"I've caught lots of weird things," reigning Bassmaster Angler of the Year Aaron Martens said. "I caught a 15-foot alligator that weighed about 900 pounds.
"And I caught a turkey vulture by accident. I threw into a gap in the trees on Clear Lake in California and it spooked the vulture. He flew out and got tangled in my line. And I had to get him untangled. He was pretty nasty. He stunk and the boat stunk. It was gross, but he flew off."
Growing the Sport from the Bottom Up
BASS now offers the Master Angler Program, designed to educate young anglers through self-paced home and internet-based training modules. Officials said it's all part of growing the sport from the bottom up.
"BASS has never been more committed to growing the sport and educating today's youth about the outdoors," said Stacy Twiggs, BASS National Federation senior youth manager. Twiggs said BASS has awarded more than $3.1 million in academic college scholarships through its CastingKids Program and now, going into the third year of the Junior Bassmaster World Championship, BASS awards more than $27,000 annually, most of which is scholarships.
"2005 was a historic year for BASS as it unveiled a new membership completely dedicated to youth. This youth membership includes the Master Angler Program. Similar to merit badge programs like Scouting, the member is rewarded after completing various levels of the MAP. Upon final completion of the program, the member becomes a Master Angler."
This focus on youthful Bassmasters also has the enthusiastic support of the top-level pros.
"I think this is one of the things we really need to do as the sport of bass fishing," said California's Skeet Reese, a Elite Series competitor. "Show kids the outdoors and fishing are fun. Let it be cool. And the more emphasis we put on this, the more advertising we devote to this now, the more we can see the numbers grow in the coming years."
The Master Angler Program is aimed at the youngest of BASS members and offers its own benefits and rewards. The $15 membership (call 877-BASS-USA) includes a personalized certificate, instruction booklet that covers three skills and decals. As the skills are completed, the member places the decals over the corresponding skill on the certificate to track progress. Once the first three skills are completed, the member completes an included form and sends it to BASS officials, who then send out instruction for the next three skills. A member earns a Master Angler decal once all of the skills are completed, as well as an invitation to become a full BASS member.
The skills include: knot tying, casting, plastic baits, hard baits, topwater baits, bass behavior, landing bass, conservation and cover/structure patterns.
Master Angler members receive a BASS patch and decal, official membership card, two issues of Junior Bassmaster magazine and one issue of Bassmaster University Technique magazine, eligibility into the Junior Lunker Club and prize drawings.
"Junior Bassmaster is a cool, edgy publication that will catch the attention and interest of young readers," said James Hall, editor of Bassmaster magazine. "It teaches bass fishing techniques and entertains kids at the same time. Plus, it goes hand-in-hand with the Master Angler Program.
"With the one-two punch of MAP and Junior Bassmaster magazine, kids will earn a black-belt in bass fishing."
DID YOU KNOW?
Anglers say Rick Clunn's record for the largest winning weight in Bassmaster Classic history (75 pounds, 9 ounces on the Arkansas River in 1984) could be in jeopardy during the 2006 Classic, which will be staged during prime big-bass time (Feb. 24-26) on Lake Tohopekaliga, in Kissimmee, Fla.
IF I HADN'T BECOME A BASS PRO
Shaw Grigsby, an eight-time BASS winner and Elite Series competitor, started off his family's pest control business. But the Florida pro says he would likely be working as a fishing guide if his tournament aspirations had gone sour.
THEY SAID IT
"Being a young pro out on the Elite Series is a big struggle. Sleeping in your truck and loading up your credit cards, that's all a part of it. But chasing a dream like this has to be one of the most incredible things someone can do in his lifetime. I've been watching bass fishing shows and tournaments since I was a young kid, and it has always been a passion of mine to fish tournaments and compete on this level. The struggles you go through are worth it to be able to do something like this. It's the most rewarding thing somebody can do to go out there and chase their dreams." Bink Desaro.