Do You Like Fishing? $4.3 Million Now Up For Grabs For Amateur Anglers

 More than half a century ago, Johnny Morris fell in love with fishing. He grew up frequenting the streams, rivers and lakes of his beloved Missouri Ozarks. He tried to make a living on it, competing for five seasons on the professional bass fishing circuit, starting with a tournament at Table Rock Lake, just outside Branson's vacation and entertainment hotspot.

Morris ' aspirations as a bass champion did not materialize, but in the end, he became "good" with his love of fishing. In 1972 he began selling lures and equipment from his father's liquor store, and that small effort is now celebrating its 50th anniversary as Morris's best-known outdoor recreation retail empire: it owns National supermarket chains Bass Pro Shops and Cabela's. He also owns White River Marine Group, which claims to be the world's largest boat manufacturer, with leading brands in several categories including Tracker, Ranger, Nitro, Mako, Tahoe, Regency and Sun Tracker. Just to round out its portfolio, it also has a hospitality division with two major resorts, five golf courses, two more resorts under construction, and mostly funded the nonprofit organization that built and operates the award-winning Wonders of Wildlife National Museum & Aquarium.

Fishing has been very good for Johnny Morris, who is no stranger to Forbes lists, and in turn has returned a lot, tens of millions, as a conservation-focused philanthropist.

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Fishing has also enjoyed a recent resurgence and big leaps in gear participation and sale as a socially distant outdoor activity that many took during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Johnny Morris fishing

Johnny Morris, founder and owner of the Bass Pro Shops retail empire, doing his favorite thing,... [ + ] BASS PRO STORES

A showman known for his hands-on involvement with his whimsical museum-like stores, he has been called The "Walt Disney of Retail", and tends to undertake projects in a big and dramatic way. For his latest such effort, he just announced the launch of a major amateur fishing tournament, with a guaranteed purse of $ 4.3 million and the first prize of.1 million - which he says is the largest cash payout of any freshwater fishing tournament in history. On top of that, Morris has pledged a minimum of concurso 1 million from the competition for conservation projects to improve fish habitat.

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The newly announced Johnny Morris Bass Pro Shops U.S. Open National Bass Fishing Amateur Team Championships, is a long-winded name, and Morris describes it as "ultimate owner appreciation event", as the tournament is open to anyone who owns a Tracker, Ranger, Nitro, Triton, Sun Tracker, Tahoe or Mako brand boat. Participants form their own two-person teams and, as it is exclusively for fans, Morris hopes to see diversity, with everyone from serious weekend tournament anglers to everyday fishing fans, friends and families, with parents, grandparents and young people forming teams. To encourage this and help grow the sport, regional and international qualifying events will feature prize payouts in a number of specialist divisions, such as Youth, Family teams, women's teams, veterans and more. A lucky junior fisherman (ages 11 - 18) will get a b 250,000 scholarship toward a conservation-related study area.

Marina in the Big Cedar resort, month

Big Cedar Lodge, Morris ' flagship sports resort in the Missouri Ozarks, has two full services ... [ + ] EDWARD C. ROBISON III

The event kicks off with a series of regional qualifying tournaments starting this spring, which ultimately eliminate the field to 350 two-person teams. For the final, they will compete in a 3-day championship finale of international broadcasting (NBC) this fall, held at Morris ' flagship hospitality, Big Cedar Lodge, which is located on the same 43,000-acre Table Rock Lake where his fishing career began. "America's Premier Wilderness Lodge," Big Cedar is a massive 4,600-acre sports complex, with two state-of-the-art, exhaustively equipped marinas and is generally considered the resort's best bass fishing spot in the nation. But it also has many hotels, cottages, cabins, houses, even a complex of glamping boutique, an installation shot of world-class, all the outdoor activities imaginable, from excursions to caves to horse-riding excursions, and five golf courses, including the two best designs classified in Missouri and the only public course in the nation designed by Tiger Woods, and is

lakeside cottage at Big Cedar Lodge. MO

The Big Cedar Lodge complex has hotel rooms and a variety of private cabins like this one in the ... [ + ] © MATT SUESS PHOTOGRAPHY ALL RIGHTS RESERVED WORLDWIDE

There are two ways that regular anglers can qualify for a chance to make it to the national championship event:

1. He finishes in the top 40 in one of eight regional qualifying events held across the country. These will be open to 250 teams of two people, for a total of 4,700 fishermen. Qualifiers begin March 13, 2021 in Lake Okeechobee, FL and continue to Dallas; Las Vegas; Chesapeake Bay, MD; Detroit; Nashville; Tulsa; and finally, Bull Shoals Lake, AK on November 17, 2021. The National Finals begin on November 19. Each qualifier will feature a festive atmosphere with activities for the whole family and famous hosts from the world of fishing and country Music.

Online registration for the first three regional qualifiers will be open for 24 hours. starting at 10 AM Central Time on February 10, 2021. Entry fees are $ 450 per person, jóvenes 250 for youth ages 12 to 17, and free for children under 12 and includes a US Open gift bag valued at cada 150 per team member. One-third of all entry fees will go to conservation and the future of fishing, an amount that will then be matched by Bass Pro Shops and Toyota, for a charitable amount equal to the total entries, more than más 1 million. In addition, Bass Pro is partnering with local conservation agencies to help ensure all fish are released responsibly after fish-friendly weighing.

Due to the expected high demand, boat owners can only register for one qualifying event, and all participants are placed in an independently verified draw to determine the 250 eligible teams for each event. Individuals who do not receive a slot in regional qualifiers can sign up for The "Last Chance" Qualifier in Arkansas, with registrations opening later this year. There is no additional charge for those who make it to the final.

2. Win one of several existing fishing competitions in the United States and around the world organized by authorized independent dealers of tracker, Ranger, Nitro, Triton, Sun Tracker, Tahoe and Mako brand boats, with details available on the tournament site.

As a continuous investment in the future of the sport, the collegiate fishing champions of the three major national collegiate championships will also earn special invitations to the final.

"Fishing at the first national bass tournament at Table Rock Lake in 1970 rewarded me with lifelong friends and served as my inspiration to start Bass Pro Shops. Fishing on the BASS tournament circuit also helped us keep abreast of the latest emerging trends in fishing and allowed me to stay closely connected with our customers. And without our loyal customers and industry-leading independent boat dealers, we simply wouldn't be here today. This tournament is our way of thanking and rewarding our clients with the opportunity to land the catch of a lifetime. Beyond offering the ultimate prize in fishing, we're excited to celebrate our heritage, raise funds for conservation and have fun with people who love fishing as much as we do, " Morris said.