Development of the Skeeter BassFan Army is nearly complete, and the Army will be on "active duty" come January. As previously noted, the Army has two segments: tournaments and big bass. The following gives some detail on both.



Weekend Warrior Championship Qualification

On the competitive side, the Skeeter BassFan Army will add an additional layer of challenge and excitement to each of the Army-sanctioned trails – and then some. What does that mean? In addition to contingency programs (for Skeeter owners and others), anglers who fish the following trails will have a shot at qualifying for the 2005 Skeeter BassFan Army Weekend Warrior Championship, which will crown the best weekend warrior bass angler in the land, period.

Pro-Am/Draw Trails
> American Bass Anglers
> BASS Federation
> Bassmaster Opens
> Bassmaster Weekend Series
> BFLs
> Canadian Fishing Tour
> Central Pro-Am
> EverStart Series
> Heartland Tournament Association
> Texas Tournament Trail
> WON Bass

Team Trails
> Bass Champs
> Fishers of Men
> Media Bass
> National Bass Anglers Association
> WON Team

The number of slots for each trail and qualifying for each will be announced soon (and the list, while solid, is subject to change).

Wildcards
In addition to those slots, two anglers in the 50-man field will be wildcards. These will be anglers who did not qualify for the Weekend Warrior Championship through one of the above trails, but who have fished well and who BassFan feels deserve to be there. This is a subjective determination solely up to BassFan, but will absolutely be merit- and achievement-based, and sponsorship (or lack thereof) will not be a factor.

Note that these two wildcard slots are not limited to anglers who fish one of the above trails. You might be the big gun on a different trail and, if you're an Army member and we hear about your exploits, you may get an invite. Obviously, however, you have to fish tournaments and be a BassFan Army member by the soon-to-be-announced deadline date.

Remember that:
> Current and recent Bassmaster and FLW tour pros are specifically excluded from Weekend Warrior qualification.
> BassFan intends to include more trails in upcoming years.
> The location of the 2005 Skeeter Weekend Warrior Championship will be announced in early 2005.

Big Bass Programs

For non-tournament (and also tournament) anglers, the Skeeter BassFan Army will have two exciting big bass programs that are brand new to the industry.

Thanks to Army sponsors, annual rewards will be offered for Army members who catch a record largemouth, smallmouth or spotted bass in the U.S. In addition, Army members will be able to fish for bragging rights courtesy of the new Skeeter BassFan Army Big Bass Slams, the only ones of their kind in the world (why should saltwater anglers have all the fun?). Here are the categories:

  • Super Teens Slam – One teens-weight largemouth bass from each of these four areas: California, Texas, Florida and Mexico.

  • Big 10s Slam – One 10-pound-plus largemouth bass from the same four areas: California, Texas, Florida and Mexico.

  • Regional 10s Slam – One 10-pound-plus largemouth bass from any four different states and/or provinces and/or countries.

  • Local 10s Slam – One 10-pound-plus largemouth bass from any four different lakes.

  • World Grand Slam – One 10-pound-plus largemouth bass from each of these four areas: North America, Japan, Europe and Africa.

  • Smallmouth Grand Slam – One 6-plus-pound smallmouth from each of these four areas: Tennessee, Great Lakes/St. Lawrence, Canada, any other water not covered by the previous.

  • Big Three Slam – 10+ largemouth, 6+ smallmouth, 4+ spotted bass.

  • Junior Bass Slam (for anglers up to age 16) – 5+ largemouth, 3+ smallmouth, 2+ spotted bass.

The records programs and the slams will have an Artificials Division (artificial lures only) and an All-Tackle Division (all methods), and all fish will have to be verified before they can be submitted (details coming soon).

You're the Star

Skeeter BassFan Army members who are kicking butt at one of the above endeavors will earn the opportunity to be featured on the official Army web site, BassFanArmy.com, coming soon. Modeled after BassFan.com, the new BassFanArmy.com site will feature news stories, member features and other items – including first notification of tackle sales – all tailored to Army members. The site will also contain a secure Army sign-up section and general Army rules.

BassFan will continue to keep all BassFans updated between now and the January Army launch date. Stay tuned.

Any comments? Click here to let us know.