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.
Hank Parker Sr. is a professional bass fisherman. He is a native of Maiden, North Carolina.
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.
Skeet Reese is an American professional sport fisherman of the Bass Anglers Sportsman Society (B.A.S.S.) and Major League Fishing. He was born in Walnut Creek, California on June 30, 1969. He has a wife, Kim, and a two daughters, Leamarie and Courtney. Reese is one of the primary spokesmen for General Tire.
The Best Angler ESPY Award was an annual award honoring the achievements of an athlete from the world of angling. It was presented as part of the ESPY Awards at the 2006 ceremony and it replaced the non-gender specific Best Outdoor Sportsman ESPY Award before the latter accolade was reinstated for the 2007 edition. The Best Angler ESPY Award trophy, designed by sculptor Lawrence Nowlan, was presented to the amateur or professional angling sport fisherman, irrespective of gender or nationality, adjudged to be the best in a given calendar year; although the accolade may technically be presented to an angler of any fish, in practice only bass fishermen are considered as nominees. Balloting for the award is undertaken by fans over the Internet from between three and five choices selected by the ESPN Select Nominating Committee, which is composed of a panel of experts. It was conferred in July to reflect performance and achievement over the preceding twelve months. The sole winner of the Best Angler ESPY Award was Tammy Richardson, who finished runner-up in the final Women's Bassmaster Angler of the Year standings for the 2006 season.
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.
Larry Nixon is a professional fisherman from Bee Branch, Arkansas.
Fishing League Worldwide (FLW) was the world's largest tournament fishing organization. FLW ran five tournament circuits, four of which offered a path to the largest tournament in professional bass fishing – the Forrest Wood Cup. The organization's initials are taken from Forrest L. Wood, founder of Ranger Boats and developer of the modern bass-fishing boat. The FLW Tour championship - the Forrest Wood Cup - is also named for Wood. In 2007, the tournament was the first to offer a $1 million prize for the winner.
Bill Dance is an angler and host of Bill Dance Outdoors, a fishing television series on the Outdoor Channel, and Bill Dance Saltwater on the Sportsman Channel.
Christopher Van Vliet is a Canadian television/radio personality, YouTuber, professional film critic, and entrepreneur currently living in Studio City, Los Angeles. He was born and raised in Pickering, Ontario.
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.
Hank Parker's Outdoor Magazine is an American half-hour outdoor fishing television series hosted by former professional tournament angler Hank Parker. The show made its debut in syndication on January 18, 1985. The show was created in 1984 by founding executive producers Hank Parker and Michael Runnels; For the first 14 seasons of the show's run (1985-1998), Parker/Runnels Productions produces the show; In 1999, longtime executive producer Michael Runnels left the show, leaving Hank Parker as the sole executive producer; The company was renamed Hank Parker Productions. The show was broadcast in NTSC from 1985 to 2009. In 2009 to celebrate the show's 25th anniversary, Hank Parker's Outdoor Magazine began broadcasting in HDTV 1080i.
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.
College bass fishing is competitive bass fishing that is played by teams from universities and colleges. The NCAA is not involved in college bass fishing, allowing teams to use sponsorships to their advantage and keep their winnings. College bass fishing consists of mostly club teams, but there are a select few varsity bass fishing programs. There are an estimated 610 college bass fishing teams in the United States. The major college bass fishing tournament series are the FLW Outdoors College Series, Boat U.S. Bass Pro Shops College Bass Fishing Series, Carhartt Bassmaster College Bass Fishing Series, and the Fishlife Collegiate Tour.
Camp Mack is a fishing lodge, RV resort campground and recreation event venue in the historic town of Lake Wales, Florida situated on the Kissimmee River, in the heart of the Kissimmee Chain of Lakes. In March, 2018 the lodge was rebranded Camp Mack, a Guy Harvey Lodge, Marina and RV Resort, affiliating itself with Guy Harvey Outpost Collection, the lodging arm of the noted marine scientist, artist, and conservation advocate Dr. Guy Harvey. The camp’s “old Florida” riverfront setting offers bass fishing enthusiasts access to Lake Kissimmee, Hatchineha, Cypress and Tohopekaliga and is host of numerous bass fishing tournaments. A variety of sporting and musical events use the riverfront setting as a backdrop, including Rockin’ on the River, an annual country music festival supporting autism. The Kissimmee River watershed comprises 3,000 square miles, supporting a diverse community of waterfowl, wading birds and other wildlife, in addition to its national reputation for holding trophy size largemouth bass.
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.
