Bass Madness
"An entertaining picaresque." – The New York Times
"The American cult and culture of bass fishing." – National Public Radio
"Provides the best-ever inside look." – BassFan.com
New York Times Book Review, Nov. 5, 2006
ABOUT BASS MADNESS
Bass Madness is an insightful, penetrating look at North America’s most prestigious fishing competition, the BassmasterClassic, as it occurred in 2005 and 2006, through the eyes of one of the foremost journalists in the outdoor world, as well as the phenomenon of bass fishing competitions, spectator fans, and how so much attention came to be directed at two fish out of 25,000 known species. Bass Madness includes a critical look at the role of the media in growing and sustaining this event and the sport in general, as well as key players both on and off the water. Owned and heavily marketed by ESPN, and likened to NASCAR, the 36-year-old Bassmaster Classic and subordinate events have become an institution in southern red-state America. Schultz probes the marketing of professional bass fishing, the alleged growth of the “sport,” and the effects that big money, including a $500,000 winner’s purse, has had and is having on what was once a contemplative activity.
Bass Madness is the first full-length book ever written about this iconic event and contains historical details and tidbits not readily known to the public. There are no other books on the market that deal with this subject, or that provide insight into the world of sportfishing in such a manner. Many books exist about events, rivalries, personalities, and inside stories in other sports (golf, baseball, and football in particular), but nothing like this exists relative to the sport of fishing.
Ken Schultz is arguably the best person to have written about this subject. Like many of the people featured in Bass Madness, Schultz fished as a youth, developed a passion for it, and desired to make a career in the fishing world. From 1973 to 2004 he was a staff writer and Fishing Editor of Field & Stream and wrote more than 500 feature articles for that publication, many of them about bass fishing. From 1977 to 1991 he was a syndicated columnist for Gannett News Service, and from 1991 to 2000 he was a contributor to the Outdoors section of The New York Times. Chapters of his 1981 book, Bass Fishing Fundamentals, were excerpted in Bassmaster magazine. His 1996 book, Successful Bass Fishing, was named one of the Top 25 sportfishing books of all time by Field & Stream.
Schultz was a longtime member of BASS, and was inducted into the Freshwater Fishing Hall of Fame in 1998. He knows and has had a long-term relationship with many of the key players in this book, and even participated in some national bass fishing competitions. Perhaps most importantly, Schultz knows the subtleties of the sport and its history, as well as the peculiarities of the marketplace, and therefore provides a perspective that few other writers, inside or outside of the world of fishing, can.
Bass Madness begins with an inside-view of all aspects of the 2005 Bassmaster Classic, held in Pittsburgh in July 2005, and closes with a similar view of the 2006 Classic, held in Kissimmee, Florida, in February 2006. In between, Schultz looks at how bass became the alpha fish out of 25,000 fish species; the birth and growth of fishing competition in America; the beginnings of BASS and professional bass fishing; the birth and growth of the Classic; the romancing of the media and the changes in media coverage then and now; the marketing of the sport’s top event and players; the growth, or lack of growth, of fishing and bass fishing tournaments; the subjects of gambling, female involvement, and location selection; and sportsmanship issues. Bass Madness is not about the Xs and Os of winning the Classic, but about the transformation of bass fishing into a NASCAR-like phenomenon.
BASS MADNESS
Hardcover originally published by John Wiley & Sons, now published by Turner Publishing
John Wiley ISBN: 0471746274
Turner Publishing ISBN: 9780471746270
$24.95 hardcover; 320 pages
Also available as an ebook from some online resellers.
Praise for BASS MADNESS
"It’s all here - the go-for-the-jugular competitors, in-your-face marketers and wowser TV coverage that define the bizarre world of big bucks tournament bass fishing. Fans of any high profile sport will delight while Ken Schultz systematically dissects villains and heroes alike with the kind of authoritative chutzpah that would have made Howard Cosell cackle in glee. It’s fast, furious all the way, a wicked good read." - Jerry Gibbs, Fishing Editor, Outdoor Life
"Ken Schultz has done a masterful job of compiling a most comprehensive review of the Bassmaster Classic. It was refreshing to read Ken’s unbiased, accurate reporting of the current state of affairs of the sport of professional bass fishing. Someone finally tells it like it is. Bravo!" - Jay Yelas, Professional Bass Angler and Winner of the 2002 Bassmaster Classic
"Ken Schultz provides us with a fascinating insider view on how television is turning the world of Big Bass fishing tournaments into Big Business." - Don Logan, Former Chairman, Media & Communications Group, Time Warner Inc.; former owner of Bass Anglers Sportsman Society
"In Bass Madness, Ken Schultz provides an entertaining and enlightening insider's look at the wonderful, wacky world of professional bass fishing. His research on the origins of competitive fishing is outstanding and very thorough, a must read for any avid angler. By interviewing today's bassheads, he illustrates how our once pastoral sport has become big-time entertainment, with all the foibles and financial obligations that accompany it. Anglers won't want to put it down." - Steve Quinn, Senior Editor, In-Fisherman Magazine
"Bass Madness is a fantastic book. Written with incredible detail and honesty to make it both interesting and entertaining. A must read." - Mark McQuown, Vice President, Lowrance Electronics
Bass Madness is an insightful, penetrating look at North America’s most prestigious fishing competition, the BassmasterClassic, as it occurred in 2005 and 2006, through the eyes of one of the foremost journalists in the outdoor world, as well as the phenomenon of bass fishing competitions, spectator fans, and how so much attention came to be directed at two fish out of 25,000 known species. Bass Madness includes a critical look at the role of the media in growing and sustaining this event and the sport in general, as well as key players both on and off the water. Owned and heavily marketed by ESPN, and likened to NASCAR, the 36-year-old Bassmaster Classic and subordinate events have become an institution in southern red-state America. Schultz probes the marketing of professional bass fishing, the alleged growth of the “sport,” and the effects that big money, including a $500,000 winner’s purse, has had and is having on what was once a contemplative activity.
Bass Madness is the first full-length book ever written about this iconic event and contains historical details and tidbits not readily known to the public. There are no other books on the market that deal with this subject, or that provide insight into the world of sportfishing in such a manner. Many books exist about events, rivalries, personalities, and inside stories in other sports (golf, baseball, and football in particular), but nothing like this exists relative to the sport of fishing.
Ken Schultz is arguably the best person to have written about this subject. Like many of the people featured in Bass Madness, Schultz fished as a youth, developed a passion for it, and desired to make a career in the fishing world. From 1973 to 2004 he was a staff writer and Fishing Editor of Field & Stream and wrote more than 500 feature articles for that publication, many of them about bass fishing. From 1977 to 1991 he was a syndicated columnist for Gannett News Service, and from 1991 to 2000 he was a contributor to the Outdoors section of The New York Times. Chapters of his 1981 book, Bass Fishing Fundamentals, were excerpted in Bassmaster magazine. His 1996 book, Successful Bass Fishing, was named one of the Top 25 sportfishing books of all time by Field & Stream.
Schultz was a longtime member of BASS, and was inducted into the Freshwater Fishing Hall of Fame in 1998. He knows and has had a long-term relationship with many of the key players in this book, and even participated in some national bass fishing competitions. Perhaps most importantly, Schultz knows the subtleties of the sport and its history, as well as the peculiarities of the marketplace, and therefore provides a perspective that few other writers, inside or outside of the world of fishing, can.
Bass Madness begins with an inside-view of all aspects of the 2005 Bassmaster Classic, held in Pittsburgh in July 2005, and closes with a similar view of the 2006 Classic, held in Kissimmee, Florida, in February 2006. In between, Schultz looks at how bass became the alpha fish out of 25,000 fish species; the birth and growth of fishing competition in America; the beginnings of BASS and professional bass fishing; the birth and growth of the Classic; the romancing of the media and the changes in media coverage then and now; the marketing of the sport’s top event and players; the growth, or lack of growth, of fishing and bass fishing tournaments; the subjects of gambling, female involvement, and location selection; and sportsmanship issues. Bass Madness is not about the Xs and Os of winning the Classic, but about the transformation of bass fishing into a NASCAR-like phenomenon.
BASS MADNESS
Hardcover originally published by John Wiley & Sons, now published by Turner Publishing
John Wiley ISBN: 0471746274
Turner Publishing ISBN: 9780471746270
$24.95 hardcover; 320 pages
Also available as an ebook from some online resellers.
Praise for BASS MADNESS
"It’s all here - the go-for-the-jugular competitors, in-your-face marketers and wowser TV coverage that define the bizarre world of big bucks tournament bass fishing. Fans of any high profile sport will delight while Ken Schultz systematically dissects villains and heroes alike with the kind of authoritative chutzpah that would have made Howard Cosell cackle in glee. It’s fast, furious all the way, a wicked good read." - Jerry Gibbs, Fishing Editor, Outdoor Life
"Ken Schultz has done a masterful job of compiling a most comprehensive review of the Bassmaster Classic. It was refreshing to read Ken’s unbiased, accurate reporting of the current state of affairs of the sport of professional bass fishing. Someone finally tells it like it is. Bravo!" - Jay Yelas, Professional Bass Angler and Winner of the 2002 Bassmaster Classic
"Ken Schultz provides us with a fascinating insider view on how television is turning the world of Big Bass fishing tournaments into Big Business." - Don Logan, Former Chairman, Media & Communications Group, Time Warner Inc.; former owner of Bass Anglers Sportsman Society
"In Bass Madness, Ken Schultz provides an entertaining and enlightening insider's look at the wonderful, wacky world of professional bass fishing. His research on the origins of competitive fishing is outstanding and very thorough, a must read for any avid angler. By interviewing today's bassheads, he illustrates how our once pastoral sport has become big-time entertainment, with all the foibles and financial obligations that accompany it. Anglers won't want to put it down." - Steve Quinn, Senior Editor, In-Fisherman Magazine
"Bass Madness is a fantastic book. Written with incredible detail and honesty to make it both interesting and entertaining. A must read." - Mark McQuown, Vice President, Lowrance Electronics