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BFOF Report
Glen Andrews, Bruce Holt and Mike Iaconelli
The Bass Fishing Hall of Fame will welcome three new members in 2023 – a pioneer of competitive fishing, an industry icon synonymous with a renowned rod company and a tournament pro from New Jersey who brought an urban flair to the highest levels of the sport.
The trio of Glen Andrews, Bruce Holt and Mike Iaconelli will be honored on Sept. 28 at the Hall’s annual induction ceremonies at Johnny Morris’ Wonders of Wildlife Museum & Aquarium in Springfield, Mo. They gained entry based on voting conducted by the Hall’s 30-member selection panel and living inductees. “We are pleased that each year past inductees take a greater interest in who joins their ranks in the HOF”, said Todd Hammill, Co-Chairman of the nominations committee. “This year more than half of our living inductees took time to voluntarily vote, fulfilling their role as gatekeepers of the institution."
A true pioneer of the sport, Andrews, 93, played a key role in helping outline the rules that all bass tournament anglers still adhere to today. An accomplished tournament angler, guide and lure maker from Lead Hill, Ark., Andrews parlayed his experience and reputation into the role of rules chairman alongside Ray Scott for the first All-American tournament at Beaver Lake in 1967.
Between 1962-1966, Andrews won three Missouri State Championships, an Arkansas State Championship, was a two-time runner-up in the World Championship and a two-time World Championship winner. Despite his success in that span, he never made a single dollar in prize money. Still, his reputation as a guide and lure maker skyrocketed. He helped develop and was the first man to market what is now known as the Texas rig, referred to in the 1960s as the Andrews Slip-Sinker Worm.
Andrews has been called the “best bass angler to ever live” by the likes of fellow Hall of Famers Bill Dance, Bobby Murray, Jerry McKinnis and Scott. Dance and Murray also count Andrews among their early mentors.
As much as he loved being on the water competing in local club tournaments, Holt’s contributions to the sport came largely off the water on the business side. He was involved in the fishing industry for nearly 45 years prior to his death in 2021. Holt was best known as the quiet yet influential force that helped catapult G. Loomis to the forefront of the fishing rod category.
Throughout his 34-year tenure at G. Loomis, Holt wore many hats, ranging from heading up sales and marketing prior to Shimano’s acquisition of the company in 1997, to a nearly decade-long stint as its executive director before returning to a media communications and public relations role during his last decade with the company. He identified and supported many upcoming anglers in the pro ranks, including Ricky Green, Greg Hackney, Luke Clausen, David Walker and Mark Rose.
Under Holt, G. Loomis leveraged its Pacific Northwest roots to expand its salmon and steelhead rod programs and placed a major emphasis on the bass fishing market, growing the G. Loomis profile and reputation by putting its rods up against the bass at fisheries like Lake El Salto, Choke Canyon, the Columbia River and the Amazon River.
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BFHOF Report
The Bass Fishing Hall of Fame (BFHOF) invites bass anglers both in the U.S. and Canada to support that mission by bidding on items during its ‘Classic Week’ online auction.
To participate, simply visit BidPal.net/Classic2023 and bid on a large lineup of jerseys from many Bassmaster Classic anglers, along with an assortment of fishing tackle, marine items, and many other fishing-themed gear. The auction is now live and will end at noon on Monday, March 27.
Among the more unique items up for bid include pro angler Tyler Rivet’s ripped-sleeve jersey from his win at the B.A.S.S. Elite event on Lake Okeechobee earlier this year, a large list of new bass rods and reels being introduced at the Classic Expo from leading brands including Abu Garcia, Academy Sports & Outdoors, Lew’s, St. Croix, and Daiwa, along with lure bundles to fill any tackle box from the likes of Bizz Baits, Booyah Bait Co., Damiki, Missile Baits, Rapala, Strike King, and YUM. There’s also a special package for two to attend the 2023 BFHOF Induction Ceremony being held on Sept. 28 at Johnny Morris’ Wonder of Wildlife Museum & Aquarium in Springfield, Mo. where the Hall’s venue is located.
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BFHOF Report
To assure future efforts to protect our fisheries are supported, the Bass Fishing Hall of Fame Board is instituting a college scholarship program for students seeking a degree in a natural resource field with an end goal of becoming a practicing fishery manager.
Up to $15,000 will be awarded in July 2023 to the selected applicants. Applications for the scholarship are now being accepted at https://www.bassfishinghof.com/scholarship.
“Within many fishery management agencies, there is a definitive need to fill vacant positions with qualified individuals who understand and have a passion for both the sport of bass fishing and the science needed to manage those fisheries,” said BFHOF Board president John Mazurkiewicz. “Spearheaded by Gene Gilliland, Casey Shedd, and our Conservation Committee, this new scholarship program fits in ideally with the Hall’s mission of celebrating, promoting, and preserving the sport by supporting those whose future career path will focus on healthy fisheries, needed access, and clean rivers, lakes and reservoirs.”
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BFHOF Report
Conservation project grants will again be offered by the Bass Fishing Hall of Fame.
Since 2020, the Hall has provided more than $50,000 in grants to fund conservation efforts focused on enhancing fish habitat, tournament fish care, better public access, cleaner water, and similar projects that promote stewardship.
“We are also encouraging youth-oriented conservation projects that benefit local fisheries,” said Gene Gilliland who chairs the BHFOF’s Conservation Committee. “Projects we will support with these grants must have the endorsement of local fishery management agencies and be the right type of investment that coincides with the Hall’s mission.”
Past BFHOF conservation grants recipient efforts have included habitat enhancement work on lakes within Tennessee’s Bill Dance Fishing Trail, at Lake Belton in Texas, and also in Goose Lake at the Mazonia-Braidwood State Fish and Wildlife Area in Illinois. Grant funds have also assisted in building a ‘mobile fish care trailer’ used at high school tournaments in Alabama. Additional grants over the years have been used for projects in Colorado, Iowa, Indiana, and Virginia.
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Boat U.S. Report
Boat Ramps
It’s a question that’s been asked a million times: “Is everyone paying their fair share?” When it comes to those who recreate on the water together non-motorized and motorized vessel operators who mutually benefit from the use of launch ramps, boating safety programs, conservation efforts and more, a recently released U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO) study says that answer remains unclear.
Discussions on the equitability of contributions to the Sport Fish Restoration and Boating Trust Fund, a user-pay/user-benefit grant program administered by the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service, began from a mandate included in the Trust Fund’s 2021 Reauthorization from Congress.
Trust Fund revenue comes directly from import duties or excise taxes vessel operators pay on sportfishing equipment such as tackle boxes and fishing rods, but the single largest bucket of funding (49%) for the Trust Fund come from a special tax that only motorboat operators pay on fuel.