Backyard Bassing

Angling legend sees bright future for residential fishing waters

When Ray Scott, founder of the Bass Anglers Sportsman Society^®  (B.A.S.S.^®) looks out his vehicle window at the passing terrain, he doesn’t see woods, grass or ditches.  He sees a would-be flooded bass lake.

Scott, best known as bass fishing guru to millions of anglers worldwide and as godfather to today’s multi-billion dollar sport fishing and marine industries, enjoys digging in the dirt.  As a matter of fact, over the last 40 years he has built many trophy bass lakes in his spare time.

In recent years he has been persuaded to design for residential developers as well as individuals.  Interest in his lake design and marketing services has been so strong, he has officially gone into the lake design business with the recent launch of Ray Scott’s Legacy Lakes. 

“It’s official now.” Says Scott.   “I’m ready to devote my time and energies to designing Legacy Lakes.  It’s something I’ve wanted to do for a long time.”

 Scott’s own 55-acre Legacy fishing lake near Montgomery, Alabama is called the “Presidents Lake” because of past fishing trips by fishing friends Presidents George Bush and George W. Bush.  The Scott-designed trophy bass factory has gained worldwide attention as the ideal man-made impoundment.

As evidence of this Legacy Lake fame, Rick Clunn, arguably one of the best bass fishing pros of all time and four-time winner of the prestigious Bassmaster Classic® World Championship caught his personal best – a 13-pound 15-ounce largemouth bass in Scott’s showcase lake.  And, in a five-hour charity fund-raising tournament, eight among 20 top-ranked BASS fishing pros caught the largest bass of their professional careers.

According to Scott he achieved his success by “making every mistake in the book.”  He says, “I dealt with the best in their respective fields from engineers, bulldozer artists and fisheries biologists.  But no one could put all the pieces together.  And not just for good fishing waters but for beautiful fishing waters as well.  Lakes and ponds that fit the terrain and truly enhance the total landscape.  It’s all part of the same package as far as I’m concerned.”

Scott has often been acclaimed as a visionary in the outdoor world and indeed he sees a bright future for residential and resort fishing and has promoted the idea of “personal fishing waters” for many years.

Scott is convinced the market is there.  He points out some 52,000,000 Americans fish.  “There is just a natural attraction to water,” he says “and people of all ages love to fish.”

He is especially excited about designing fishing lakes that are the centerpiece for residential developments.  “Lakes are a terrific amenity for today’s homeowners,” he says.  “Where do you go for a quiet morning of fishing?  Where do you take your kids or grandkids to go fishing?” he asks.

Scott believes “small waters” are especially relevant today as public waters become increasingly congested and dangerous with speedboats and jet skis.  Plus they’re often just hard to get to and trailering and launching boats can be inconvenient and time consuming.

“It really makes sense,” says Scott.  “Stop to think.  How many great residential and resort communities are build around a golf course?  I did a little research and found that Jack Nicklaus and Arnold Palmer design golf courses for millions of dollars.  But that’s just the tip of the iceberg.  The average upkeep of a good 18-hole golf course is over $500,000 a year.”

“Not so with fishing waters.  And lakes have so many other recreational uses that can be enjoyed by the whole family not just golfers.  I’ve always said ‘grow bass, not grass.’”

Birmingham developer Doug Eddleman, president of Eddleman Properties, was one of the first to recognize the potential of a Ray Scott lake.  When his company began work on Highland Lakes, a planned community in the rolling foothills southwest of Birmingham, he contacted Ray Scott to design several fishing lakes as aesthetic and recreational centerpieces for the “green” development.

“We wanted more than an aquatic backdrop for an upscale development,” says Eddleman.  “We wanted first-class fishing.  We were able to sell our properties for top dollar and a good part of that was attributed to having someone like Ray Scott involved.

“It’s no different,” he continues, “than if you designed a golf course and had Jack Nicklaus or Arnold Palmer involved.”

It is hard for Scott to conceal his enthusiasm when he talks about fishing waters.  “I know fish, fishing and people who like to fish better than anyone in the world.  It’s one thing I like to brag about.  I’ve got the hard-won know-how.  I know what fish like and I know what fishermen like.  I can create an underwater bass world like no one else.  And when it’s all finished, I know how to market it to people who love to fish or just think they might like to fish.”

“Bass in the suburbs.  It’s an idea whose time has come.  It’s a dream for so many people – a dream I can make come true.”

BASS founder Ray Scott places structure in a private lake to enhance the bass habitat.  It is one of many techniques he has developed in his Legacy Lakes enterprise to create top-quality "personal fishing waters" for residential and resort developers as well as individuals.

Photo link:   http://www.rayscott.net/news/nrphotos/legacylakes