The Bassmaster Classic (known as the Bass Pro Shops Bassmaster Classic for sponsorship reasons) is a tournament in the sport of professional

bass fishing Bass fishing is the recreational fishing activity, typically via rod-based angling, for various North American freshwater game fishes known collectively as '' black bass''.Henshall, James A. (Dr.), ''Book of the Black Bass'', Cincinnati, OH: R ...

, organized by the

Bass Anglers Sportsman Society The Bass Anglers Sportsman Society (B.A.S.S.) is a fishing membership organization with more than a half a million members. It is geared toward bass fishermen, mainly in the United States but with members located worldwide. The society publishe ...

. It was first held in 1971 on

Lake Mead Lake Mead is a reservoir formed by the Hoover Dam on the Colorado River in the Southwestern United States. It is located in the states of Nevada and Arizona, east of Las Vegas. It is the largest reservoir in the US in terms of water capacity. L ...

Nevada Nevada ( ; ) is a landlocked state in the Western United States. It borders Oregon to the northwest, Idaho to the northeast, California to the west, Arizona to the southeast, and Utah to the east. Nevada is the seventh-most extensive, th ...

. Originally it was a fall event, (1971-1983) but it switched to a summer event in 1984 and then to a late winter event in 2006.

Rick Clunn Rick Clunn (born July 24, 1946) is a professional bass fisherman. Biography Clunn was born July 24, 1946 in Missouri. He began fishing professionally in his 20's. Clunn has won the Bassmaster Classic tournament four times, in 1976, 1977, 198 ...

and

Kevin VanDam Kevin VanDam (born October 14, 1967), often called simply "KVD," is a professional bass fisherman from Otsego, Michigan. He is the all-time money winner in professional bass fishing, having earned $7,089,388 through August 2022 according to Majo ...

have each won the event four times. Jordan Lee, Bobby Murray,

Hank Parker Hank Parker Sr. (born March 26, 1953) is an American professional bass fisherman. Parker is a native of Maiden, North Carolina. Fishing career In 1979 and 1989, Parker won two Bassmaster Classic tournaments, the biggest event in bass fishing. He ...

, George Cochran and Hank Cherry have each won twice. First-place money has grown from $10,000 in 1971 to $500,000 in 2006; it was reduced to $300,000 in 2014.2014 Bassmaster Classic results
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History

In 1968, Ray Scott officially formed and incorporated the Bass Anglers Sportsman Society (B.A.S.S.). Don Butler from Oklahoma would become the first B.A.S.S. member after paying Ray Scott $100 for a lifetime membership. The first ever Bassmaster Magazine would also be published in the same year.

Rules and procedures

The field has ranged from 24 to 61 anglers. The 2009 competition included women for the first time. 2010 was the last year for women to be given a specific Classic spot. As in previous years, they now have to earn a spot via the Opens or, qualify for the Bassmaster Elite Series and have enough success to gain a spot to the Classic. The Bassmaster College Series, B.A.S.S. Nation and the Team Championship also offer paths to the Classic. The Bassmaster Classic takes place over three days. All fish are caught under catch-and-release rules, must measure at least 12 inches (or as that state law requires), and must be alive at the time they are presented for

weigh-in In boxing, a weight class is a measurement weight range for boxers. The lower limit of a weight class is equal to the upper weight limit of the class below it. The top class, with no upper limit, is called heavyweight in professional boxing an ...

or a penalty will be assessed. There is a cut after the second day, in which only the 25 top anglers, based on total weight, advance to the third day. The highest total weight after three days wins the competition. Contestants can only fish in specified areas at the competition venue. This is usually a

lake A lake is often a naturally occurring, relatively large and fixed body of water on or near the Earth's surface. It is localized in a basin or interconnected basins surrounded by dry land. Lakes lie completely on land and are separate from ...

, but the 1980 Classic was held on the Saint Lawrence River out of Alexandria Bay, NY, the 2005 competition was held at Three Rivers (

Allegheny River The Allegheny River ( ; ; ) is a tributary of the Ohio River that is located in western Pennsylvania and New York (state), New York in the United States. It runs from its headwaters just below the middle of Pennsylvania's northern border, nor ...

and

Monongahela River The Monongahela River ( , ), sometimes referred to locally as the Mon (), is a U.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography Dataset high-resolution flowline dataThe National Map accessed August 15, 2011 river on the Allegheny Plateau in nor ...

which forms the

Ohio River The Ohio River () is a river in the United States. It is located at the boundary of the Midwestern and Southern United States, flowing in a southwesterly direction from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, to its river mouth, mouth on the Mississippi Riv ...

) in

Pittsburgh Pittsburgh ( ) is a city in Allegheny County, Pennsylvania, United States, and its county seat. It is the List of municipalities in Pennsylvania#Municipalities, second-most populous city in Pennsylvania (after Philadelphia) and the List of Un ...

, with some competitors using tributaries such as the Beaver River and

Youghiogheny River The Youghiogheny River ( ), or the Yough ( ) for short, is a U.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography Dataset high-resolution flowline dataThe National Map accessed August 15, 2011 tributary of the Monongahela River in West Virginia, Maryla ...

miles from the confluence. In 2009 and 2012 the Classic used a 100-mile stretch of the Red River in

Shreveport, Louisiana Shreveport ( ) is a city in the U.S. state of Louisiana. It is the List of municipalities in Louisiana, third-most populous city in Louisiana after New Orleans and Baton Rouge, Louisiana, Baton Rouge. The bulk of Shreveport is in Caddo Parish, Lo ...

. In 2011, the Classic was held on the Louisiana Delta. The Classic venue continues to change from year to year, but tends to revisit prior Classic sites as well. From its inception to 1976, the Classic was held at a "mystery lake," unknown to competitors until they were aboard an aircraft bound for the site. Founder Ray Scott changed the practice for the 1977 Classic, announcing the site in advance so that fans of the sport could plan ahead to attend.

Live Scope

The debate of the tool known as "Live Scope" has been a controversial topic since its introduction. Up until 2015, anglers would have to use traditional sonar, local charts, and traditional fishing methods such as 'flippin' and pitching to locate and catch fish. In 2015 however
Garmin
an American technology company, developed the first live scanning sonar. This new technology, known as live scope, would sweep the bass fishing world by storm allowing anglers to watch the fish strike their bait in real time. Live scope made sonar, underwater charts, and traditional fishing methods obsolete as you could watch everything happing underwater on a high resolution screen. In 2021, live scope was used in the Bassmaster Classic for the first time. The anglers who used it would go on to consistently be top performers at the event. Bassmaster anlger Jason Christie would go on to say "It was the easiest fishing I’d ever had in my life". The success of live scope would go on to spark many debates on whether contestants should be allowed to use such a tool. Many anglers advocate for it, but just as many hope it will be banned. Before the 2025 season, B.A.S.S was pressured into making a decision on the application of live scope. On September 4th, B.A.S.S released a statement explaining that live scope would not be banned. Instead, all anglers participating in the Bassmaster Elite Series and contenders for the Bass Pro Shops Bassmaster Classic, would be forced to follow equipment standardization rules. These rules would implement significant guidelines on what and how much technology can be used in the event.

Past Winners

Record Book

* Largest Bass Caught: 11-10, Preston Clark, Toho, FL 2006 * Heaviest Venue Total Weight: 76-15, Easton Fothergill, Lake Ray Roberts, TX 2025 * Heaviest Total Weight: 76-15, Easton Fothergill, Lake Ray Roberts, Fort Worth, TX, 2025 *Lowest Total Winning Weight: 12-15. Kevin Van Dam, Three Rivers, PA 2005 * Heaviest Single Day Weight: 32-3, Paul Mueller, Guntersville, AL 2014 * Most Bassmaster Classic Wins: 4,

, 1976, 1977, 1984, 1990 / 4,

, 2001, 2005, 2010, 2011 * Most Top 5 Classic Finishes: 11,

* Most Consecutive Classic Appearances: 28,

, 1974-2001 * Most Second Place Finishes: 4,

Aaron Martens According to the Old Testament of the Bible, Aaron ( or ) was an Israelite prophet, a high priest, and the elder brother of Moses. Information about Aaron comes exclusively from religious texts, such as the Hebrew Bible, the New Testament ( ...

, 2002, 2004, 2005, 2011 * Largest Final Day Comeback: 13-14 deficit, Jordan Lee, Conroe, TX 2017

References

External links

Bassmaster Classic 2008 Update Venue

BASS official site

2007 Classic qualifiers

2008 Classic update

2008 Classic update

Bassmaster Classic Timeline
{{fisheries and fishing Fishing tournaments Professional sports leagues in the United States 1971 establishments in the United States Recurring sporting events established in 1971