A World Not Many People Know About

History of the bass fishing world

How the bass fishing industry came to be and how it is today

Ever since the dawn of time man has had to eat food for survival, including fish. So fishing came natural to most of mankind and it hasn’t stopped since. Now a ’days bass fishing is growing in popularity and it is not going to stop anytime soon. From the Bassmaster classic to weekend warriors, people are getting out to fish for this trophy animal. But now many people know how this sport has come to such popularity.

The history goes back to 1770 when British reel maker Onesimus Ustonson advertises the first multiplying reels, which would become the forerunners of today’s baitcaster. As 1791 rolls around the Indians are seen fishing for bass. This is the earliest known account of someone fishing in for bass in North America. Between 1890 and 1910 the levelwind for the baitcaster is invented and the 1-5 horse evinrude engines are born. In the late 30’s monofilament line was invented. Which is one of the most common lines used in today’s fishing industry. 1949 comes and fiberglass rods finally see light and were created. These rods have been perfected over the years to be extremely durable yet light.  The jelly worm which is the best-selling worm ever made was created in 1967 and continues to this day to produce monster bass. The major event to occur was in 1971 when John Morris borrows $10,000 to put lures in his dad’s grocery store. Three years later the first Bass Pro magazine was sent out. Bass Pro has grown into the #1 fishing store in the country.

George Perry with his fish 

The history keeping of the record bass has been a fairly quiet since 1932 when a 19 year old farm boy named George W. Perry caught arguable America’s most famous fish. A 22lb 4ounce behemoth was caught in Montgomery Lake. It was 32.5 inches long and had a girth of 28.5 inches. (a long lost photo) However, on July 2, 2009 when Manabu Kurita of Japan was fishing in Lake Biwa he caught a fish that tied the record of 22lb 4ounces.(A long lost photo) But since the fish has to be at least 2 ounces bigger to become the official world record George Perry’s fish still remains as the initial world record. But people are saying this record is soon to be shattered in the near future, but by whom… a weekend fisherman for fun or a pro of the Bassmaster circuit?

The Bassmaster’s and the FLW have to be the two top bass fishing competitions in the country. The Bassmaster was started by a man named Ray Scott, the “father” of competitive bass fishing. First held in 1969, now professionals like Kevin Van Dam (A Michigan Native), Rick Clunn, Skeet Reese, and Mike Iaconelli are just some of the top competitors in the circuit. There is 12 competitions in the Bassmaster’s in which the top 50 anglers from around the world compete for major cash prizes. The biggest tournament of them all is the Bassmaster classic which the winner takes home a cash prize of 500,000. On the other hand there is the walmart FLW tour named after Forrest L. Wood of ranger boats. The top cash prize in this series of competitions is $1 Million. Both of these two series is nationally televised on big networks like FOX sports and ESPN.

Work Cited page

"Bass History - A Chronological View." Bass History - A Chronological View. N.p., n.d. Web. 04 Apr. 2014. http://www.landbigfish.com/articles/default.cfm?ID=1819

"Bass Fishing." Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation, 30 Mar. 2014. Web. 04 Apr. 2014. <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bass_fishing>.

"FISHING LEAGUE WORLDWIDE." FLW: History of FLW. N.p., n.d. Web. 04 Apr. 2014. <http://www.flwoutdoors.com/about-us/history-of-flw/>.

"A Long-Lost Photo of George Perry and His World Record Bass? | Field & Stream." Field & Stream. N.p., n.d. Web. 04 Apr. 2014. <http://www.fieldandstream.com/blogs/field-notes/2013/06/has-long-lost-photo-george-perry-and-his-world-record-bass-surfaced