Editing Bass fishing (section)

==Competition==
In 1955 Earl Golding of the Waco Tribune Herald decided it was time to put the "biggest fish tale" to the test and organized the first ever bass tournament on Lake Whitney in Texas. Golding started with inviting  75 teams  and 73 showed up to compete. The Central Texas Invitational was such a success that it evolved into the Texas State Bass Tournament that is still held today.<ref name="texastournament">{{cite web | title=World's Oldest Open Bass Fishing Tournament | website=[[Texas State Bass Tournament]] | url=http://www.texasstatebass.com/ | access-date=2022-04-08}}</ref>

In 1967, Ray Scott founded the Bass Anglers Sportsman Society (B.A.S.S.). This organization brought bass fishing tournaments to the mainstream; starting clubs across the United States and holding invitation only tournaments for the best anglers.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.bassmaster.com/news/bass-historical-timeline-0|title=B.A.S.S. historical timeline|last=Labm|first=Craig|date=2018-01-30|website=Bassmaster|language=en|access-date=2019-02-15}}</ref>

Modern day bass fishing competitions can take on many forms depending on the tournament trail, but the most common format is each angler weighs their 5 best fish each day over a 1 to 4-day span.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.bassmaster.com/sites/default/files/2018_bass_nation_rules_pro_am_final_v3.pdf |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190216035316/https://www.bassmaster.com/sites/default/files/2018_bass_nation_rules_pro_am_final_v3.pdf |archive-date=2019-02-16 |url-status=live|title=BASS Nation Rules|date=February 2, 2019|website=Bassmaster}}</ref> Competitors are penalized heavily for dead fish and in some cases dead fish are not weighed. Fish turned in for weighing are immediately released or placed in tanks and treated for stress and glyco-protein (slime coat) injury, then released back into the water.

However, a new tournament trail known as Major League Fishing emerged in 2019 with a new format – weighing in every fish over 1 pound and immediately releasing them. This caught the eye of many top professional anglers, leading to a mass exodus from B.A.S.S.<ref name="wired2fish.com">{{Cite web|url=https://www.wired2fish.com/news/full-list-of-anglers-fishing-mlf-bass-pro-tour/|title=Full List of Anglers Fishing MLF Bass Pro Tour|website=wired2fish.com|date=22 October 2018 |language=en|access-date=2019-02-15}}</ref>

=== United States ===
There are several major bass fishing competitions in the United States, with the three most dominant circuits being Major League Fishing, Bassmasters and the FLW series.

* Major League Fishing is a new trail for 2019 and organized by [[Bass Pro Shops]]. The trail brought over professionals like [[Michael Iaconelli]], [[Kevin VanDam]], Aaron Martens, [[Cliff Pace]] and [[Luke Clausen]].<ref name="wired2fish.com"/>
*The ''Bassmaster Tournament Trail'' is organized by the [[Bass Anglers Sportsman Society]] (BASS) and was started by [[Ray Scott (angler)|Ray Scott]], the "father" of competitive bass fishing. There are a handful of events in which anglers compete for prizing over $100,000 and a chance to make [[Bassmaster Classic]].<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.bassmaster.com/2019-tournament-schedule|title=2019 Tournament Schedule|date=2018-07-09|website=Bassmaster|language=en|access-date=2019-02-15}}</ref>
* The ''Walmart FLW Tour'' was named after [[Forrest L. Wood]] of [[Ranger Boats]] fame. The top prize of the Forrest Wood Cup is $1&nbsp;million. Both tours are nationally televised on networks like [[ESPN]] and [[Fox Sports Net]], and covered extensively by news media.{{Citation needed|date=December 2020}}
* American Bass Anglers (ABA), formerly the Military Bass Anglers Association,  award National championship tournament winners with a Triton Bass boat and Championship ring among other prizes.  Thomas Wayne Jones Sr., from Springfield Tennessee won the 2007 ABA National championship.{{Citation needed|date=December 2020}}
* On the West Coast, WON BASS has been the main regional circuit in operation since the 1980s. Annually, WON BASS conducts the ''U.S. Open of Bass Fishing'' at [[Lake Mead, Nevada]], which pays back nearly $500,000 per event.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://wonbass.com/|website=WON BASS|title=WON BASS Tournaments|access-date=October 19, 2014}}</ref> This is a test of both angling skill and endurance as the anglers compete for 3 days in the scorching hot sun and windy conditions of the [[Mojave Desert]]. Renowned anglers Rick Clunn, Byron Velvick, Aaron Martens, and Gary Klein have all been crowned champions during the Open's 25-year history.{{Citation needed|date=December 2020}}
==== How to bass fish ====
* Most bass anglers use artificial lures like plastic worms, spinnerbaits, and crankbaits but bass can also be easily caught on live bait. Bass anglers should use a strong(12-20 pound test ) line to control hooked bass. Bass rods range from medium light to heavy, but the medium heavy spinning rod is a universal standard for bass fishing. Bass like being near cover like weeds and docks so fishing near those locations is generally productive. Just be careful to keep the fish away from cover to keep it from wrapping and breaking your line.
==== High school ====
The state of Illinois was the first to make competitive bass fishing a state-sanctioned high school sport in 2009. They offer 22 sectional tournaments which cater to 250 high school teams across the state. Teams which qualify at the sectional level compete for the state title in May.{{Citation needed|date=December 2020}}

States across the country have taken to Illinois' lead. Kentucky was the second to follow suit in 2012. Private groups have seen the opportunity to grow the industry as well through exposure of high school student to tournament bass fishing. The Bass Federation, for example, offers high school tournament series in over 40 states, eventually crowning a State Champion and giving them the opportunity to compete on the national level.{{Citation needed|date=December 2020}}

==== Collegiate ====
{{See also|Intercollegiate sports team champions#Fishing}}

Competitive collegiate bass fishing circuits in the United States include FLW College Fishing, the Bassmaster College Series, and Cabela's Collegiate Bass Fishing Series.<ref>{{cite news|last1=Schonbrun|first1=Zach|title=Collegiate Fishing's Added Lure: Cash on the Line|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2014/10/18/sports/a-paycheck-for-college-athletes-join-the-fishing-team.html|access-date=October 19, 2014|newspaper=The New York Times|date=October 18, 2014|pages=A1 ff}}</ref>

The FLW College Series includes three regional qualifiers in each of the five regions of the United States denoted by FLW. The top fifteen finishing teams in each of these regional qualifiers advance to the Regional Invitational tournament and have an opportunity to advance to the FLW College National Championship and fish for a place in the following year's Forrest L Woods Cup Professional Bass Tournament.{{Citation needed|date=December 2020}}

Similarly, the Bassmaster College Series divides the nation into 5 regions. They only offer one qualifying opportunity at the regional level as opposed to the three offered by the FLW College Series. The top 15 from each of the 5 regional qualifiers advance directly to the Bassmaster College Series National Champion and compete for a position in the following year's Bassmaster Classic.{{Citation needed|date=December 2020}}

The Cabelas Collegiate Bass Fishing Series is compiled of numerous tournaments accredited by the Association of Collegiate Anglers. The tournaments range in size from 20–30 boats all the way up to 100+ boats. The Cabelas Collegiate Bass Fishing Series compiles a ranking of "School of the Year" points, which are often coveted by schools across the country. These points are gathered through successful tournament finishes in tournaments recognized by the Association of Collegiate Anglers. Cabelas Collegiate Bass Fishing Series also hosts a large-scale national open. This is not the only one of its kind, as BoatUS also hosts a similar "National Championship." Unlike the Bassmaster College Series and FLW College Series National Championships, these require no qualification from regional tournaments, and can be entered simply by signing up and paying the entry fee.{{Citation needed|date=December 2020}}

Indiana University was the first to establish a tournament fishing club in 1989, with Purdue University creating one soon afterwards. The University of Illinois was third to make a tournament bass fishing student organization, and the trend has grown tremendously ever since.{{Citation needed|date=December 2020}}

=== Other countries ===

Competitive bass fishing has also spread to anglers in other countries such as Japan, [[Korea]], Italy, Australia and South Africa. {{interlanguage link|Takahiro Omori (fisherman)|lt=Takahiro Omori|ja|大森貴洋}}, a Japanese angler living in Texas, won the 2004 Bassmaster Classic title.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.bassmaster.com/news/takahiro-omori-talks-about-his-comfort-zone |date=2011-03-07 |title=Takahiro Omori talks about his comfort zone |website=Bassmaster |access-date=2020-09-16}}</ref> Australian tournaments are based on a native freshwater fish called [[Australian bass]] that is unrelated to largemouth bass.{{Citation needed|date=December 2020}}