Online registration for Life & Federation Nation members is available for the 2012 Bassmaster Classic.
This is for their priority seating and access to the member lounge.They can register online at www.bassmaster.com/classicregistration. It will be available online until Jan 22.

President's Letter to the Florida B.A.S.S. Federation Nation
Championship Issues Resolved

Bass fishing in Florida was great in 2011. The Elite Series came to Harris and Palatka and caught huge fish. Kissimmee, Seminole, and Okeechobee have been on fire all year and it looks even better for 2012. The Florida B.A.S.S. Federation Nation had a great year also. We had over 40% of our membership compete in our regional qualifiers throughout our state. We had 128 members fish in the Bass Club Championship and 172 competitors in our State Championship. This has been our best year since the Federation Nation started. Unfortunately the 2011 State Championship had a few issues that did not go as well as planned. Your Board of Directors just had our end of the year meeting and dealt with these issues. The payout schedules will change for 2012 and will be posted on your site soon. This will be standard for all FBFN tournaments from this point on. The top three places at the 2011 State Tournament on the boater side have been compensated in addition to the winnings on tournament day. The poor payouts and the other issues that came up at the State Tournament have been addressed and corrected. Our number one priority in the FBFN is to keep this a fisherman friendly organization and we will strive to make it even better for 2012.

Here are a few highlights that came out of our meetings. All four Divisions will hold a Bass Club Shootout. The division winners will get a free entry in the State Team Championship. Some will hold it for their last qualifier and some will hold their own tournament. Check your region's schedule for details. The State Team Championship will be held on Lake Seminole in late September and the State Championship will be on the same lake on October 27th and 28th. Seminole has been producing a ton of fish so this should be another great championship. One major change for the 2012 season will be the required pre-registration for the State Championship. You will be required to send in your entry form with your check at least 10 days ahead of the event. All checks will be held until the week of the event so that it won't be a financial hardship on our anglers. This way your money won't leave your account until the tournament is underway. This will allow us to do the pairings, write the checks, and prepare for the correct number of anglers for our largest tournament of the year. It was also determined that to fish the State Championship as a boater, you must qualify as such and the same goes for the co-angler.

Our Junior Bassmasters State Championship was a great success thanks to our youth director, Mr. Jeff Brooks. We need to get our young people out on our lakes and get them interested in our passion. They are the future of this sport. If you would like to start a Junior Club, please give Jeff a call. He will be happy to help you out.

Our Conservation Director, Mr. Eamon Bolten, is up for a number of awards this year and has been doing a great job working with the FWC to promote and protect our fishing opportunities throughout this great state.

I would also like to thank each and every officer and director of this organization. Each person gives up his own time, energy, and money to make sure that you, our members, have the best opportunity to enjoy the great fishing that our beautiful state has to offer. Thank you gentlemen for a job well done and for continuing your hard work into 2012.

In conclusion I would like to thank you as members for your support of the Florida B.A.S.S. Federation Nation. We are committed to you as anglers and will continue to provide you with the best tournament trail possible. Our directors will be visiting each and every club this spring to address and questions you may have. If there is something I can do for you, don’t hesitate to give me a call. My cell number is 813-363-5961.
Thank you and have a great Holiday Season and we'll see you on the water next year.

Tom Mahoney
President

PVA Citrus Slam

The Gulf Coast Chapter of the Paralyzed Veterans of America (PVA) and the several Florida BASS Federation Nation bass clubs will host the PVA Citrus Slam Bass Tournament April 14-15 out of Lakefront Park on Lake Toho. Pairing meeting will be Friday April 13th at the host hotel (Clarion Resort and Waterpark, Kissimmee FL). To support our disabled vets we need boaters and non-boaters as well as community support. We ask area Bass Clubs to keep this weekend open on their tournament schedule so we can ensure maximum participation. To register for participation go to www.PVA.org  if you have questions or would like to volunteer or contribute please contact Joan @ Gulf Coast PVA  813-264-1111 or Steve Jarrett of North Tampa Bass Club @ 813-391-4105.

Welcome to the Florida B.A.S.S. Federation Nation Web Site

Thank you for visiting our web site. The goal of this site is to make available as much information as possible to our members as well as provide a general understanding of the Florida B.A.S.S. Federation to new members and visitors.

B.A.S.S. chapter members are our grass-roots fishermen dedicated to the future of bass fishing. They furnish manpower, money and equipment for lake clean-ups, promote catch-and-release, encourage community involvement, lobby for and against proposed legislation, introduce youth to fishing and even conduct tournament creel census reports.

Our federation members also have another common interest, tournament fishing. Every weekend our anglers enjoy the B.A.S.S. National Federation Tournament Trail. It is the only amateur circuit that leads to the prestigious B.A.S.S. Masters Classic where they compete against the top 40 professional fishermen each year.

On this circuit, chapter members qualify through our state federation for a slot on our state team. Our state team then competes against other state teams at the B.A.S.S. Central Divisional Championships. At this tournament the contenders compete as a team for the prize money, but the top individual from each state team advances to the B.A.S.S. Federation National Championship. At this National Championship tournament the contenders compete against all of the other divisional qualifiers and against the other contenders in their division. The top individual from each division advances to the BASS Masters Classic.

Today our National Federation members are actively pushing for better conservation practices, introducing kids to fishing, conducting community service projects and promoting fishing throughout their communities. Because of the hard work and dedication of our federation members the future of fishing looks bright!

Congratulations Michael Smith
And The 2011 State Team

Our State Team for 2011 competed in the Southern Divisional in Glassglow Kentucky in April. Prior to the event the area received 4 inches of rain and Barren River Lake began to swell. The fish that were being caught in practice were now under an additional 6 feet of water. The B.A.S.S. stage had to be moved up the bank because it was about to be submerged by the rising water. In practice fishing was great with everyone catching good numbers. As the water rose, the fishing became tougher and the weights dropped. Bob Grosso weighted in the heaviest stringer of the tournament on Day 2. His 20 pound 4 ounce limit could not be repeated on a weather shortened day 3 as he was shut out. Michael Smith came in as a co-angler and each day put together enough fish to claim the Florida title; he will compete in November in Louisiana at the B.A.S.S. Federation Nation Championship. This event will be held on the Quachita River out of the city of Monroe. Good luck Michael and were all hoping to see you in the Bassmaster Classic in 2012.

Our Junior Bassmaster champions from 2011 also competed. Dustin Snelson and Billy Narut had a great time but fell short on their quest for the World Championship. Listed below are our 2011 State Team members. These 16 anglers represented Florida well with great sportsmanship and camaraderie:

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