Bob Cobb, the first editor of Bassmaster magazine, was selected by BASS to receive its Outstanding Achievement award and was honored Sunday onstage prior to the final day weigh-in for the Bassmaster Classic at the Orange County Convention Center.
"It's my pleasure to have been associated with BASS," said Cobb, 70, who last officially worked for the organization in 1999 and received a sculpted glass award from BASS founder Ray Scott. "I was just the messenger; there were so many people who worked hard for many years. I'll admit that I never dreamed in 1969 that the Bassmaster Classic would be a show like this."
Past recipients include anglers Rick Clunn and Roland Martin as well as Scott. Scott's tribute to Cobb will appear in the March issue of Bassmaster magazine.
"This award recognizes someone in the fishing industry who has given their life to making bass fishing a fun and viable sport," said Don Rucks, vice president and general manager of BASS.
Conservation Donation
The Berkley Conservation Institute announced Sunday it is donating $5,000 to the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission. The announcement was part of a news conference with BASS Conservation at the Classic.
The funds will be used by Florida agency to support the Visitor's Center at the group's new bass hatchery within the Richloam State Fish Hatchery in Sumter County, Fla. Plans call for the hatchery to contain a genetics lab, fish health diagnostic lab and a comprehensive black bass library with Internet access for the public. The area for visitors will offer an interactive educational facility, nature trails and public fishing facilities.
Following the check presentation, BASS Conservation officials Noreen Clough and Chris Horton and Oklahoma fisheries biologist Gene Gilliland discussed conservation issues and answered questions from the working media.
Winners
Along with Bassmaster Classic winner Luke Clausen, Marjare Sinton of Elkhart, Ind., and Hans Grabenhorst of Tampa, Fla., were big winners on Sunday.
Both entered the Classic Sweepstakes, which gave away a new Triton boat and Toyota Tundra.
Sinton won the grand prize, a 2006 Triton TR21X bass boat tricked out by the experts on the popular ESPN2 Saturday morning TV show Bass Tech. The boat, equipped with a Mercury 225 Optimax Pro XS outboard, is valued at more than $80,000. Grabenhorst won the first place award, a 2006 Toyota Tundra SR5 V8 double-cab truck valued at $26,620. Toyota is the official truck of BASS.
Sweepstakes participants registered at the Classic ESPN Outdoors Expo.
Delayed
The 25 Classic anglers who launched from Kissimmee State Park this morning were about 30 minutes delayed because of bad weather. Thor Guard, the official weather service of the Classic, has been providing anglers with weather forecasts each morning and afternoon of the competition day and notified tournament officials as lightening moved into the area early Sunday morning. After launch, anglers received a message indicating high winds would also be coming into the area.
BASS Excursions
The staff of the BASS fishing excursions at Disney's Bay Lake and Seven Seas Lagoon worked overtime this weekend filling requests of Classic visitors to fish on the private waters.
Greg Waldron, fisheries manager at Walt Disney World, said he saw an up-tick in reservations and attributed the increase to an influx of fishing fans attending the Classic. "The excursions are a wonderful compliment to any family staging a vacation around the Classic," he said. BASS Excursions are available by calling 407-WDW-BASS.
A M*A*S*H* Star
Gary Burghoff, who played the character Radar on the hit series M*A*S*H*, joined BASS lifetime members in their hospitality lounge for photos and autographs on Sunday at the Classic. "It's always a delight when people remember the show and to hear about the contribution we've made in peoples lives," said Burghoff. "It wasn't just about comedy, it was about telling the story of the Korean War and people really appreciated it."
Burghoff was joined by his son, Miles, 19, of Paradise, Calif., who plans to relocate to Florida and attend the University of Florida. Miles plans to study mass communications and marketing and then become a professional BASS angler.