Following is a release from Bassmaster:

B.A.S.S. Founder Ray Scott, The Father Of Modern Bass Fishing, Has Died

Following is a release from Bassmaster with the ad news about their founder, Ray Scott.

May 9, 2022B.A.S.S. Founder Ray Scott, The Father Of Modern Bass Fishing, Has Died  Ray Scott passed away on Sunday, May 8 at around 11:30 p.m. He died peacefully in his sleep of natural causes. Scott was 88 years old. Scott founded the first national professional bass fishing circuit, the Bassmaster Tournament Trail, in 1967 and the following year founded the Bass Anglers Sportsman Society — B.A.S.S. — which would grow to become the world’s largest fishing organization.  “Our entire organization was saddened to hear about the passing of our founder, Ray Scott,” said Chase Anderson, B.A.S.S. CEO. “Ray’s passion and vision for bass fishing birthed our entire industry more than 50 years ago when he founded B.A.S.S. and started the first professional fishing tournament series. His legacy is felt to this day and continues to influence B.A.S.S., the world’s largest fishing membership organization, which he started in 1968. Ray’s contributions and impact on conservation and his advocacy and passion for anglers and our sport set the standard for tournament fishing and are something we will always strive to uphold. “Our hearts and prayers are with the Scott family.” The bass tournament competition Scott created rewarded anglers who caught the heaviest limits of bass in the three- or four-day events, which served as the proving grounds for rapid advancements in bass boats, outboard engines, fishing tackle, lures and electronics. Everyday anglers began purchasing whatever the bass pros were using, spawning a massive bass fishing industry that today has an economic impact in excess of $125 billion per year and employs more than 800,000 people nationwide. Before Scott began pursuing his dream of organizing America’s bass anglers, the sport was a laid-back, mainly Southern pastime that was largely overlooked by the trout-focused national outdoor media. To serve B.A.S.S. members and to publicize the tournament trail, Scott launched Bassmaster Magazine, which the New York Times described as “the Bible of Bass Fishing,” and which ultimately would be delivered to 650,000 B.A.S.S. members monthly. In 1984, he and then-Bassmaster Editor Bob Cobb created The Bassmasters TV show, which attracted more than 1 million viewers weekly on The Nashville Network. Aired today on Fox Sports, the program is one of the longest-running and most-watched fishing shows in history. Not only did Scott help grow the sport of bass fishing, but he also did more than any other individual to preserve it.In 1972, he debuted the “Don’t Kill Your Catch” campaign and mandated that all tournament competitors’ boats feature an aerated livewell to keep their bass alive.  “I didn’t invent catch and release,” Scott acknowledged, “but we did make it popular in bass fishing, and that changed the sport in so many ways. We preached that a bass is too valuable to be caught only once. We helped fishermen learn how great it felt to catch a 5- or 6-pound bass and then lean over and let it go and watch it swim away, hopefully to be caught again.” As a result, the catch-and-release ethic caught on so well that more than 90% of all bass anglers today release all or most of the bass they catch. Scott and his rapidly growing B.A.S.S. organization also crusaded against the industrial pollution of America’s waterways. In 1970 and ’71, Scott filed some 200 anti-pollution lawsuits, drawing national attention to declining water quality and contributing significantly to passage of the Clean Water Act of 1972. He was an early advocate of bass fisheries research, and he campaigned zealously for passage of the federal Wallop-Breaux Sport Fish Restoration Amendment of 1984. When the bill stalled in Congress, Scott’s friendship with then-Vice President George H.W. Bush helped ensure enactment of the amendment. As a result, approximately $375 million in sportfish restoration allocations are provided annually to state fisheries agencies for management, aquatic education and public access projects. Few individuals have had a more positive impact on boating safety than Scott. Early on, he began requiring tournament competitors to wear personal flotation devices whenever boating, and he convinced manufacturers to make emergency shut-off devices — “kill switches” — standard features on motorboats. In 1994, he was instrumental in passing the comprehensive Boating Safety Reform Act in Alabama, which became the first state to require that boat drivers pass a written exam and obtain a boat operator’s license.  In recognition of his efforts, President Jimmy Carter appointed Scott to the U.S. Coast Guard’s National Boating Safety Advisory Council, and in 2002, he was inducted into the National Boating Safety Hall of Fame. Scott earned numerous other accolades and honors for his contributions to outdoor recreation over the years. Field & Stream Magazine listed Scott — along with President Theodore Roosevelt, environmentalist Rachel Carson and naturalist/conservationist Aldo Leopold — among 20 individuals who most influenced outdoor sports during the 20th century. He was inducted into the inaugural class of the Bass Fishing Hall of Fame in 2001, the International Game Fish Association Hall of Fame in 2004 and the National Freshwater Fishing Hall of Fame in 1987. He was named the 1988 Sport Fisherman of the Year by the Sport Fishing Institute.  The elder President Bush picked Scott as his Alabama state chairman during his 1979-80 presidential campaign, and the two remained good friends and fishing companions throughout Bush’s terms as Vice President and President of the United States. Scott’s was a true rags-to-riches story. He was born in Montgomery, Ala., on Aug. 24, 1933, and grew up there during the depths of the Great Depression. His father operated an ice cream cart and his mother worked as a hairdresser to support the family, which grew to include Ray, his brother and three uncles — all living in a one-bedroom home. Scott contributed to the family treasury by delivering groceries on his bicycle, mowing lawns and selling peanuts at baseball games. Scott suffered from dyslexia, which contributed to his having to repeat eighth grade, but he eventually managed to earn a degree in Business Administration from Auburn University and soon afterward became one of Mutual of New York insurance company’s top salesmen in the Southeast. In recognition of his successes, Scott received the 2003 Horatio Alger Award, which honors the achievements of outstanding Americans who have succeeded in spite of adversity. After a decade in the life insurance business, Scott had a vision that he might be the one to elevate the national profile of bass fishing to be, as he said, “on par with golf” and worthy of television exposure. That year, 1967, he quit his job and began organizing the first major national bass fishing tournament, the All American at Beaver Lake, Ark. The event was successful enough for Scott to begin holding tournaments at other reservoirs in the South and to launch B.A.S.S. and Bassmaster early in 1968. His brainchild, the annual Bassmaster Classic world championship, grew from two dozen competitors and about that many spectators at Lake Mead, Nev., in 1971, to become the biggest event in sportfishing over the next half-century. Today, the Classic and related events such as the Bassmaster Classic Outdoors Expo record more than 100,000 fishing fans each year. He sold B.A.S.S. to an investment group including his executive vice president, Helen Sevier, and other employees in 1986, but he continued to serve as emcee of the Classic for several more years. He later became a consultant and a popular spokesman for numerous companies in the fishing industry, and he launched a successful hunting industry enterprise to market deer feed and related products through his Whitetail Institute. After a half-century of helping to grow and shape the sportfishing industry worldwide, Scott retired to his farm near Pintlala, Ala., where he remained mostly out of the public eye in the years prior to his death. He is survived by his wife Susan and his four children.  I enjoyed bass fishing in Alabama with Ray many years ago and well before he started B.A.S.S. While serving as director of field testing for Garcia, I was able to bring Garcia aboard as an original sponsor, and watch that venture prosper. Ray was the eternal optimist, and the perfect person to build a sportfishing empire while changing the standards of bass fishing from keeping every legal bass to releasing almost all! The northeast wind continues, but is finally decreasing tomorrow afternoon when a small craft warning will come down as northeast winds decrease from 15-20 knots with gusts to 30 down to 10-15. The Golden Eagle from Belmar will resume fishing Friday at 7:30 a.m. As of this morning, the Jamaica from Brielle had two openings on the Friday 10 p.m. tilefish trip. Call 732 528-5014.

Anglers in NY/NJ Bight have had enough of northeast winds, but there’s more to come tomorrow.

The forecast is for 20-25 knots plus gusts to 35. IT CAN’T LAST FOREVER!

An unusually persistent northeaster continues to batter the Mid-Atlantic and New England coasts, and the forecast is for no relief until Wednesday afternoon.

The N.J. coastal forecast is for NE 20-25 knots on Monday plus gusts to 35 and 9-12-foot seas.

Andrea’s Toy released this “big girl” before things got too bad.

There shouldn’t be any need to wait for today’s reports as a high wind warning has been posted up to 5 a.m. Sunday along with a coastal flood advisory through 6 a.m. Sunday.

The marine forecast is for northeast winds at 20-25 knots with gusts to 40 and a 50 percent chance of rain. Even Monday doesn’t look good.

At Brielle, the Paramount has cancelled trips until Friday. They will then sail at 6:30 for ling, cod and flounder before the sea bass season opens on May 17. The Jamaica will open the sea bass season with Marathons by reservation on May 17 and 18.

The Fishermen from Atlantic Highlands got out for stripers Thursday and picked some keepers before making a move that resulted in bigger bass — though five out of seven were over 39 inches and had to be released.

Some charter boats managed to do well with stripers before the weather got too bad on Friday. Andrea’s Toy reports the Al Gret party went through a live well full of bunkers as bass exploded on them. The evening trip produced great surface lure action despite wind and rain.

Capt. John Contello posted this bass release from his Just Sayin out of Highlands.

It wasn’t what Capt. Freddy Gamboa was expecting. but he ended up opening the N.J. shark season in a most unusual fasion.

The target for the Don Beshada party on Andrea’s Toy from Point Pleasant was the first bluefin tuna, but they first dropped for pollock up to 30 pounds on a deep water wreck. Gamboa couldn’t find any water over 49 degrees in the canyon, so they switched to tilefish as Don caught his first at almost 30 pounds on bait before switching to a jig for another — and then a most unusual porbeagle shark that was released. I haven’t heard of a porbeagle in NY/NJ Bight in recent years, though they were spotted decades ago when mackerel schools arrived in the spring.

Chuck Many got into loads of stripers early with Dave Glassberg and Alex Katyan while fishing live bunkers and eels from his Tyman out of Highlands – but they were all from 31 inches up to 38 pounds.

The weekend looks like a northeaster washout. Rain with east gusts to 45 knots tonight becomes northeast at 20-30 knots and gusts to 45 tomorrow.

The Golden Eagle from Belmar saw some stripers on top and had decent readings — but the bass weren’t hitting. Wth a northeaster coming on Saturday, that boat has cancelled trips for the next three mornings.

Rain is in tomorrow’s forecast, though the wind is only southeast at 5-10 knots before going east at 10-15 in the afternoon.

North Jersey fluke fishing got off to a surprisingly good start at a time when waters are still a bit cool for the species. The Prowler 5 from Atlantic Highlands reported their opening trip on May 4 produced multiple limits as everyone caught fluke.

With the new fluke regs in place for New Jersey, description of the catch has changed. It’s the slot fish between 17 and 18 inches which are providing most of the catch, but they are being referred to as slots while the “keeper” designation is reserved for the one of 18 inches or more which is part of the legal bag. There are a couple of exceptions to the fluke. rules. The limit in Delaware Bay is three at a 17-inch minimum. Surfcasters at Island Beach State Park can catch two 16-inchers plus one at 18 inches or more.

The Sea Tiger II from Atlantic Highlands had a boat limit of keepers on the Tuesday morning trip as well as some slots and shorts.

The Fishermen from that port is sticking with striper fishing , but Tuesday morning was poor with a lack of readings — though there was a shot of surface action. Capt. Ron Santee took a day off due to the rain forecast but will be back at it tomorrow — as will the Golden Eagle from Belmar.

The Mimi VI from Pt. Pleasant is making some special open by reservation trips this month, including bottom fishing on May 9, 13 and 14. Call 732 370-8019.

The marine forecast is for north winds at 10-15 knots with gusts to 20 before dropping to 5-10 in the afternoon.

The NMFS has issued bluefin tuna regulations that will provide anglers with a shot at reasonable landings from expensive offshore trips.

provides

Those boaters with Angling category permits will be able to boat two school bluefins from 27 to less than 47 inches plus one large school or small medium from 47 to less than 73 inches.

The Charter category provides three school tuna plus one large school or small medium. Headboats are allowed six school tuna and two of the mediums.

These regs become effective on May 6. It’s too bad they weren’t posted earlier, because the Jamaica from Brielle was “pestered” by school bluefins during their first tilefish trip on April 23. They were only allowed to keep one at that time and had to release others that hit diamond jigs and tilefish rigs. The Jamaica was also covered up by dogfish on that trip before making a move. A few fluke also had to be released after being hooked in the canyon depths. Call 732 528-5014 for info on upcoming tilefish trips.

Opening day fluking was better than expected on the half-day Sea Tiger II from Atlantic Highlands. One angler even managed a limit with two slots and one over 18 inches.

Bob Mathews reports from Fisherman’s den in Belmar Marina that the slot is producing legal fluke on his rental boats as well as for anglers casting from the L Street pier/

There is a 70% chance of showers tonight. They may continue into the morning, but winds tomorrow are only predicted to be northeast at 5-10 knots.

I’m sure it was a different situation in South Jersey, but I didn’t get any reports today as the NJ season opened today.

Northern waters remain cold, but there should be action drifting off the Bug Light to the Coast Guard Station in Sandy Hook Bay. Tomorrow’s forecast of northeast winds at 5-10 knots is fine for that on the flood.

Nick from Monmouth County reported that he fished his local surf Saturday morning without a hit on clams and jumbo bloodworms — but went back Sunday in the light east wind as worms produced stripers of 33, 27 and 25 inches plus two schoolies.

After good reports Saturday, it looked promising in good weather today for Raritan Bay area stripers. However, the results didn’t meet expectations.\

Capt. Ron Santee didn’t find readings where he had them yesterday on his Fishermen from Atlantic Highlands, and only got into some bass at another spot that looked better. A couple of “big girls” were also released. Santee noted that the boat traffic was the worst he’s seen in his long career.

The Golden Eagle from Belmar reported reading lots of stripers, but they weren’t hitting and not enough were caught for the crowd aboard.