MONROE, La. — The 2014 Old Milwaukee B.A.S.S. Nation Championship has the distinction of being the most international B.A.S.S. Nation championship ever. Ten countries outside the United States are sending representatives — and that's three more than last year.
We've had Japan, Mexico, South Africa, Canada (specifically, Ontario), Zimbabwe and Italy for years. Just a few years ago, Spain jumped into the mix. But for 2014, we've added Portugal, Namibia and Australia.
The winner of this championship could come from almost any part of the globe.
But the championship dabbled in international territory almost from its beginning. The photo above is a good reminder of that.
"I found a picture supposedly lost," said Xavier Gonzalez-Mestre, also known as Haaby. "I have the honor of sending you the picture of the first Spain team, as a participant in the BASS Chapters Championship Tournament in the Grand Lake O' the Cherokees, OK, August 1980!" Haaby mentions that Zimbabwe competed that year, too.
Haaby was part of that Spain team in 1980. But the Spain chapter couldn't sustain itself at the time. It wasn't until nearly 30 years later that Haaby was able to rally the troops and organize the dozens of bass fishing clubs that had formed in Spain.
He succeeded in 2011, when the Spain B.A.S.S. Nation became an official chapter. In fall 2012, he sent the Spain team to compete in its first B.A.S.S. Nation Eastern Divisional, a tradition the team has continued each year so far.
Now, other nations have taken notice, and this year has been the biggest in international growth ever for the B.A.S.S. Nation.
Watch this week and see how the 10 international representatives fare on Louisiana's Ouachita River.