Luck “E” Strike backs new bonus awards for Bassmaster anglers

Luck “E” Strike USA, is doing “something extra” this season for anglers in the Opens and Elite circuits by sponsoring two new bonus programs.

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. — Luck “E” Strike USA, continuing in 2012 as an Official Supporting Sponsor of the Bassmaster Elite Series and the three-division Bass Pro Shops Bassmaster Opens, is doing “something extra” this season for anglers in both circuits by sponsoring two new bonus programs.

“We wanted to show our support this season by doing something extra, something that would be available at more than just one tournament,” said Luck “E” Strike owner John Hendricks. “We feel it is important to support tournament fishing, and working with B.A.S.S. to create these new bonuses was one more way we can do just that.”

One bonus program is the Luck “E” Strike Comeback Award. It will reward the Bassmaster Elite Series pros who make the biggest moves in the points standings from one event to the next. Each most-improved pro will receive a $500 bonus.

The points system is all-important to an Elite pro because it determines Bassmaster Classic qualifications as well as the Toyota Tundra Bassmaster Angler of the Year title. At the end of the season, the pro with the highest number of points wins the crown, worth $100,000 and untold prestige.

“Tournament-to-tournament jumps in the standings can prove to be significant by season’s end, a fact underscored by these great new bonuses,” said Bruce Akin, chief executive officer of B.A.S.S. LLC.

In the Bassmaster Open circuit, which encompasses nine events a season, the Luck “E” Strike Heavyweight Award will recognize the angler with the largest one-day bag of a tournament within the event’s pro and co-angler divisions. One pro and one co-angler from every Open event will each receive a $250 Bass Pro Shops gift certificate courtesy of Luck “E” Strike.

B.A.S.S. declared the first two Heavyweight winners on Jan. 21 at the season opener, the Bass Pro Shops Bassmaster Southern Open on Florida’s Harris Chain of Lakes. The inaugural pro-side Heavyweight Award was won by Chris Lane of Guntersville, Ala., the Bassmaster Elite Series pro whose five-bass limit weighing 28 pounds, 5 ounces, on Day 3, secured the Open win. On the co-angler side, the strongest lifter was Jarvis Ellis of Albany, Ga., for his three-fish limit on Day 2 that went 14 pounds, 3 ounces.

Luck “E” Strike, which produces a wide variety of premium lures and has sponsored Rick Clunn for more than 25 years, first became an Official Supporting Sponsor of Bassmaster circuits for the 2011 season. Since then, the company’s pro staff has grown to include seven more anglers.

Besides Clunn, Elite Series pros sponsored by Luck “E” Strike include the angler who won the Harris Open — Chris Lane — plus Scott Ashmore and rookie Fletcher Shryock. The company also sponsors six other pros: James Watson, Randy Blanket, Marty Conrad, Greg Ryan, Danny Correia and Chad Randles.

“What a great lead-in to the season, to have Chris, one of our new pros, win the Open,” Hendricks said. He added that Luck “E” Strike is backing its commitment to support bass fishing through television ads on The Bassmaster TV show and an internet partnership with Bassmaster.com.

Based in Cassville, Mo., Luck “E” Strike is perhaps best-known for its tournament-winning soft plastic creations, including the Ring Worm, Guido Bug and French Fry. Other top sellers include the Clunn signature RC2 (the crankbait that Lane said helped him to his Open win), the Scrounger Jig, BassMagic swimbait and New American Originals, which are premium quality lures made in the United States. A recent addition to the line is the WartHog, a revival of a popular crankbait action.