Here's Bass Contest for the Ages

Ray Scott's Senior Bass Tournament
to Benefit Pintlala School.
George Bush to fish
May 18th event…

PINTLALA, Alabama - What's a country schoolhouse and a bass fisherman got in common?

"Playing hooky to go fishin' used to be a common thing in growing up," says Ray Scott, who still believes there's a little bit of Tom Sawyer in everyone and "goin' fishing ain't all bad."

Scott, the founder of the Bass Anglers Sportsman Society (B.A.S.S.), the world's largest fishing organization, is taking a page from Mark Twain's boyhood character and "going to get my friends to help paint my fence."

Instead of whitewashing a picket fence, Scott is organizing a senior age bass fishing tournament to benefit the Pintlala Elementary School educational needs.

"Unless you've been housed in a cave," says Scott, "the pending forced cutting through proration of educational budgets is in the news headlines every day. Teachers and their students are going to get the short end of the stick."

As an example, Scott says teachers at the cross roads country school in Pintlala, where 200 students in grades one to six attend, "something as common as paper clips are in short supply."

Scott is sending out invitations to over 100 of the country's best known "living legends" of bass fishing to fish the Eagles of Angling Senior Bass Tournament, May 18th at his 55-acre lake, located about one mile from the Pintlala school yard.

Thirty-four years ago Scott sent out the call to bass fishermen to fish his first All-American Invitational Bass Tournament at Beaver Lake, Arkansas. The 106 fishermen, who answered, started a ripple in the fishing industry that swelled the sport to a tidal wave.

"A lot of those old-timers have been asking me to do something for the seniors, like the PGA did for golfers," said Scott. "This isn't exactly a tournament trail, but we're going to fish for fun and for a very worthwhile cause."

In 1967 Scott's idea of a professional bass fishing tournament was greeted with lukewarm feelings by many. His invitation to participate in the Senior's Eagles of Angling is a hot ticket.

"We've got the No. 1 senior bass angler in the country coming to fish," says Scott. "George Bush called and said 'save me a fishing spot'." As former President of the country, George Bush, a lifetime member of B.A.S.S., fished alongside Scott on trips to the Montgomery County ranch. "Mr. Bush is an avid bass fisherman," notes Scott, "but he's taking time from his busy schedule to show his support for our educational needs."

Scott is well-known for fulfilling needs in the Pintlala community. His "Eagles of Angling" tournaments in the mid-1990s raised over a million dollars to fund the building of the Pintlala Baptist Church. "We're not going to build a new school house, although the Pintlala School has to use four metal tin cans to conduct classes," explains Scott, "but we can provide the needed tools for teachers to carry out their jobs."

Scott's Senior Bass Tournament will be different - if not unique - in more ways than the qualifying age of 62 years or older to participate. Fishing will be from the shoreline only. The contestants will be restricted to using four-pound test line only. "STREN's Original Clear/Blue fluorescent has been selected as the official line of the Senior's Bass Tournament," said Scott. "Everyone will be fishing with the same four-pound test STREN® monofilament."

"In most fishing tournaments, you want to catch the biggest fish," says Scott. "In our senior's competition, only bass 12 inches and smaller will be weighed. All larger bass will be released immediately."

Anglers will fish from designated, numbered fishing posts, draw for starting positions and be rotated to different locations in the four-hour fishing tournament.

The entry fee is $500. "We're going to award a $5,000 first prize for the heaviest creel to make things interesting, but the big winner will be the Pintlala school students," opined Scott.

Only artificial lures will be permitted. Each angler will have the assistance of a "caddy."

"The caddy can tie on lures, pick out backlashes and be useful in helping the angler move from fishing areas, but will not fish or help land the bass," explained Scott.

June 7th will mark the 34th anniversary of Scott's first All-American tournament experiment at Springdale, Arkansas and the birth of play-for-pay pro fishing.

"Stan Sloan says it doesn't seem like that long ago he won the tournament, but wants to try to win another time," says Scott. Sloan of Sparta, Tennessee will be among a star-studded list of bassin' greats to compete here.

All-time B.A.S.S. record holder Blake Honeycutt of Hickory, North Carolina views the "small bass" size tournament with mixed emotions. Honeycutt owns the total weight record for a B.A.S.S. tournament of 138-pounds, 6-ounces set in July 10-12, 1969 at Lake Eufaula on the Alabama-Georgia border. "From the rules for keeping only 12-inch bass, I don't think there's any danger of seeing my record erased," laughed the 71-year old Honeycutt.

Jimmy Holt, the former outdoor editor of The Nashville Tennessean, recalls the first Scott tournament. Holt is a pre-tournament favorite for the Senior's event based on his tournament experience.

"At that first All-American in the rules, I didn't have a size limit restriction," remembers Scott. "Jimmy Holt weighed-in a 10-bass limit and had them strung on his shoe lace. They weighed just over 1-pound, 13-ounces. Holt's definitely in his element in this Senior's competition."

Scott says he expects the 100-angler limit field to fill quickly. "I've talked to several of the Tournament Trail's greatest pros - like Classic champion Don Butler of Langley, Oklahoma, and the legendary Tom Mann of Eufaula - who say they wouldn't miss this gathering of Angling Eagles."

"If there's any other old birds out there we've missed contacting," Scott says, "give us a call." He invites his former Bassmaster anglers over the 62-year old limit to telephone him at 334-281-3661 for entry details. The tournament entry deadline is midnight May 11, 2001.