Ray Scott, the "Bass Boss"
Weighmaster for Mississippi River
Easter Seals Benefit Tournament

27th annual Mississippi Valley
Bass Club's Event Set for Albany Landing…

ALBANY, Illinois - Ray Scott, the man who changed bass fishing from a weekend recreation to a big-time cast-for-cash sport, will be the official weighmaster for the 27th annual Mississippi Valley Bass Club's Easter Seals Open Buddy Bass Tournament.

The tournament, scheduled for August 25th, will be fished out of the Albany Landing access area at Albany, Illinois on Pool No. 14 on the Mississippi River.

"We're excited about having a well-known bass tournament icon-like Ray Scott-as our weighmaster and tournament emcee," said Jeff Roman, tournament co-chairman. "With Ray Scott on stage, we're expecting a big turnout of fishing fans and anglers, all for a worthwhile cause, to benefit the Crippled Children's Fund of the Easter Seals Association."

Scott, known as the "Bass Boss" and the founder of the Bass Anglers Sportsman Society (B.A.S.S.), will be on hand as a representative of Triton Boats, Mercury Outboards, MotorGuide trolling motors and SOSPENDERS, the U.S. Coast Guard approved inflatable life vest by Sporting Lives, Inc.

"Last year, our new open buddy format attracted 100 boats and 200 anglers," said Roman, who along with Gary Schutt is co-chairman for the popular benefit tournament. "We raised $10,065 to benefit the Crippled Children's Fund and we're optimistic we can beat that total this time."

Entry fee is $100 per boat. The two-angler team will be allowed to weigh-in five bass with a minimum size limit of 14 inches. Competitors will be permitted to lock into Pool No. 13.

"That's been the hot pool on the river," according to Roman. "We'll have designated lock times, set up with the Corps of Engineers lockmaster, to cut down on waiting in locking."

The first place purse is a guarantee of $3,000 with the top 15 finishers figuring in the payback. Also, awards will be given for the top three "big bass" and a special roadrunner award for the team traveling the longest distance. "Last year, we had entries from Texas, Kentucky and Indiana," Roman said.

For entry information, contact Jeff Roman at (309) 936-7353 or Gary Schutt at (309) 441-5177.

"As a security safeguard for the buddy tournament format," points out Roman, "we're requiring a polygraph examination following the weigh-in. We'll have a certified polygraph expert test the first-place team, another team selected at random and big bass winner. Everyone entered will agree to take a polygraph test."

Roman adds, "We had a situation last year, an ugly incident with fish in a cage, and fortunately we found out about the unsportsmanlike conduct. We want to assure tournament entrants that we're going to play by the rules and guarantee everyone a fair chance to win."

Roman says, "Getting Ray Scott to serve as the tournament weighmaster had one clear stipulation. And, that's the use of the polygraph lie-detector test to make sure there's no questions or uncertainty about the winning weights."

Scott of Pintlala, Alabama single-handedly launched the bass tournament craze in 1967 with the All-American Invitational Bass Tournament at Beaver Lake, Arkansas. Scott's first tournament attracted 106 fishermen from 13 states and spawned the organization of the Bass Anglers Sportsman Society (B.A.S.S.) that climbed to over 650,000 anglers worldwide. Scott's BASS Masters Classic, the world championship of professional fishing, has reached the status of "Super Bowl of Fishing." The winner of The Classic has a potential windfall of one-million dollars in endorsements and appearances as a result of the growing popularity of the bass fishing sport.

"Ray's been on the big stage, at the Classic, with over 20,000 fans in the stands and had the house rocking," says Jeff Roman. "He enjoys the excitement of a Tournament weigh-in, and will entertain the crowd and provide a big draw for our Easter Seals benefit tournament. We'll start to weigh-in at 3 p.m. (August 25) at the
Albany Landing."

Scott's building of the bass fishing sport is told in Bass Boss, a 365-page biography
written by Robert H. Boyle, a Sports Illustrated writer. The inspirational account is an insider's look at the personalities, the pro fishermen, the technology and events that shaped the growth of today's modern sport of bass fishing.

Rarely has one individual had such an impact on an industry. FIELD & STREAM magazine named Ray Scott as "one of the twenty most influential outdoor Americans of the 20th century." A place alongside Theodore Roosevelt, Rachel Carson, and Aldo Leopold.

Prior to the weigh-in, Scott will be available to sign autographs and will offer copies of his Bass Boss book and sign copies. For information on how-to order Bass Boss by mail call 1-800-518-7222.

As the innovator of play-for-pay, Scott wrote the "rules" for bass tournament competition. For the most part, his first set of rules are the "standards" by which all bass tournaments are conducted today.

Scott's concern for fairness and play-by-the-rules made his B.A.S.S. tournaments: the "Test of the Best." Scott's strict code of conduct and his constant concern for policing the rules is told in the chapter, "The Cheater," in his biography Bass Boss, when a tournament cheat is caught.

Other photos are available at  http://www.rayscott.net/news/nrphotos