We’d like to thank Jeff Haines for sharing his Bassmaster Tournament Patch Collection with us here on the Bass Fishing Archives. Below you’ll find the Tournament Patches for the 1971 Season. Click on the first image to open the gallery.
1971 Bassmaster Seminole Lunker Bass Tournament, Lake Seminole, GA, March 18-20. Photo Jeff Haines.
1971 Bassmaster Table Rock National Bass Tournament, Table Rock Lake, MO April 29 to May 1. Photo Jeff Haines.
1971 Bassmaster Texas National Bass Tournament, Sam Rayburn, TX, June 17-19. Photo Jeff Haines.
1971 Bassmaster All-American Bass Tournament, Ross Barnett, MS September 30 to October 2. Photo Jeff Haines.
1971 Bass Masters Classic, Lake Mead, NV, October 20-22. Photo Jeff Haines.
The year 1971 would again prove to be a year of firsts for the now four-year-old Bassmaster Trail and B.A.S.S. Up to this time, anglers had only fished for the competition and money at each event. There was no year-end championship and the Bassmaster Angler of the Year award was kind of cobbed together in 1970 to make the last event more interesting. For more information on the 1970 Angler of the Year, head over to:
This would also be the first season where Bill Dance would not participate in a single event, due to the filming of his new TV show, Bill Dance Outdoors. Roland martin would battle Tom Mann for the first true Angler of the Year award, with Martin taking the trophy by only three points.
The 1971 Bassmaster Trail would only comprise four events leading up to the first annual Bass Masters Classic, which would be held on a mystery lake. This was the shortest season put on since the formation of B.A.S.S. in 1968. Here’s the full schedule of events:
- Seminole Lunker Lake Seminole, GA March 18-20, 1971
- Table Rock National Table Rock Lake, MO April 29 to may 1, 1971
- Texas National Sam Rayburn, TX June 17-19, 1971
- All-American Ross Barnett, MS September 30 to October 2, 1971
- Bass Masters Classic I Lake Mead, NV October 20-22, 1971
For the full coverage of the 1971 Bassmaster Trail, see the following links:
- Season at a Glance: 1971 Bassmaster Trail – Part One
- Season at a Glance: 1971 Bassmaster Trail – Part Two
- Season at a Glance: 1971 Bassmaster Trail – Part Three
The first annual Bass Masters Classic was held on Nevada’s Lake Mead, just a few miles from Las Vegas. 24 anglers competed in the three-day event for the winner-take-all cash award. Bobby Murray essentially walked away with the event and beat Tom Mann by nearly 6 pounds.
The patches presented above are the patches the angler received at each of the events in the 1971 season. This is a complete set and we’re thankful to Jeff Haines for sharing them with us.
