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 1973 Season. Click on the first image to open the gallery.
1973 Bassmaster Florida Invitational Bass Tournament, St. Johns River, FL February 7-9. Photo Jeff Haines.
1973 Bassmaster Arkansas Invitational Bass Tournament, Beaver Lake, AR March 7-9. Photo Jeff Haines.
1973 Bassmaster Rebel Invitational Bass Tournament, Ross Barnett, MS April 4-6. Photo Jeff Haines.
1973 Bassmaster Seminole Lunker Bass Tournament, Lake Seminole, GA May 2-4. Photo Jeff Haines.
1973 Bassmaster South Carolina Invitational Bass Tournament, Lake Keowee, SC May 30 to June 1. Photo Jeff Haines.
1973 Bassmaster All-American Bass Tournament, Watts Bar, TN September 26-28. Photo Jeff Haines.
1973 Bassmaster Classic, Clark Hill, SC October 24-26. Contender Patch. Photo Jeff Haines.
1973 Bassmaster Classic, Clark Hill, SC October 24-26. Press Angler Patch. Photo Jeff Haines. NOTE: It is not known if this patch actually exists.
1973 Bassmaster Classic, Clark Hill, SC October 24-26. Standard Patch. Photo Jeff Haines. NOTE: It is not known if this patch is actually the one given to the press anglers or not.
1973 Bassmaster Classic, Clark Hill, SC October 24-26. World Champion Patch. This is the patch Rayo Breckenridge was given after his win of the 1973 Bass Masters Classic. Photo Jeff Haines.
After six years hosting events, Ray Scott and primarily Harold Sharp, decided to schedule the 1973 tournaments around the best time of the year and the best lakes. Done in order to try and break records and promote fish care, the 1973 tournament trail would prove to be one of the best.
To see what I mean, look at the 1973 schedule below.
- Florida Invitational, St. Johns River, FL February 7-9
- Arkansas Invitational, Beaver Lake, AR March 7-9
- Rebel Invitational, Ross Barnett, MS April 4-6
- Seminole Lunker, Lake Seminole, GA May 2-4
- South Carolina Invitational, Lake Keowee, SC May 30 to June 1
- All-American, Watts Bar, TN September 26-28
- Bassmaster Classic, Clark Hill, SC October 24-26
The season started off on the St. Johns River and adjoining lakes. Rodman Pool would not disappoint. Larry Hill won the event on the last day with a 10-bass limit that pulled the scales down to 60-01 for a total of 108-02 – a tournament record for the 10-bass per day limit era. Bob Tyndall smashed the big bass record with a 12-13 bass caught on a tire tread of a plastic worm. Overall there were 1,713 bass weighed for 4,247 pounds, another B.A.S.S. record.
For full tournament reports and the Classic preview and report, hit the links below.
- Season at a Glance: Bass Master Trail 1973 – Part One
- Season at a Glance: Bass Master Trail 1973 – Part Two
- Season at a Glance: 1973 Bass Masters Classic Preview – Part Three
- Season at a Glance: 1973 Bass Masters Classic – Part Four
The patches presented above are the patches the angler received at each of the events in the 1973 season. It is not known if this is a complete set. Around this time B.A.S.S. started making Press Angler Patches to distinguish the Contenders from the Press Anglers. It is not known to Jeff or myself if a Press Angler patch exists or they just received the Standard patch shown above.
If you’ve seen a 1973 Bass Masters Classic Press Angler patch, please leave a comment below or contact Terry Battisti at terry@bass-archives.com. Also, a big thanks to Jeff Haines for sharing the patches with us.
