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RAY
SCOTT OUTDOORS™ NEWS RELEASE Here’s How-To Catch
Ray
Scott, the Bass Boss, Weighmaster
RICHLAND, Washington – (September 6, 2000)
As bass fishing tournament pioneer Ray Scott looks out over the
Columbia River basin and back at the past
33 years of professional bass fishing history, he sees a much
different future ahead for the sport. “When I started B.A.S.S. (Bass Angles Sportsman
Society), the purpose was to build bass fishing into a major sport – to
develop angling heroes, to exchange how-to information and to serve as
stewards of our natural resources. For
the most part the achievements surpassed the goals. “Now, the challenge,” continues Scott,
“is to provide a legacy for future bass anglers.
We need to pay more attention to young age groups, to teach the sport
of fishing and the values of the outdoors. “There are anti-fishing forces at work.
Their message – ‘Hooks Hurt!
Fish Have Feelings, Too’ – is repeated by Animal Rights groups
now targeting fishing as well as the hunting sport.” As Scott observes, “It’s time for fishermen to
answer the call. To get
involved. To take kids fishing.
To teach the values of the outdoors.” Such a special program has lured Ray Scott, the
“Bass Boss, to the Columbia River for the first annual C.A.S.T. for Kids
Charity Tournament. As special
guest master of ceremonies, Scott will serve as weighmaster for the
September 23-24 event here in the Tri-Cities of Richland, Pasco and
Kennewick, according to Jim Owens, the C.A.S.T. executive director. “This is really a special event,” points
out Scott. “We’re here to
raise money to support fishing programs for disabled and disadvantage
children.” Started as a single outing in 1991 by Jim Owens
and a few bass club buddies in Washington state, C.A.S.T. events are being
held in 30 states this year. “The acronym C.A.S.T. stands for ‘Catch A
Special Thrill,’” explains Owens, “and that’s what we do. The thrill of a child catching their first fish.
A parent seeing their child freed from a wheelchair for a few hours
of unfettered fun or a volunteer who enjoys the satisfied thrill of seeing a
handicapped kid smile, ear-to-ear.” C.A.S.T. events provide the opportunity for
disabled and disadvantaged kids to experience a quality outdoor experience
through fishing. Owens says,
“At least 80 percent of disabled children are underserved or unserved in
recreation. Fishing is one
activity where almost all disabled children can participate with little or
no special assistance.” Through the efforts of the C.A.S.T.
organization, volunteer sportsmen, manufacturer’s support, and partnering
with government agencies, the program is gaining momentum and expanding.
“It’s our desire to continue this wonderful experience all across
the country,” says Jim Owens, who left his job as a college book store
manager to work fulltime as director for the Renton, Washington based
foundation. Owens is optimistic the first C.A.S.T. for Kids
Charity Tournament will provide much needed funding. “We’re hopeful this can be one of the largest bass
tournaments in the Pacific Northwest. Our
sponsors have contributed some great prizes and with Mr. Bass himself, Ray
Scott, as the weighmaster we’re expecting a full field of 250 two-man
teams to enter,” acknowledges Owens. The grand prize will be a Triton 186 dual
console bass boat awarded to the winning team, based on total weight for two
fishing days. Owens says an
additional $19,000 in prize money will be on the line.
For tournament information, contact the C.A.S.T.
for Kids Foundation, 296 S.W. 43rd St., Renton, WA
98055 or telephone (425) 251-3214 or e-mail to jowens@castforkids.org.
Tournament entry fee is $250 per team. Triton Boats of Ashland City, Tennessee and
their dealer, Nixon’s Marine of Walla Walla, Washington are providing the
grand prize 186/DC Triton. Ray
Scott serves as national spokesman for Triton Boats, as well as, Mercury
Outboards, MotorGuide trolling motors and SOSPENDERS, the Coast Guard
approved inflatable lifevest by Sporting Lives of Fruitland, Idaho. Scott built the Bass Anglers Sportsman Society
(B.A.S.S.) into the world’s largest fishing organization with over
650,000 members and a super-successful Bassmaster Tournament Trail based in
Montgomery, Alabama. He left
the organization in 1998 to form Ray Scott Outdoors™, a marketing and
consulting group for the marine and fishing industry.
The phenomenal story of the past 30 years in
the growth of bass fishing and Ray Scott’s biography is told in the book,
“Bass Boss,” by Robert H. Boyle, a long-time Sports Illustrated writer.
“Scott, as his style, will certainly entertain the Kids Charity
weigh-in crowd with accounts of the tales from the Tournament Trail,”
opines Jim Owens. Weigh-ins
will be at the Columbia River Park in Richland. A limited number of “Bass Boss” copies
autographed by Ray Scott will be available as special awards and fundraisers
at the C.A.S.T. for Kids Charity Tournament.
For information on ordering “Bass Boss” by mail, phone
1-800-518-7222.
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