Workwear manufacturer Carhartt has signed a multi-year sponsorship agreement with B.A.S.S., the organization announced today. Carhartt will be the official apparel sponsor of the Bassmaster Classic, the Elite Series and the three Open divisions, as well as the title sponsor for College B.A.S.S.
The multi-year agreement includes Carhartt as the sponsor of a multi-faceted awards program – Carhartt Big Bass.
“We’re very excited to join B.A.S.S. to support some of the very best anglers in the world,” said Tony Ambroza, Carhartt’s VP of marketing. “Carhartt makes durable apparel for active men and women who work hard and play hard outdoors. Partnering with B.A.S.S. is the perfect opportunity for Carhartt to continue to celebrate the successes that come from hard work, perseverance and fun in the rugged outdoors.”
Said B.A.S.S. CEO Bruce Akin: “Carhartt and B.A.S.S. are a perfect fit. We are very proud to team up with a company with such a stellar reputation for quality products and a deep commitment to customer trust. We here at B.A.S.S. hold those same core values. We are especially pleased that competitors in B.A.S.S. events can look forward to a new big-bass award program at such a high level.”
In the top tier of bass fishing competition, the kickoff of the Carhartt Big Bass program will begin at the Classic. Competitors will have the ability to win up to $2,500 if they weigh in the largest Red River bass on the Classic stage. The Carhartt Big Bass program will continue into the 2012 Bassmaster Elite Series, which will begin in March providing anglers the ability to win up to $1500.
Elite pros who opt into another element of the program can compete for additional big-fish awards over the eight-event regular season. For the season’s heaviest bass, a participating Elite pro will collect $2,000. Awards are also available to participating Elite anglers for 2nd-, 3rd-, 4th- and 5th-largest bass. Those bonuses range from $500 to $1,250.
All anglers in each of three of the Bassmaster Open divisions — Northern, Southern and Central — have a shot at a $500 bonus through Carhartt Big Bass. Bonuses will be given in both the pro and co-angler entry levels, and in all three events within each of the three divisions, for a total of 18 awards at $500 each. The first awards will be presented at the April 5-7 Southern Open at Lake Norman.
