B.A.S.S. chapter members are our grass-roots fishermen dedicated to the future of bass fishing. They furnish manpower, money and equipment for lake clean-ups, promote catch-and-release, encourage community involvement, lobby for and against proposed legislation, introduce youth to fishing and even conduct tournament creel census reports.

Our federation members also have another common interest, tournament fishing. Every weekend our anglers enjoy the B.A.S.S. National Federation Tournament Trail. It is the only amateur circuit that leads to the prestigious Bassmasters Classic where they compete against the top 40 professional fishermen each year.

On this circuit, chapter members qualify through our state federation for a slot on our state team. Our state team then competes against other state teams at the B.A.S.S. Central Divisional Championships. At this tournament the contenders compete as a team for the prize money, but the top individual from each state team advances to the B.A.S.S. Federation National Championship. At this National Championship tournament the contenders compete against all of the other divisional qualifiers and against the other contenders in their division. The top individual from each division advances to the Bassmasters Classic.

Today our National Federation members are actively pushing for better conservation practices, introducing kids to fishing, conducting community service projects and promoting fishing throughout their communities. Because of the hard work and dedication of our federation members the future of fishing looks bright!