Bass Anglers Sportsman Society
The Bass Anglers Sportsman Society (B.A.S.S.) was founded in Montgomery, Ala., by Ray Scott in 1968.
The 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. was purchased from ESPN in 2010 by three investors: Don Logan, Jim Copeland and Jerry McKinnis. Controlling interest in the organization was acquired in 2017 by Anderson Media Corp., a family- owned media company headquartered in Knoxville, Tenn.
B.A.S.S. is a tournament and membership organization serving more than 515,000 members and their families.
Bassmaster tournament circuits include the Bassmaster Elite Series, Basspro.com Bassmaster Opens, TNT Fireworks B.A.S.S. Nation, Carhartt Bassmaster College Series presented by Bass Pro Shops, Bassmaster Team Championship program, Mossy Oak Fishing Bassmaster High School Series presented by Academy Sports + Outdoors, Mossy Oak Fishing Bassmaster Junior Series, the Huk Bassmaster B.A.S.S. Nation Kayak Series powered by TourneyX presented by Abu Garcia and the ultimate celebration of competitive fishing, the Academy Sports + Outdoors Bassmaster Classic presented by Huk.
The Bassmaster Classic — long known as the Super Bowl of Bass Fishing — hosts an average of more than 100,000 fans and has generated an economic impact of more than $30 million annually.
B.A.S.S. Media
Bassmaster Magazine is the flagship publication of B.A.S.S. Launched in 1968 as the organization’s membership magazine, it was named the “Bible of Bass Fishing” in a Time magazine article.
Bassmaster has a readership of 4.4 million people per month. It has received critical acclaim, including Folio awards for editorial and design.
Editor-in-Chief James Hall has more than 20 years’ experience as a magazine editor, including 17 at the helm of Bassmaster, which is also available in a digital version.
B.A.S.S. Times is a publication with 125,000 subscribers, including B.A.S.S. Nation members, B.A.S.S. Life Members, team and individual tournament anglers and other avid bass fishermen. First published in 1989, B.A.S.S. Times offers news and information written and edited for serious bass anglers.
Each monthly issue contains how-to articles and news about tournaments and conservation issues for intermediate and advanced anglers. B.A.S.S. Times Editor Bryan Brasher has been an outdoors writer and editor for more than two decades.
Website and social media: B.A.S.S. has the most robust digital platforms in the fishing industry with 1.7 million social media followers as well as more than 23 million websites visits and a monthly average of 825,000 unique visitors to Bassmaster.com. Digital media veteran Jim Sexton has been the editor of B.A.S.S. digital platforms since 2011. Video views on B.A.S.S. social channels approached 40 million in 2019, while Bassmaster.com had 7 million video views. Bassmaster.com offers fishing how-to information, up-to-date news across every B.A.S.S. tournament trail, conservation news and a comprehensive database of tournament anglers and their performance in B.A.S.S. competition.
Bassmaster.com is the official source and record for all levels of B.A.S.S. competition, offering real-time coverage of the events in a variety of platforms. Popular features include the “Live Blog” by teams of writers on the water, the BASSTrakk live leaderboard, photo galleries, BASSCam videos and the live-stream weigh-in programs.
Bassmaster LIVE: Pioneered by B.A.S.S.’s production arm, Little Rock-based JM Associates, Bassmaster LIVE debuted to raves and a growing legion of fans in 2015.
Using the same cameras capturing video for The Bassmasters television show on ESPN2, Bassmaster LIVE follows the top-ranked Elite anglers and streams every fish catch, missed strike and backlash. LIVE airs all four days of competition, and the Top 10 finalists each have a LIVE camera streaming his fishing action. The show features expert commentary and insights from hosts Tommy Sanders, Mark Zona and former Classic champion Davy Hite, as well as Bassmaster Emcee Dave Mercer.
Television: The Bassmasters chronicles the competition at each Bassmaster Elite Series event with on-the-water coverage and analysis by hosts Sanders, Zona and Hite. The one-hour program is one of the highest-rated outdoors shows on television, and airs on ESPN2, ESPN Classic and the Pursuit Channel. The show’s mission is to serve bass fishing fanatics with the most comprehensive information about how Elite Series anglers tackle a body of water in a variety of conditions.
The Bassmasters production has received critical acclaim, including Pixie awards for graphics and animation, a Telly award in the sports category and a Sports Emmy nomination.
Fans can view several years’ worth of episodes at Bassmaster.com/video, YouTube.com/BassNationTV and on the B.A.S.S. Roku channel.
Sanders, Zona and Hite also host the popular spinoff show Winning Ways, featured on ESPN2, which focuses on the techniques and lures used by Bassmaster Elite Series event winners.
Fantasy Fishing: Rapala Bassmaster Fantasy Fishing provides a competitive platform for enthusiastic fans to test their knowledge of professional fishing and prognostication skills to win gear packages, gift cards and more. Participants select their best five-angler team for each of the Elite Series events and the Academy Sports + Outdoors Bassmaster Classic presented by Huk, then compete against other players to score the highest number of points. Points are awarded based on each angler’s final standings at the end of an Elite Series event. Learn more at Bassmaster.com/fantasy.
History
In 1967, Ray Scott of Trinity, Texas launched the concept of competitive bass fishing by forming the Bass Anglers Sportsman Society. Scott’s mark on the sport came from his creation of the first professional tournament circuit, and from the organization of the Bass Anglers Sportsman Society (B.A.S.S.) in 1968.
The magazine and B.A.S.S.’s publicity machine made heroes out of the emerging bass fishing “professionals.” Bill Dance, Roland Martin, Tom Mann and John Powell began winning often enough to attract sponsor contracts that enabled them to fish for a living.
Bassmaster also taught America’s anglers how to catch bass throughout the year, and it introduced them to new lures, tackle, electronic fishfinders and fast, sleek bass boats. Always looking for a competitive advantage, the touring pros demanded the best and most effective rods, reels and other gear, and their fans snapped up angler-endorsed products as fast as they could be packaged and labeled.
The list of improvements and inventions attributable to B.A.S.S. tournament competition is long. It includes fluorocarbon and braided superline, aerated livewells, digital sonar and GPS, graphite rods, performance bass boats, high-speed and low-profile casting reels, automatically inflatable life preservers, remote-control anchors, foot-operated trolling motors guided by GPS positioning systems and many, many more.
Beginning in 1968 and continuing rapidly over the next few decades, bass fishing evolved from a lazy pastime to a multibillion-dollar industry employing thousands of people.
The black bass became the No. 1 gamefish in the United States, and its popularity spread rapidly to every continent except Antarctica.
B.A.S.S. and its membership publication, Bassmaster Magazine, marked their 50th anniversaries in 2018.
B.A.S.S. celebrated the 50th Bassmaster Classic March 6-8, 2020, on Lake Guntersville, Alabama, with weigh-ins in Birmingham.
Since its humble debut in 1971 at Lake Mead, Nevada, the Classic has become widely known as the “Super Bowl of Bass Fishing,” and the single most important event of the year in the world of bass fishing.
All-time record book
Most B.A.S.S. tournaments won:
- 25, Kevin VanDam
- 19, Roland Martin
- 17, Denny Brauer
- 15, Rick Clunn
- 13, Larry Nixon
Angler of the Year Award
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:[1]
- 1970 — Bill Dance
- 1971 — Mark Hunter
- 1972 — Roland Martin
- 1973 — Roland Martin
- 1974 — Bill Dance
- 1975 — Roland Martin
- 1976 — Jimmy Houston
- 1977 — Bill Dance
- 1978 — Roland Martin
- 1979 — Roland Martin
- 1980 — Larry Nixon
- 1981 — Roland Martin
- 1982 — Larry Nixon
- 1983 — Hank Parker
- 1984 — Roland Martin
- 1985 — Roland Martin
- 1986 — Jimmy Houston
- 1987 — Denny Brauer
- 1988 — Rick Clunn
- 1989 — Gary Klein
- 1990 — Guido Hibdon
- 1991 — Guido Hibdon
- 1992 — Kevin VanDam
- 1993 — Gary Klein
- 1994 — David Fritts
- 1995 — Mark Davis
- 1996 — Kevin VanDam
- 1997 — Davy Hite
- 1998 — Mark Davis
- 1999 — Kevin VanDam
- 2000 — Tim Horton
- 2001 — Mark Davis
- 2002 — Davy Hite
- 2003 — Jay Yelas
- 2004 — Gerald Swindle
- 2005 — Aaron Martens
- 2006 — Michael Iaconelli
- 2007 — Skeet Reese
- 2008 — Kevin VanDam
- 2009 — Kevin VanDam
- 2010 — Kevin VanDam
- 2011 — Kevin VanDam
- 2012 — Brent Chapman
- 2013 — Aaron Martens
- 2014 — Greg Hackney
- 2015 — Aaron Martens
- 2016 — Gerald Swindle
- 2017 — Brandon Palaniuk
- 2018 — Justin Lucas
- 2019 — Scott Canterbury
Tournaments
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 ESPN.
Below are several B.A.S.S tournament series:
Bassmaster Classic
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.
Bassmaster Elite Series
This series has a total of eight regular season events and two AOY fish offs with a total of $11 million to give away in prizes. 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.
Bassmaster Opens
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.[2] 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.
B.A.S.S. Nation
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.
References
- "Bassmaster AOY Winner List". Retrieved 7 September 2012.
- "2012 Bassmaster Elite Series Qualifications" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 25 May 2012. Retrieved 25 March 2012.
