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Ray Scott
Ray Scott, 1933 - 2022
BIRMINGHAM, Ala. — Ray Scott passed away on Sunday, May 8 at around 11:30 p.m. He died peacefully in his sleep of natural causes. Scott was 88 years old.
Scott founded the first national professional bass fishing circuit, the Bassmaster Tournament Trail, in 1967 and the following year founded the Bass Anglers Sportsman Society — B.A.S.S. — which would grow to become the world’s largest fishing organization.
“Our entire organization was saddened to hear about the passing of our founder, Ray Scott,” said Chase Anderson, B.A.S.S. CEO. “Ray’s passion and vision for bass fishing birthed our entire industry more than 50 years ago when he founded B.A.S.S. and started the first professional fishing tournament series. His legacy is felt to this day and continues to influence B.A.S.S., the world’s largest fishing membership organization, which he started in 1968. Ray’s contributions and impact on conservation and his advocacy and passion for anglers and our sport set the standard for tournament fishing and are something we will always strive to uphold.
“Our hearts and prayers are with the Scott family.”
The bass tournament competition Scott created rewarded anglers who caught the heaviest limits of bass in the three- or four-day events, which served as the proving grounds for rapid advancements in bass boats, outboard engines, fishing tackle, lures and electronics. Everyday anglers began purchasing whatever the bass pros were using, spawning a massive bass fishing industry that today has an economic impact in excess of $125 billion per year and employs more than 800,000 people nationwide.
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Hall of Fame Report
The Bass Fishing Hall of Fame will award conservation grants to worthy organizations and efforts for the third consecutive year.
Applications must be submitted to BFHOF Conservation Committee Chairman Gene Gilliland by May 15, 2022, for review by a panel of BFHOF Board Members. Criteria for appropriate projects is outlines on the Hall of Fame’s website at: https://www.bassfishinghof.com/bass-fishing-hall-of-fame-grant-program. Completed applications can be sent to Gilliland at ggilliland@bassmaster.com, as can any questions.
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BFHOF Report
BHOF Class of 2022
A group of six individuals that includes those who excelled in tournament bass fishing and whose work in tournament operations helped popularize the sport, plus a noted journalist who promoted conservation in his writing efforts, have been voted into the Bass Fishing Hall of Fame (BFHOF) as part of the class of 2022.
They will be honored when the bass fishing world comes together on October 6 at the Hall’s annual induction ceremonies at Johnny Morris’ Wonders of Wildlife (WOW) Museum & Aquarium in Springfield.
Based on voting by the Hall’s 30-member selection panel and current inductees, the 2022 class includes pro angler Tommy Biffle, Major League Fishing executive Kathy Fennel, past B.A.S.S. tournament director Dewey Kendrick, the late pro angler Aaron Martens, journalist Steve Quinn, and the late pro angler and lure designer Lonnie Stanley.
Tommy Biffle has exceeded $3 million in earnings from fishing both B.A.S.S., FLW, and MLF events and is credited with bringing the pitching technique to bass fishing. He is known as one of the best of all-time at flipping and pitching a jig in shallow cover. Biffle currently competes on the MLF Bass Pro Tour and devotes his available free time volunteering at kids fishing derbies and mentoring high school and college anglers.
Instrumental since 1982 with popularizing tournament bass fishing across the U.S. and Canada through her efforts at FLW and now MLF, Kathy Fennel’s influence in bass fishing is known throughout the industry. Her fingerprints are everywhere in tournament fishing operations, including internationally, where over the years she has played a pivotal role in numerous innovations involving live-release techniques, and automated weigh-in procedures. Fennel gives back to the sport by being involved with the BFHOF and the Recreational Boating and Fishing Foundation.
Dewey Kendrick served as the tournament director for B.A.S.S. from 1986 until 2002, implementing evolutionary changes within the professional bass fishing scene. From adding pro-am formats and pushing for unconventional and urban locations to bringing tournament bass fishing beyond its southern roots, Kendrick advocated for conservation-minded tournament changes including a five-bass limit and the rule that all sight fish must be hooked in the mouth. Kendrick was known as a strict rule enforcer with a tremendous work ethic.