Birmingham, Ala. – Tony Beck from the Georgia B.A.S.S. Nation and Jason Hooven of the Florida B.A.S.S. Nation were recognized as Conservation Directors of the Year (CDOY) at the biennial 2026 B.A.S.S. Conservation Summit held in conjunction with the Bass Pro Shops Bassmaster Classic, held March 13-15 in Knoxville, Tenn.
“I personally want to congratulate and thank Jason and Tony for their passion, enthusiasm and leadership,” said Gene Gilliland, B.A.S.S. National Conservation Director. “The Florida and Georgia B.A.S.S. Nations should be proud to have such great examples of what a volunteer can accomplish when they have that passion to make fishing better for the anglers of their state.”
Tony Beck was always interested in working with wildlife. During his university studies, he realized he wanted to work specifically in fisheries and has been able to follow that dream for the last 18 years with the Georgia Department of Natural Resources as the manager of a state fish hatchery.
Tony is not only known as a biologist, but as an avid angler. He competes in bass tournaments throughout the Southeast as a member of the B.A.S.S. Nation and his local Bassmaster club. He has posted some exceptional tournament results including qualifying to compete in the B.A.S.S. Nation Championship.
His grant writing ability is exceptional. Tony has been responsible for grants being awarded to the Georgia B.A.S.S. Nation and the Oconee Bassmasters from Shimano, Forty Creek, and the Aquatic Plant Management Society, as well as multiple grants from AFTCO and the Bass Fishing Hall of Fame.
Most of these grants were focused on habitat enhancement projects, culturing and planting water willow in Georgia lakes, and installing Mossback Fish Habitat structures.
In addition to habitat work, Tony has spearheaded upgrades to the state chapter’s tournament fish care equipment using grant funds from AFTCO and the Bass Fishing Hall of Fame to purchase holding tanks, weigh bags, and oxygen enrichment equipment from PiranhO2.
Involving youth and high school fishing teams in these conservation efforts has been a staple in every project that Beck has supervised. He and his chapter officers are always working to recruit new anglers, supporting the youth and high school programs, and offering fish-care support to charitable organizations at benefit tournaments.
And if all this were not enough, Beck also happens to be the Georgia B.A.S.S. Nation President.
Jason Hooven faces a challenge in Florida. As an advocate for bass anglers, he also must be a voice of reason, helping separate fact from fiction, especially when it comes to the ongoing controversy regarding management of invasive aquatic plants.
He must try to explain the possible effect that years of attempts to control fast-growing exotics is having on the environment and water quality — and the impacts those changes in habitat have on bass populations and bass fishing.
“We want to highlight sensible aquatic plant management and assist the state in finding new ways to control overgrowth without over-spraying or having negative effects on our waterways and our bass fisheries,” Hooven said. “We want a balance.”
The state agency responsible for managing invasive plants formed a statewide Technical Assistance Group, or TAG, in 2019 to address the issues associated with aquatic plant management. Nearly 30 individuals representing both recreational and professional anglers, waterfowl hunters, water-related businesses, recreational groups, conservation organizations, local governments and partner agencies joined the TAG, including Hooven as a representative of the Florida B.A.S.S. Nation. His goal was to learn and help relay accurate information to the anglers, instead of them having to rely on hearsay and gossip.
In addition to his leadership in communicating factual information to B.A.S.S. Nation anglers, he is also the president of the Lakeland Bassmasters, one of the largest and oldest bass clubs in the state. Over the last several years, under his guidance, the club, other B.A.S.S. Nation clubs, high school teams and conservation groups have participated in numerous Cleanup Days on the state’s lakes, showing the public that bass anglers can “give back.”
He said of these efforts, “We always appreciate being able to get to together with like-minded groups that are concerned with the cleanliness of our waterways.” He was especially thankful to AFTCO for their support in these efforts.
Always willing to pitch in, at Bassmaster Classic Conservation Summits and weigh-ins, attending meetings, and being willing to do those not-so-glamourous jobs that often go unnoticed by bass anglers, Jason Hooven is moving conservation forward in Florida
About B.A.S.S.: The Bass Anglers Sportsman Society (B.A.S.S.) serves a growing community of anglers by fueling a passion for fishing through education, inspiration, and conservation, and helping to define the culture and the lifestyle surrounding the sport.
About B.A.S.S. Conservation: Our mission is to preserve and protect America’s waters, to champion scientific fishery management, habitat protection and enhancement, sensible aquatic vegetation management, invasive species control, protect angler access, and promote the latest tournament fish care protocols, for the continuing benefit of all who love to fish.
