The Bass Fishing Hall of Fame today announced that it will welcome five new members at an induction ceremony Nov. 9 at its new home within Johnny Morris’ Wonders of Wildlife Museum & Aquarium in Springfield, Mo. The class of 2017 consists of veteran angler and TV host Shaw Grigsby, American Bass Anglers chief Morris Sheehan, writers Wade Bourne and Louie Stout and Big Bass Splash series founder Bob Sealy.
“This is a special milestone for the Bass Fishing Hall of Fame," said Donald Howell, president of the BFHOF board of directors. "The goal since our founding in 2003 has always been to have a home to honor our inductees and their accomplishments in the sport of bass fishing.
"We all look forward to sharing and celebrating a special night with Wade’s family, Shaw, Bob, Morris and Louie and we are all anxious to showcase our past inductees in the Hall’s new home.”
Grigsby fished his first national tournament in 1977 – 40 years ago this year. A former motorcycle racer, he became a full-time pro angler on the Bassmaster Tournament Trail in 1984, and since then has won nine Bassmaster tournaments, qualified for the Bassmaster Classic 16 times and competed in four FLW championships. Known for his sight-fishing expertise, he's compiled 60 top-10 finishes and earned more than $2 million in his B.A.S.S. career. For more than 20 years, he hosted the TV program One More Cast with Shaw Grigsby.
Retiring from the U.S. Army after 20 years of service, Sheehan purchased the Military Bass Anglers Association and quickly changed the name to American Bass Anglers. Through his leadership and foresight, ABA has become the largest tournament trail for weekend anglers, with more than 1,000 bass tournaments held annually. Sheehan’s efforts have given beginning anglers a place to hone their skills and the opportunity to gain the experience for competition in higher-level events. More than 35,000 anglers compete in ABA tournaments.
A native of Clarksville, Tenn., Bourne, who died in 2016, was a senior writer for Bassmaster for more than 40 years. A popular host of the In-Fisherman radio shows, he authored six books and more than 3,000 magazine articles during his career. His honors included the Homer Circle Fishing Communicator Award presented by the American Sportfishing Association and the Professional Outdoor Media Association, and induction into the Legends of the Outdoors Hall of Fame and the National Freshwater Fishing Hall of Fame. Bourne also received the Southeastern Outdoor Press Association’s Lifetime Achievement Award.
Starting his writing career in daily newspapers, Louie Stout sold his first article to Bassmaster in the early 1980s. He has been a full-time freelance writer specializing in bass fishing since 1987 and has covered every Bassmaster Classic since 1979. The co-author of three successful books about bass fishing with seven-time Bassmaster Angler of the Year Kevin VanDam, Stout was inducted into the National Freshwater Fishing Hall of Fame in 2005, and in 2013 was awarded the Homer Circle Fishing Communicator Award. He continues his senior writer/boating role for Bassmaster Magazine, his longtime outdoor column in the South Bend (Ind.) Tribune and keeps anglers and hunters in his home region informed and entertained with his MichianaOutdoorNews.com web site.
Combining his love of fishing and his efforts to promote tourism and economic growth around Lake Sam Rayburn, Bob Sealy convinced Ray Scott to bring a Bassmaster event to the lake. From there, he worked his way into creating the world’s largest amateur bass tournament – the Big Bass Splash. Open only to amateurs, the Big Bass Splash events today have spread across the nation. During the past 33 years, Sealy’s idea to bring some competitive fun to bass fishing has paid out over $30 million dollars and raised over $2.3 million dollars to support Ronald McDonald House Charities and the St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital. In 2015, he was inducted into the Legends of the Outdoors Hall of Fame.
The induction banquet will also include a silent auction featuring bucket-list fishing trips, premium rods and reels, hunting gear and special fishing/celebrity memorabilia. For more information, go to www.BassFishingHOF.com or call (888) 690-2277.
