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Ray Scott, BASS founder, talks with top professional Kevin VanDam, who was born just after Scott's first tournament on Beaver Lake. (ESPN Communications photo) 2008 marks 40 years of BASS Saturday, Jan 12, 2008 By Joe Mosby Has it really been 40 years since bass fishing in the nation was reincarnated? Perhaps you prefer the term revitalized or maybe just brought up several notches. No, "born" is not appropriate. The anniversary, and that also is a somewhat loose term, represents the beginning of Ray Scott's Bass Anglers Sportsman Society (BASS). Scott put on his first tournament, quite a story in itself, in June 1967 on Beaver Lake here in Arkansas, and he followed up in a few months by creating BASS as a membership-based conversation and outdoor organization. Scott needs no introduction. A superb salesman, a promoter, a visionary to a large degree, he also has a long memory and a high regard or his connections with Arkansas and a number of Arkansans. When the Arkansas Outdoor Hall of Fame was launched in 1992, planners wanted a keynote speaker. Someone mentioned Scott. "Do you think we could get him?" another planner asked. A phone call to Scott resulted in a quick "yes" answer, and he flew from Montgomery, Ala., to Little Rock at his own expense to be the speaker. When BASS planned special recognition for Scott a couple of years ago, it was at a Legends tournament on the Arkansas River at Little Rock, and Scott insisted on inviting Springdale's Dr. Stanley Applegate, now deceased, to the event. Back in 1967 before that inaugural Beaver Lake tournament, Scott was floundering financially with the tournament at the last minute, and Applegate ponied up a vital bit of money. Scott and most observers regard the broad membership bass of BASS as a key factor in the developments in the fishing world in the past 40 years. "I never concentrated on where BASS would be 10 years down the road," Scott said. "I always figured if you took care of the anglers and the fish, they would take care of the organization. That remains true today with BASS." Besides administering a multilayered tournament system, BASS has been a leader in a number of major conservation projects since its inception in 1968. From its "catch and release" concept and the Clean Water Act, which guaranteed quality bass habitat for generations, to advocacy efforts to enhance fishing infrastructure and maintain access to public waters, BASS has been highly active. "There certainly has always been a feeling of opportunity and responsibility to practice good habits with conservation, safety and integrity in our tournaments," Scott said. Some features coming out of BASS tournaments are now standard procedure for even casual fishermen. Wearing life jackets when a boat motor is running was a BASS rule before states began requiring it. The mandatory use of kill switches, a cutoff lanyard hooked from the boat operator to the motor's ignition, was another BASS rule. Efficient live wells in boats, careful handling of fish and "don't kill your catch" have put into practice standard techniques for 2008's fishermen that did not exist when BASS was born. A major field of activity for BASS over these 40 years has been information and education - and sometimes these are one and the same. Today's fishermen are more knowledgeable because they have more available information in print and by electronic routes than they could ever acquire in a lifetime of fishing with a buddy or with an uncle. BASS has a number of events and promotions in the works for its 40th anniversary year. One significant milestone won't actually come until early in 2009, but late this year, the first woman competitor in the Bassmasters Classic will be announced. She will be the winner of the BASS women's circuit this season. How did that name of Bass Anglers Sportsman Society with the effective acronym BASS come about? Ray Scott gives credit to a Nashville, Tenn., newspaper outdoor writer, Bob Steger. Scott said that in 1968 in a conversation with several people about possible names, Steger, no longer living, made the comment, "Why don't you call it Bass Anglers Sportsman Society - BASS"? -------- Joe Mosby is the retired news editor of the Arkansas Game and Fish Commission and Arkansas' best known outdoor writer. His work is distributed by the Arkansas News Bureau in Little Rock. He can be reached by e-mail at jhmosby@cyberback.com. |
