While anglers finalize tackle and trim for 2026, B.A.S.S. media workers prepare to tackle reporting on 53 tournaments this year.
Mandy Pascal, in her first year as communications manager, is among the busiest. The 30-something from Montgomery, Ala., has worn a bunch of hats in her decade at B.A.S.S., but her mission now is to spread the word of the largest bass fishing organization, which is beginning its 60th year.
“My main job is telling the story of these anglers and our company, getting the word out there about bass fishing to local, national and international media members,” said Pascal, who literally directs the communication for the company.
Her duties include writing all the news releases while overseeing reporters covering tournaments. She travels to all the Elites and Classic, heading up the crew in the media trailer while directing media inquiries.
“I work every B.A.S.S. tournament in some capacity, whether that be on-site or sending the nightly press releases” she said. “For events that I am not on-site, writers assigned to cover the tournament will send me the nightly press release and I will edit, build and distribute those to media outlets as well as Bassmaster.com.”
Her tournament work in each of the venue communities starts well before the event.
“Before the Elite tournaments, I’ll reach out to all of the local media outlets in the area — newspapers, TV stations, podcasts, radio shows — and give them a basic breakdown of all of the events that will be happening during the tournament,” she said. “Then, I will curate three or four different story ideas, like the Angler of the Year race, any recent records that might have been broken or any local angler stories that a reader or viewer might find interesting.
“I just try to find creative storylines that might get picked up in hopes of encouraging people to come out and see the event firsthand. If any media does show up wanting to do interviews, I will set that up for them on-site.”
Pascal also has a hand in organizing media events, as well as the arduous task of producing the 2026 B.A.S.S. Media Guide.
Armed with a degree in print journalism from Troy University, Pascal said her first job as an editorial assistant at Bassmaster Magazine and B.A.S.S. Times kind of fell into her lap.
“I knew absolutely nothing about Bassmaster before I started,” she said. “A lady in my parents’ Sunday school class recommended I apply for the job. ‘If you want to work for a magazine, there’s a position available.’ So, I interviewed and got the job, knowing little to nothing about fishing.
“Over the past 11 years, I’ve learned so much about fishing and the industry as a whole and have grown to love it. It’s a lot more work than I could have ever dreamed, and it never ceases to amaze me the wonderful product that a company of our size produces with such a small staff.”
Pascal performed double duty for years, helping produce the magazines while also assisting the communications director. She was named Managing Editor of B.A.S.S. Publications in 2022, and last June was named to her current position.
“Right now, I’m in Elite preseason and Classic planning mode,” she said. “I’m working closely with the local hosts to ensure the first two Elites and the Classic are enjoyable events for media members and fans alike. I’ve got a stack of stuff on my desk a mile high right now and have 12 releases to write this week alone.”
A first-time chore will be overseeing production of the 2026 B.A.S.S. Media Guide, and at 126 pages it is a chore. There is a master file, but it requires updating of schedules, anglers, results and records.
“I’m getting it together piece by piece,” Pascal said. “We print 250 media guides each year to distribute at the Classic and Elites throughout the season. The digital version will be available on the Bassmaster media site for the first Elite.
“I go page by page updating information such as sponsors, payouts and tournament dates, ensuring any and all information listed on each page of the book is accurate. I will then create individual profiles for each Elite Series angler showcasing their tournament statistics and basic biographical information.”
As for record updates, an interested Daily Limit discovered Pascal hadn’t gotten to those pages yet and was asked to forward a list of anything off the top of my head. Since there’s not much there, it was off to research.
Of course, Easton Fothergill’s Classic victory came to mind. It was well-chronicled that Fothergill, with 76 pounds, 15 ounces on Texas’ Lake Ray Roberts, broke Kevin VanDam’s five-fish era total of 69-11 on the Louisiana Delta in 2011, and he also eclipsed Rick Clunn’s all-time weight record of 75-9 on the Arkansas River in 1984.
Fothergill also tied for the second biggest limit in Classic history, his 29-6 on Day 2 matching Luke Clausen’s Day 1 weight from 2006 on Florida’s Kissimmee Chain.
The Century Club winners list also has two additions, led by Kyle Welcher’s 118-12 from the Pasquotank River and Tucker Smith’s 127-8 from Lake Fork. All 10 finalists at Fork earned Century Club belts, and Smith and Paul Marks (126-11) broke into the top 10 all-time heaviest totals at seventh and eighth, respectively.
With only so much room, some standout stats from 2025 won’t make the guide. David Gaston earned a $10,000 bonus for landing the Phoenix Boats Big Bass of the year, an 11-8 at Okeechobee. Among the approximate 75 double-digit bass caught since the Elites began in 2006, Gaston’s fish stands 10th. It falls well short of making the all-time top 10, where 12-1 is tied for 10th.
The guide might consider a category for largest margin of Elite victory after Welcher topped the field by 45-7 at Pasquotank. It shattered the previous mark of 29-10, set by Patrick Walters at Lake Fork in 2020.
Pascal said she’s interested in these type of records, both as a professional journalist and fan.
“I love this,” she said. “I wouldn’t do it if I didn’t.”