B.A.S.S. announced today that Dave Mercer, whom BassFans know as host of the humor-laden Facts of Fishing FYI video series, will take over emcee duties for the organization beginning with the 2011 Bassmaster Classic. He replaces Keith Alan.
“We are so excited to bring Dave Mercer on board,” said Jerry McKinnis, part of the new three-headed ownership group at B.A.S.S. “He has a tremendous following through his Facts of Fishing television show, and has a charisma I believe fishing fans are going to love.”
Mercer, a native of Canada, started his television career 15 years ago by hosting 1-minute angling tips on a small local station. Today, he produces more than a hundred 1-minute fishing tips that air nearly 600 times per week on many networks in Canada and the U.S. Five years ago, the 36-year-old began a long-form television show, also called Facts of Fishing, and has become a celebrity throughout the fishing ranks.
“This is a dream come true for me,” said Mercer. “At one time I used to dream about fishing the Bassmaster Classic. Then, after I fished with some of the Elite Series pros and realized how good they are, I altered my dream to emceeing the Classic. I never imagined it would become a reality.”
After B.A.S.S. brought back wildly popular former emcee Fish Fishburne to help with onstage duties at the 2010 Classic, there was widespread speculation that he'd return to a prominent role within the organization. So far, that hasn't materialized.
Mercer has hosted the Toyota Texas Bass Classic for the past 4 years. His first day on the job for B.A.S.S. will place him squarely on the biggest stage in all of bass fishing.
“Standing on that Classic stage, to me, is like a comedian getting to perform on the Tonight Show. It just doesn’t get any bigger."
McKinnis praised Alan for his talent and work ethic.
“Keith has been a true professional and has been good for B.A.S.S.,” he said. “We simply felt like it was time for a change — time to get a fresh personality in the role of emcee. And we are confident bass fans are going to really enjoy watching Dave interact with the best anglers on the planet.”
