The Weekend Bass Series Championship has been renamed the Ray Scott Championship, announced American Bass Anglers officials who conducts the largest and most prestigious tournament trail for weekend anglers. “I am both honored and humbled that this great weekend angler championship will be named after me,” said Scott, a bass fishing legend. “My heart has always been with the weekend bass angler from the very first days of this great sport. I like the format used in the Weekend Bass Series because it really tests the mettle of the angler in fair and honest competition and it will be exciting to watch the best anglers rise to the top and take this championship.”
Most people know Ray Scott as the founder of the Bass Anglers Sportsman Society and for his involvement with promoting professional bass fishing over the past 45 years. However, he has also been honored many times for his influential work in conservation, boating safety and the fishing environment. He received the prestigious Horatio Alger award and was named by Field and Stream magazine as one of “Twenty Who Have Made a Difference” in the American outdoors during the 20th century along with people like Theodore Roosevelt and Aldo Leopold.
“Ray Scott is a true living legend who created B.A.S.S. and the sport of bass fishing as we know it today,” said Morris Sheehan, president of American Bass Anglers, Inc. “We are extremely excited to have him in this position. Ray has been a very strong supporter of ABA and will serve as the official spokesman for ABA activities. He will do personal appearances on behalf of ABA and membership promotions throughout the year. This will be the most prestigious award ever given in bass fishing history. It is exciting that the first-ever Ray Scott Championship will crown the best weekend bass angler in the country in Ray’s home state.”
Set for Nov. 12-15, 2014, the first Ray Scott Championship will be held on Wheeler Lake in Decatur, Ala. The no-entry fee championship will be awarded to the first-ever Ray Scott Champion. The Boater Division winner will receive $100,000 in cash and possibly more than $100,000 in contingency bonus money from sponsors. The Co-Angler Division champion will also win a big payout including $50,000 in cash and possibly more than $50,000 in contingency bonus money from sponsors.
As a special Ray Scott Championship bonus, the Boater Division and Co-Angler Division champions will each receive entry fees and sponsorship into the one of two professional bass fishing series of the angler’s choice. The sponsorship includes entry fees into three professional events and sponsorship support. This sponsorship will put the champion within striking distance of one of two professional bass fishing championships.
The Weekend Bass Series’ 2014 season kicks off on Lake Murray near Columbia, S.C. on Jan. 18, 2014. The anglers will run out of Dreher Island State Park, located at 3677 State Park Road in Prosperity, S.C. For more information about the Weekend Bass Series or the Ray Scott Championship, visit www.weekendseries.com
About American Bass Anglers:
The Weekend Bass Series provides weekend anglers a professionally operated competitive tour with a path to professional bass fishing. American Bass Anglers commitment is to provide low-cost, close-to-home tournaments for the weekend angler and at the same time offer each competitor an upward path for individual angler progression. For more information about American Bass Anglers and the American Fishing Tour, The Weekend Bass Series, the American Couples Series or the annual Military Team Bass Tournament, visit www.americanbassanglers.com. For more information about Ray Scott and the history of bass fishing, visit www.rayscottbassretreat.com.
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