Whether you help a fellow angler stranded in the midst of a lake, or with minor boat repairs on the tournament trail, fishing in its purest form is a sport of camaraderie and goodwill, no matter the competitive boundaries.
“You see it play out in so many situations where someone is actually risking something to help out another competitor,” said Jerry McKinnis, co-owner of B.A.S.S. “Fishermen and women as a whole have a common bond, and competitors take it to another level.”
These innate friendships have been displayed in the recent disasters caused by hurricanes Harvey and Irma. The Texas and Florida regions, very well known to bass-fishing enthusiast, have been severely damaged.
Not only has B.A.S.S. introduced a fundraising campaign, through the widely-viewed Bassmaster LIVE broadcast, McKinnis has challenged each angler to donate 1percent of their earnings from the Angler of the Year Championship to the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department Employee Relief Fund and the Fish and Wildlife Foundation of Florida. You can find links to both on this page.
“If at all possible B.A.S.S. would like to jump out in front of situations like this. They have not happened since our technology advancements with Bassmaster LIVE.
“It’s our way of giving back, since we are not always able to visit the locations and help the people physically,” he said. “What we can do is a drop in the bucket, and this is our effort to do our part.”
The B.A.S.S. fundraiser for hurricane relief will last all weekend on Bassmaster.com and WatchESPN from 8-11 a.m. and 12:30-3:30 p.m. ET Friday and Sunday.