In a joint statement released today, B.A.S.S. and American Bass Anglers, Inc. (ABA) announced the licensing agreement that grants ABA use of B.A.S.S. marks with respect to the Weekend Series will not be renewed after 2013.
The agreement, which began in 2007, will terminate on Dec. 31, said Morris Sheehan, president of ABA.
"ABA, based in Athens, Ala., will continue to conduct a series of one- and two-day professional bass fishing tournaments named the Weekend Bass Tour, or WBT,” Sheehan added. “ABA will continue to offer well-run weekend tournaments for its members and other anglers throughout the country. The newly named tour will not be associated with B.A.S.S. or its brands.”
“The Bassmaster Weekend Series has enabled B.A.S.S. members to compete on fisheries in their local regions, and we are grateful to ABA for providing those opportunities,” said Bruce Akin, B.A.S.S. CEO. “The time has come to consider other grass-roots formats, including some that will enhance the B.A.S.S. Nation network of competitive events. We wish ABA success in its endeavors.”
B.A.S.S. officials confirmed this year's Weekend Series winner will compete at the 2014 Bassmaster Classic at Lake Guntersville, but the Classic berth will be eliminated in future years. B.A.S.S. will not be carrying the Weekend Series forward.
“We are proud of our association with B.A.S.S. and the Bassmaster brand over the past seven years,” Sheehan said. “American Bass Anglers, our staff and our tournament directors throughout the country have always been dedicated to serving weekend fishermen, and we will continue that tradition in the years to come.”
In a phone interview with BassFan, Sheehan said talks with B.A.S.S. began several months ago about the future of their affiliation.
"We think it's time to step away and go our own way," he said. "We have some new things that will be announced in the next few weeks about the new trail and some really exciting news about where the championship winner will go to fish."
Sheehan hopes to improve communication with the anglers as well as publicity for the WBT. He also expects an increase in payouts at the divisional levels. In addition, anglers will no longer need to be a B.A.S.S. member to compete.
"We're excited about it," he said. "We want to make it bigger and better. Any time you're dealing with two companies, there are always going to be restrictions depending on the agreement. As far as our association with B.A.S.S., it's been good for us and them. They're a great organization. I wish them well. They wish us well. We're going to continue to march forward and see where we can improve the organization for the weekend angler. B.A.S.S. has something else they want to pursue and we have our own agenda we want to move forward with."
Sheehan said he hopes to have the 2014 schedule ready for release on Oct. 1.
