Luck “E” Strike Contingency for Elites, Opens, College

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. — For the third consecutive season, lure maker Luck “E” Strike is an official Supporting Sponsor of Bassmaster events, and again is offering bonus awards for anglers in the Bassmaster Elite Series and the Bassmaster Opens Series.

Luck “E” Strike also will again be backing the Carhartt Bassmaster College Series, the growing circuit that provides a professionally run tournament experience for college teams.

In addition to the Elite and Opens series, the 2013 deal announced today includes being a Supporting Sponsor of B.A.S.S. Nation events.

“B.A.S.S. is the best way to reach the greatest number of avid, knowledgeable, hard-core bass fishermen,” said John Hendricks, president of Luck “E” Strike, which is based in Cassville, Mo. “With the B.A.S.S. Nation, College Series, Opens and the Elite Series, B.A.S.S. offers every level of fisherman a chance to compete. In addition, B.A.S.S. Times and Bassmaster are the premier publications in the fishing industry.”

The lure maker will be offering a total of $8,000 in bonuses to anglers in 16 events this season.

In the Elite Series, the Luck “E” Strike Comeback Award will be worth $500 to the Elite angler who makes the greatest improvement in the Toyota Bassmaster Angler of the Year points standings from one event to the next. The entire Elite field is eligible. The first Elite award of 2013 will recognize the pro who makes the biggest jump in points from the first event to the second event, or from the March 14-17 Sabine River Challenge presented by STARK Cultural Venues, to the March 21-24 Rigid Industries Falcon Slam. Awards will be presented during each subsequent regular-season Elite event.

At all nine Opens, the Luck “E” Strike Heavyweight Award recognizes the single-day heaviest weight of a tournament. At each event, $250 will be presented to the pro and $250 to the co-angler who have weighed the tournament’s heaviest bag within their respective division.

“Anglers look forward to trying for a Luck “E” Strike award; the awards have added another element of excitement to all Opens and Elite competitions,” said Bruce Akin, CEO of B.A.S.S, which is headquartered in Birmingham, Ala. “We’re especially pleased that both the pro and co-angler divisions in the Northern, Southern and Central Opens will again enjoy the Heavyweight Award.”

The lure maker will have a strong presence throughout 2013 at many Bassmaster events, and across B.A.S.S. media platforms, including Bassmaster.com, The Bassmasters TV show and Bassmaster and B.A.S.S. Times magazines.

Fans can see the newest lures and chat with company representatives at the Luck “E” Strike tent set up at every 2013 Elite event, beginning with the March 14-17 Sabine River Challenge presented by STARK Cultural Venues out of Orange, Texas.

Luck “E” Strike also plans to have a presence at several Opens and at the newly announced Aug. 1-3 Carhartt Bassmaster College Series National Championship on Chatuge Reservoir out of Young Harris, Ga.

Luck “E” Strike has been a mainstay in the fishing industry for more than 45 years, producing a variety of lures that have filled tackleboxes all over the world. Many of the soft plastic creations have become well-known standards, like the Guido Bug, Ring Worm, French Fry and Guido tubes, just to name a few. Luck “E” Strike is the parent company for the brands American Original, Nemire, Chesapeake Lures, Scrounger, Rick Clunn Series and Walleye Fever.

About B.A.S.S.
For more than 45 years, B.A.S.S. has served as the authority on bass fishing. The organization advances the sport through advocacy, outreach and an expansive tournament structure while connecting directly with the passionate community of bass anglers through its Bassmaster media vehicles.

The Bassmaster brand and its multimedia platforms are guided by a mission to serve all fishing fans. Through its industry-leading publications — Bassmaster Magazine and B.A.S.S. Times — comprehensive website Bassmaster.com and ESPN2 and Outdoor Channel television programming, Bassmaster provides rich, leading-edge content true to the lifestyle.

The Bassmaster Tournament Trail includes the Bassmaster Elite Series, Bass Pro Shops Bassmaster Open Series, Carhartt Bassmaster College Series, B.A.S.S. Nation events and the ultimate celebration of competitive fishing, the Bassmaster Classic.

B.A.S.S. offers an array of services to its more than 500,000 members and remains focused on issues related to conservation and water access. The organization is headquartered in Birmingham, Ala.