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 1974 Season. Click on the first image to open the gallery.

1974 Bassmaster Florida Invitational Bass Tournament, St Johns River, FL, February 6-8. Photo Jeff Haines.

1974 Bassmaster Florida Invitational Bass Tournament, St Johns River, FL, February 6-8. Photo Jeff Haines.

1974 Bassmaster Texas National Bass Tournament, Sam Rayburn, TX March 6-8. Photo Jeff Haines.

1974 Bassmaster Texas National Bass Tournament, Sam Rayburn, TX March 6-8. Photo Jeff Haines.

1974 Bassmaster Arkansas Invitational Bass Tournament, Beaver Lake, AR April 3-5. Photo Jeff Haines.

1974 Bassmaster Arkansas Invitational Bass Tournament, Beaver Lake, AR April 3-5. Photo Jeff Haines.

1974 Bassmaster Tennessee Invitational Bass Tournament, Watts Bar, TN May 1-3. Photo Jeff Haines.

1974 Bassmaster Tennessee Invitational Bass Tournament, Watts Bar, TN May 1-3. Photo Jeff Haines.

1974 Bassmaster Virginia Invitational Bass Tournament, Buggs Island, VA June 5-7. Photo Jeff Haines.

1974 Bassmaster Virginia Invitational Bass Tournament, Buggs Island, VA June 5-7. Photo Jeff Haines.

1974 Bassmaster All-American Bass Tournament, Clark Hill, SC September 25-27. Photo Jeff Haines.

1974 Bassmaster All-American Bass Tournament, Clark Hill, SC September 25-27. Photo Jeff Haines.

1974 Bass Masters Classic, Wheeler Lake, AL, October 30 to November 1. World Finalist Patch. Photo Jeff Haines.

1974 Bass Masters Classic, Wheeler Lake, AL, October 30 to November 1. World Finalist Patch. Photo Jeff Haines.

1974 Bass Masters Classic, Wheeler Lake, AL, October 30 to November 1. Press Angler Patch. Photo Jeff Haines.

1974 Bass Masters Classic, Wheeler Lake, AL, October 30 to November 1. Press Angler Patch. Photo Jeff Haines.

The 1973 Bassmaster Trail was such a success event-wise, Ray Scott and Harold Sharp decided to continue on that glide path. Again they scheduled great lakes at great times in hopes to continue their record-breaking streak into 1974.

But Scott didn’t stop there. He continued to hone the rules for boater safety in the events by making mandatory the use of kill switches in all boats as well as limiting the horsepower rating for any stick steer boat in his events to 33 h.p.

After such a successful 1973 season, Scott decided to limit the number of entries in each event to 200 anglers. The top 35 would get cash awards as well as points for coveted Angler of the Year points.

Here’s a quick look at the tournament schedule for 1974.

  • Florida Invitational Bass Tournament, St. Johns River, FL February 6-8
  • Texas Invitational Bass Tournament, Sam Rayburn, TX March 6-8
  • Arkansas Invitational Bass Tournament, Beaver Lake, AR April 3-5
  • Tennessee Invitational Bass Tournament, Watts Bar, TN May 1-3
  • Virginia Invitational Bass Tournament, Buggs Island, VA June 5-7
  • All-American Bass Tournament, Clark Hill, SC September 25-27
  • Bass Master Classic, Lake Wheeler, AL October 30 to November 1

The first event of the season at the St. Johns proved to be a lot tougher than in 1973. Billy Westmorland won it with 49-02, less than half the weight it took the year prior.

The second event, held on famed Sam Rayburn Lake, got the train back on the tracks and broke two records. The total weight of bass for the event topped out at 5,725 pounds breaking both the recently set 10-fish/day daily bag limit as well as the 15-fish/day daily bag limit. Ricky Green took home the win.

For a look at the full tournament reports for this year, click on the links below.

The patches presented above are the patches the angler received at each of the events in the 1974 season. This is a complete set and we’re thankful to Jeff Haines for sharing them with us.