Lake Winnipesaukee to host TBF Eastern Divisional

Seven state teams to compete Sept. 17-19

CENTER HARBOR, N.H. — The Bass Federation 2008 Eastern Divisional Championship will be held on Lake Winnipesaukee in Center Harbor, N.H., Sept. 17-19. As many as 84 competitors representing seven Eastern Division states – Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New York, Virginia and West Virginia – are expected to compete in the tournament.

The public is invited to the Silver Sands Marina located in Gilford, N.H., to watch the takeoffs and weigh-ins at 6:30 a.m. and 2:30 p.m., respectively. Admission is free.

Anglers will compete both individually and as state teams in an effort to qualify for the prestigious 2009 TBF National Championship presented by the National Guard. The top three state teams will be awarded trophies and cash prizes. The angler with the heaviest three-day weight will also earn a $500 Wal-Mart gift card as the Castrol Maximum Performer.

Each state team is made up of 12 anglers, and the top-finishing angler from each team will advance to the 2009 TBF National Championship presented by the National Guard as a boater. The No. 2 competitor from each state team will advance to the National Championship as a co-angler.

TBF National Championship anglers will compete for a share of more than $200,000 in cash and merchandise, including a $100,000 “Living the Dream” prize package with use of a wrapped Chevy truck and Ranger boat powered by Evinrude or Yamaha, sponsor merchandise and paid entry fees into the Wal-Mart FLW Tour or Wal-Mart FLW Series. The top boater and co-angler from each of the TBF’s six divisions at the National Championship will receive a berth into the $1 million BFL All-American presented by Chevy, where boaters compete for a top award of $140,000 and co-anglers cast for a top award of $70,000. The winning boater and co-angler at the TBF National Championship will also advance to the $2 million Forrest Wood Cup presented by BP/Castrol, where pros compete for a top award of $1 million and co-anglers fish for a top award of $50,000.

In TBF Divisional Championship competition, anglers are randomly paired each day and share control of the boat throughout the day.

Official practice for the TBF Eastern Divisional Championship begins at daylight Sept. 14 and continues through 2 p.m. Sept. 16.

Coverage of the TBF National Championship will be broadcast to 81 million FSN (Fox Sports Net) subscribers in the United States as part of the “FLW Outdoors” television series. “FLW Outdoors” is also broadcast in Canada on WFN (World Fishing Network) and to more than 429 million households in the United Kingdom, Europe, Russia, Australia, Africa, Asia, and the Middle East through a distribution agreement with Matchroom Sport, making it the most widely distributed fishing program in the world. The program airs Sunday mornings at 11 Eastern time in most markets. Check local listings for times in your area.

The Bass Federation Inc. (TBF) is owned by those it serves and is dedicated to the sport of fishing. TBF affiliated state federations and their member clubs conduct more than 20,000 fishing, youth and conservation events at the local level each year and have provided the foundation for the entire bass-fishing industry for more than 30 years. For more information about The Bass Federation, visit bassfederation.com or call (580) 765-9031.

FLW Outdoors, named after Forrest L. Wood, the legendary founder of Ranger Boats, is the largest fishing tournament organization in the world. In 2008 alone the organization is offering more than 90,000 anglers the chance to win over $40 million through 230 tournaments in 10 circuits targeting bass, walleye, redfish, kingfish and striped bass. FLW Outdoors is also taking fishing mainstream with the largest cash awards in the history of fantasy sports, $7.3 million.

National Guard Junior World Championship Starts Tomorrow!

Best young anglers in the world set to compete.

For Immediate Release – August 14, 2008

Columbia, SC.

The top two anglers from each of the TBF’s State Federations Junior Angler program converged on Columbia, SC today to vie for the title of “Junior World Champions” and their share of over $40,000.00 in scholarship money and youth program grants.

Anglers from two age group, 11-14 and 15-18 will make up the field of 78 TBF Junior state champions that competed locally in their home state, finished as the top anglers there and earned a spot in the worlds most prestigious youth outdoors event, the National Guard Junior World Championship.

It is hard to tell who is more nervous, the TBF Junior anglers or their parents, but after a full day today, they are all ready to start fishing.

The contender’s day started out with a sponsor welcome where TBF sponsors “loaded up” the junior anglers with a small mountain of goodies for them to take home. Then it was off to a group of seminars for the kids. At a luncheon today the Junior anglers met their FLW Tour Pro angler partners, attended the FLW Family Fun Zone with them and set their game plans for Fridays competition day on nearby Lake Monticello. The juniors will weigh-in Friday at Columbia’s

Junior Anglers with National Guard Pro Team Member Jonathan Newton

Junior Anglers with National Guard Pro Team Member Jonathan Newton

downtown Colonial Center Arena, on the Forrest Wood Cup main stage. You can catch the action live on the internet at 2:30pm EST by logging on to www.flwoutdoors.com and click on FLW LIVE.

If you are in the surrounding Columbia, SC area, come out and cheer the TBF Juniors anglers on in person at the Colonial Center Arena. Admission to all activities, including the FLW Family Fun Zone, the National Guard Junior Anglers World Championship, and the Forrest Wood Cup weigh-ins are free to the public each day.

Colorado TBF/FLW Members Step up on Fathers Day

By Dave Kooser

With a large portion of our military deployed overseas, Fathers Day can take on a solemn meaning when a child whose outdoor mentor is absent reflects back on Fathers Days of past. Hence a program Dave Kooser (Colorado TBF member and Colorado Walleye Association Chapter Director) started the summer of 2006.

This year Colorado TBF and Colorado Walleye Association members plus volunteers from other fishing clubs took 58 Ft. Carson Army children out fishing on Pueblo Reservoir the weekend of Fathers Day. Joining the 58 children were an additional 36 Army parents, some being soldiers who recently returned from their deployment.

The armada of 38 volunteer boats was launched June 14th and guided the children to walleye, largemouth, smallmouth and spotted bass as well as yellow perch, bluegill. All boats caught fish. This outing for some of the children was their first time on a boat and the volunteers were more than happy to just cruise around the lake and let the kids enjoy a boat ride.

Said SFC Jon Spiller at the opening ceremony, ” It touches us (deployed soldiers) deeply that our families are being cared for while we are deployed.” He also expressed his appreciation to the sponsors of the event as well as the volunteers. Jon, his wife Kris and their three children attended the first event in 2006. Shortly thereafter Jon was deployed to Iraq. His family took advantage of the 2007 event with him in Iraq. With the grace of god, Jon was able to return safely to fish again with his only son on TBF member Sam Heckman’s boat.

Without the sponsors this program would not be possible. A special thanks goes out to Colorado State Parks, Zebco, Gander Mountain, Ferguson Pontiac, Tracker Boats, Sportsman’s Warehouse, Mack’s Lure, Walleye Central, Bass Pro, Outlaw Bait and Tackle, Pump It Up, Coke, Little Caesar’s, Wells Fargo, Baja Broadband, Ft. Carson MWR, Ft. Carson Outdoor Recreation, Colorado Walleye Association and Colorado TBF and FLW and the National Guard.

New College Bass Fishing Plan Designed for Sport’s Future

SAN ANTONIO, Texas (June 24, 2008) – Officials from Careco Multimedia, The Bass Federation Inc. and VERSUS today announced plans for the new Association of Collegiate Anglers Bass Fishing Series (CBFS) designed to establish the sport as a long-term, sustainable activity. The series, featuring 13 half-hour shows, is produced by Careco Multimedia and will air weekend mornings on VERSUS beginning July 2009.

Recently, The Bass Federation (TBF) formed the Association of Collegiate Anglers (ACA) using its own structure as the foundation, where clubs become associated through membership and obtain benefits. The purpose of ACA is to support every aspect of college bass fishing from developing new clubs to sanctioning events to qualifying championship contenders. The Bass Federation, with nearly 30,000 members among 47 states, is the nation’s oldest and largest organized fishing group.

“While we’re excited to see all the interest in college bass fishing, this program differs by having a student membership organization, the ACA, serving as its presenting sponsor and governing body,” said Wade Middleton, Careco general manager and a person recognized throughout the outdoor industry as being a formidable force behind today’s college bass movement. “Student anglers must have a role in where college fishing goes.”

Middleton added, “Here teams can advance through qualifying regional events to a championship where they compete head-to-head on a level playing field for top bragging rights. There’s nothing like college rivalries, and partnering with VERSUS now gives the teams a stage to showcase their skills on national television.”

Teams can earn their way into the new series’ championship through top finishes in official qualifying events. Some of these will be hosted by CBFS and others by college fishing clubs, but all are sanctioned by ACA. The events are open to active members of school-recognized fishing clubs and who are taking at least 12 credit hours while maintaining a GPA of 2.0 or higher. Event participants are not required to be ACA members, but for a school club to host a sanctioned qualifying event, it must belong to ACA.

It is anticipated that more than 600 college anglers, representing approximately 120 college fishing programs, will compete in the 2009 CBFS qualifiers to vie for the 40 two-person-team spots available in the CBFS Championship. Among the total prizes are $35,000 in scholarships, to be distributed among the top five teams. As a general rule, college fishing events have either no entry fees or ones that are minimal. A team consists of two anglers fishing from the same boat, and they are responsible for full operation of the boat.

“These college anglers are competing because they love to fish and they want to get to the championship to represent their school,” explained TBF president Robert Cartlidge. “Sure, they like to win prizes, but their ultimate goal is to have a shot at the national title, plus some of the scholarships. Winners also get a berth in TBF’s National Championship.”

Officials at BoatU.S., a prominent sponsor of college bass fishing for the past few years, say they see the new series being an evolutionary step for the sport. “We’ve always been excited about this activity and we believe the transition to the new format will again take it up another level,” said BoatU.S.’ Chris Edmonston. “We are very proud to support the growth of college fishing.”

Additional CBFS national sponsors include BoatU.S. Angler, Cabela’s, Ranger Boats, Yamaha, Garmin, Costa Del Mar, Pioneer Beef Jerky, Abu Garcia, Berkley, Fenwick, Anglers’ Legacy, Stearns, EGO Nets, Sebile, American Rodsmiths, Aviva Fishin’ Buddy, Gene Larew Lures, Nemire Lures, Sperry Top-Sider, Power Pole, City of Lewisville, Sneaky Pete’s Marina and Versus.

The 2009 schedule of qualifying events follows:

Dec. 19-20 (2008) – Stephen F. Austin University Invitational, Sam Rayburn (TX)

March 7 – NC State/Virginia Tech Invitational, Smith Mountain Lake (NC)

Mar 13-14 – Lone Star Spring Breakout, Belton Lake (TX)

Mar 20-21 – Arkansas Tech Invitational, Lake Dardanelle (AR)

April 17-18 – S. Collegiate Bass Fishing Series Championship, Lake Wilson (AL)

TBA – Midwest Invitational, TBA

TBA – Western Invitational, TBA

June 1- 5 – BoatU.S. Collegiate Bass Fishing Championship, Lake Lewisville (TX)

About Careco

Careco Multimedia is a full-service video production company experienced in field acquisition and editing of top quality outdoor programming. The company produces and markets several outdoor fishing programs, including Fishing and Hunting Texas, Americana Outdoors, Whitetail Diaries, the IFA Redfish Tour and more.

About VERSUS

VERSUS celebrates real competition across all platforms (VERSUS.com, VERSUS on Demand and VERSUS HD). Now in more than 73 million homes, the network is the national cable home of the National Hockey League (NHL) and the Stanley Cup Playoffs as well as best-in-class events such as The Tour de France, Davis Cup Tennis, the Professional Bull Riders (PBR), World Extreme Cagefighting (WEC) and Professional Boxing. The network also offers collegiate sports featuring nationally-ranked teams from top conferences such as the Pac-10, Big 12 and Mountain West. VERSUS features the best field sports programming on television and is a destination for sports fans, athletes and sportsmen to find exclusive, competitive events that audiences can’t find elsewhere. VERSUS, a wholly owned company of Comcast Corporation (NASDAQ: CMCSA, CMCSK), is distributed via cable systems and satellite operators throughout the United States.