Bass Pro Shops, along with its Nitro brand of performance bass boats, is teaming up with the Bassmaster Tournament Trail for another two years at the Premier Sponsor level.
The agreement between Bass Pro Shops and B.A.S.S. LLC, owner of Bassmaster events, continues the title sponsorship of the popular Bass Pro Shops Bassmaster Opens presented by Allstate.
The renewed partnership also extends the Bass Pro Shops and Nitro top-level sponsorship of the Bassmaster Classic, Bassmaster Elite Series, Carhartt Bassmaster College Series and B.A.S.S. Nation events as well as the Bassmaster Opens.
Nitro Boats also will be a Premier Sponsor of the new Toyota Bonus Bucks Bassmaster Team Championship.
“We are thankful for the opportunity for Bass Pro Shops and Nitro Boats to continue the relationship with the premier bass fishing organization in America,” said Johnny Morris, founder of Bass Pro Shops/Nitro Boats. “Since 1968, B.A.S.S. has been an organization dedicated to the needs of its membership, and we look forward to extending our partnership with them and supporting that passion for bass fishing.”
Bass Pro Shops and B.A.S.S. grew up together in the sportfishing industry. Bass Pro Shops’ history extends back to 1971, when Morris first sold fishing tackle out of the liquor store his father ran in Springfield, Mo. — still the home base of Bass Pro Shops. Morris published his first mail order catalog in 1974.
“The partnership Bass Pro Shops and B.A.S.S. have developed together over many years is very special to us,” said Bruce Akin, CEO of B.A.S.S. LLC, owner of Bassmaster events. “We share a strong dedication to conservation of fisheries resources and to bass anglers all over the world. B.A.S.S. especially values the key role Bass Pro Shops has played in elevating the visibility of Bassmaster Opens events.”
Many final-day weigh-ins of the nine annual Southern, Central and Northern Opens events have taken place at Bass Pro Shops retail locations. The Open Series will continue to hold final-day weigh-ins at Bass Pro Shops the majority of the 2014 and 2015 Open Series season events.
Bass Pro Shops and Nitro will continue to have a strong presence across the B.A.S.S. multimedia platform. This includes Bassmaster and B.A.S.S. Times magazines, Bassmaster.com, The Bassmasters TV show and social media programs.
About Bass Pro Shops® and Nitro Boats
Bass Pro Shops®, which specializes in outdoor fun, operates 85 retail stores and Tracker Marine Centers across America and Canada that are visited by more than 116 million people every year. Bass Pro Shops stores, many of which feature restaurants, offer hunting, fishing, camping and other outdoor gear while their catalogs and website serve shoppers throughout the world. The company’s Tracker Marine Group® (http://www.trackermarine.com/), which has produced the number one selling brand of fishing boats for more than 35 years, manufactures and sells a variety of boats for fishing and cruising, including Nitro performance fishing boats. For more information, visit http://www.basspro.com/ or http://www.trackermarine.com/. To request a free catalog, call 1-800-BASS PRO. Follow us on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/bassproshops.