1. Friends stick together
Gerry Jooste and Mark Dove both qualified for the Bassmaster Classic together in 1997 through the B.A.S.S. Nation Championship. The pair both qualified again at the 2012 championship! After 16 years, the two are still friends and even went to scout together on Grand Lake O’ the Cherokees earlier this month.
2. Redemption for Pierce
In 2011, Mark Pierce barely missed out on a Classic invitation when he finished second in the championship and second in his division to Jamie Horton. But in 2012, Pierce finished second overall again — but this time, he won his division, and he’ll be proud to represent the B.A.S.S. Nation in February at the 2013 Bassmaster Classic.
3. Amigos in bass fishing
Last year, Spain joined the B.A.S.S. Nation. And in 2012, the newly formed international chapter crossed the Atlantic to compete in the team’s first divisional, the Eastern Divisional in Massachusetts. The Spanish anglers formed a bond with their American brethren in the week they visited the United States.
4. Brother v. Brother
The 2012 Carhartt Bassmaster Classic College Bracket was designed to pit the best college anglers against each other to earn the single college berth in the 2013 Bassmaster Classic. But Jordan and Matt Lee, brothers and competitors from Auburn University, ended up having to compete against each other. Matt Lee won the opportunity to fish in the upcoming Classic, but his brother will be there to support him.
5. High School matters
This year marked the debut of the High School Elite Experience, a new program designed to give future pros a taste of conducting and competing in tournaments. The high school program premiered at the Bassmaster Elite Series event on Bull Shoals in Arkansas.
6. A determined angler
Albert Collins fished the 2012 Cabela’s B.A.S.S. Nation Championship, but he didn’t do well enough to earn a Bassmaster Classic berth. However, the very next week, he competed in the Toyota Tundra Bassmaster Weekend Series National Championship operated by American Bass Anglers — and he won it! He’ll be among his B.A.S.S. Nation peers at the Classic.
7. Horton represents
Brandon Palaniuk left big shoes for Jamie Horton to fill, after Palaniuk rose to the top in his rookie year in the Bassmaster Elite Series after qualifying through B.A.S.S. Nation. But Horton, the 2012 designee to the Elite Series, proved he could do it, and the rookie finished in the middle of the pack in the Toyota Tundra Bassmaster Angler of the Year race and had two Top 12 finishes.
8. Simms donates $6,500 to conservation
Simms Fishing Products donated $6,500 to finance B.A.S.S. Nation club conservation projects. The funds came from the sale of rain suits specially designed for B.A.S.S. Nation members.
9. Soft plastics collected
The ReBaits program, which debuted at select B.A.S.S. events in 2012, is designed to keep used soft plastic baits out of the water and out of the stomachs of bass. The program is the brainchild of Eamon Bolten, the conservation director for the Florida B.A.S.S. Nation, and it has been making waves throughout the country.
10. Copley by an ounce
Virginia’s Bryant Copley snuck up and won the 2012 Cabela’s B.A.S.S. Nation Mid-Atlantic Divisional by a single ounce, on the Upper Chesapeake in Maryland. He took over the lead spot from Robby Fleshman of West Virginia, who had led the previous two days.
11. OSU dominates
Oklahoma State University anglers Blake Flurry and Zack Birge took charge in the 2012 Carhartt Bassmaster College Series National Championship, held on multiple fisheries in Arkansas. The pair led wire-to-wire and finished with a nearly 3-pound margin in extreme heat, with air temps topping 100 degrees every day.
1. PVA angler comes close
Tony Choe made a charge for the Bassmaster Classic at the 2012 Cabela’s B.A.S.S. Nation Championship on Alabama’s Wheeler Lake. Choe was fishing his second championship in a row, representing the Paralyzed Veterans of America (PVA) Bass Tour. A PVA angler has yet to qualify for a Classic through B.A.S.S. Nation.
