BIRMINGHAM, Ala. — As the Bassmaster Elite Series visits superb fisheries in 2014, the four trout bums of the GEOFISH video series will turn their hand — er, rods — to catching bass.
A new video series from Costa about the adventures of Thad Robison, Brian Jill, Jay Johnson and Chris Owens, GEOBASS will debut at the Elite Series season opener, March 13-16 in Bainbridge, Ga., at the Dick Cepek Tires Bassmaster Elite Series at Lake Seminole presented by Hardee’s.
That first GEOBASS episode will be shown Saturday evening, March 14, within the Bassmaster Elite Series venue, the Earle May Boat Basin, on a jumbotron screen. More GEOBASS episodes will be shown in conjunction with subsequent 2014 Elite Series events.
The GEOBASS project is about four anglers’ relentless pursuit of off-the-hook fishing in out-of-the-way locales. They’ll be after exotic species in Colombia, Mexico, Nicaragua, Africa and Papua New Guinea. Getting to the fish is half the battle — and much of the viewing fun.
“If a fish has the word ‘bass’ anywhere in its name, we’re going to try and catch it, no matter where in the world it lives,” GEOBASS team member Robison said.
“This is bass fishing like you’ve never seen it before,” said Al Perkinson, vice president of marketing for Costa. “These guys put themselves in incredible danger — from nearly being arrested in Mexico to encountering near-death experiences in South America. But to them, it’s just another day at the office.”
To bone up on new bass fishing techniques and tips, the team has been tapping into the best sources in the world: Elite Series pros. They’ve also sought the advice of B.A.S.S. co-owner Jerry McKinnis, who hosted the longest-running fishing show on ESPN.
The full GEOBASS viewing schedule at the nine Elite Series events of 2014:
March 15, Lake Seminole, Bainbridge, Ga. — Episode 1: Colombia
March 22, St. Johns River, Palatka, Fla. — Episode 1: Colombia
April 5, Table Rock Lake, Branson, Mo. — Episode 2: Mexico Part I
May 3, Toledo Bend Reservoir, Many, La. — Episode 3: Mexico Part II
May 17, Lake Dardanelle, Russellville, Ark. — Episode 4: Nicaragua
June 14, Chickamauga Lake, Dayton, Tenn. — Episode 2, Episode 3 and Episode 4
Aug. 9, Delaware River, Philadelphia, Pa. — Episode 5: Africa Part I
Aug. 23, Cayuga Lake, Union Springs and Auburn, N.Y. — Episode 6: Africa Part II
Sept. 20, Bays de Noc, Escanaba, Mich., Toyota Angler of the Year Championship — Episode 7: Papua New Guinea
All videos will be available online at http://www.costadelmar.com/geobass. Viewers can share their stories online using the hashtag #GEOBASS.