Carhartt Supports Grass-roots Anglers with Addition of B.A.S.S. Nation to Bassmaster Sponsorship Package
OutdoorHub 01.15.13
Bass club competitors, known for working hard and fishing harder, now have a perfect opportunity to be dressed for it: Carhartt, America’s premium work wear brand since 1889, has extended its sponsorship of the Bassmaster Tournament Trail to include the grass-roots B.A.S.S. Nation events.
The new multiyear deal expanded Carhartt’s roles of Supporting Sponsor and Official Apparel Provider to include six regional Cabela’s B.A.S.S. Nation Divisionals, as well as the annual championship. With the B.A.S.S. Nation events addition, Carhartt lends its support across the Bassmaster board: the Bassmaster Classic, Bassmaster Elite Series and the nine-event Bass Pro Shops Bassmaster Opens Series, plus the collegiate circuit to which Carhartt lends its name, the Carhartt Bassmaster College Series.
“Our first year of partnership with B.A.S.S., especially as title sponsor of the Carhartt Bassmaster College Series and as the Official Apparel Provider of the Elite Series, was a great success,” said Tim Humes, senior brand marketing manager at Carhartt, which is based in Detroit, Mich. “What better way to expand our partnership than to support B.A.S.S. Nation? These anglers are working hard at their day jobs during the week but always with an eye toward the weekend and their favorite fishing hole. At Carhartt, we understand working hard to play hard.”
Added Bruce Akin, CEO of B.A.S.S.: “Last season, when this leader in outdoor apparel first became a B.A.S.S. sponsor, it wasn’t long before Carhartt brand awareness took off within the fishing community. Now, with the addition of B.A.S.S. Nation events to the already wide scope of Carhartt’s support of the Bassmaster Tournament Trail, even more B.A.S.S. members and fans will have the chance to discover the apparel.”
The new deal means anglers who compete in B.A.S.S. Nation events can look forward to a new challenge: winning the Carhartt Big Bass bonus. For bringing the largest bass to the scales during a divisional event, a B.A.S.S. Nation competitor who was wearing either Carhartt pants or shorts at the time of the catch will win a $500 bonus. In the annual B.A.S.S. Nation Championship, the Carhartt Big Bass bonus also will be $500.
To win a bonus, a B.A.S.S. Nation angler will have to master the big bass in one of America’s best tournament waters. The first divisional of the season will be on California’s Clear Lake, April 8-12. Other lakes on the schedule are Tennessee’s Douglas Lake; Sam Rayburn in Texas; Lake Erie out of Erie, Pa.; South Dakota’s Lake Francis Case; and Sebago Lake in Maine. A full schedule and more information about B.A.S.S. Nation are available at Bassmaster.com.
In other Bassmaster circuits, Carhartt Big Bass awards will again be offered in 2013 to anglers wearing Carhartt pants or shorts when the qualifying catch was made. The first award of the season will be at the Bassmaster Classic presented by Hard Rock Hotel & Casino Tulsa, Feb. 22-24, on Grand Lake O’ the Cherokees out of Tulsa, Okla. The biggest bass brought to the scales over three days of Classic competition could be worth a $2,500 bonus.
Moving into the 2013 Bassmaster Elite Series, a Carhartt award of $1,500 will be offered in each of the eight regular-season events. In the 2013 Bass Pro Shops Bassmaster Opens, the bonus will be $500 for each of the nine events. In the Carhartt Bassmaster College Series, merchandise awards will be offered in the six collegiate competitions slated for 2013.
