B.A.S.S.) Bassmaster Elite Series and has $478,078 in B.A.S.S. tournament winnings as of February 13, 2018. Crochet's sponsors include: K2 Coolers, Huk, Skeeter, Yamaha Motor Company, Lowrance Electronics, DUCE Rods, Luck E Strike, Seaguar, Rat-L-Trap, Santone Lures, Plenum, Power-Pole, and Classic Fiberglass. Since 2010, Crochet has competed in four Bassmaster Classic tournaments. Crochet's boat for the 2018 season is a 2018 Skeeter FX 21 with a 250 hp Yamaha SHO outboard engine.
Jordan Lee is a professional bass fisherman from Cullman, Alabama.
Casey Ashley, is a professional bass fisherman from Donalds, South Carolina. Ashley attended Piedmont Technical College, a two-year community college, where he earned a degree in Industrial Electronics.
Major League Fishing (MLF) is a professional bass fishing league and television show that airs on Outdoor Channel, World Fishing Network, and Discovery Channel. The league was established in partnership between the Professional Bass Tour Anglers' Association (PBTAA) and Outdoor Channel as an answer to other professional fishing tournaments that the anglers compete in. The show focuses on personalities and struggles of anglers in competition rather than purely on results.
Alton Jones Jr., known as "Little Alton" is a professional bass fisherman who competes in Major League Fishing.