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Morris Sheehan, US Army Retired purchased Military Bass Anglers in January of 2000. Since purchasing the company he continues to focus American Bass Anglers efforts on running events for the weekend angler of which many are active or former military. American Bass Anglers since its creation has run more fishing events for the military than any other national fishing organization.

ABA has run events at locations like Ft. Hood (Fishing for Freedoms 1, 2 and 3), 2006 Ft Campbell (101 Airborne Tournament), 2007 ABA held 3 separate take a solider fishing events in the New York, Illinois, and Georgia. Over 5,000 military personnel have had the opportunity to spend the day on a lake through these ABA operated events.

In 2008 ABA will operate the 18th annual Military Team Bass Tournament. This event continues to show the commitment and tradition of American Bass Anglers to support the military bass angler.

Brown, Bardolf lead wire-to-wire for military victory

ATHENS, Ala. – After leading the first two days, David Brown and Keith Bardolf sealed their victory by bested the nearest competition by about 15 pounds to win the 23rd annual Military Team Bass Tournament, presented by American Bass Anglers, held on Lake Seminole.
Running out of the Earl May Boat Basin in Bainbridge, Ga., on May 8-10, 2013, to fish the 37,500-acre lake on the Florida-Georgia line, the winning team landed a three-day tournament limit of 15 bass for a total weight of 67.05 pounds. That comes out to about a 4.47-pound average. They capped their catch with a 5.01-pounder they caught on Day 1.
“We ran south and started every morning on a ledge with a big worm until we caught a limit,” Bardolf explained. “After we caught a limit, we slowly worked our way back north and went flipping. It was slow on the first day and slower the second day, but picked up on the final day.”
The only team to top the 20-pound mark on Day 1, Brown and Bardolf set the pace with a 20.13-pound bag that included the 5.01-pounder. In fact, Brown and Bardolf brought in three of only five daily bags exceeding 20 pounds.
            “We had our limit by 10 a.m. on the first day, 9 a.m. on the second day and 8:30 a.m. on the final day,” Brown added. “We culled twice on Day 2. We caught nine fish on Day 3 and culled twice. On Day 3, we lost a really big fish.”
On Day 2, the winning team weighed in the largest single-day bag of the event at 23.71 pounds for a two-day total of 43.84 pounds. They followed that on Day 3 with a 23.21-pound bag to seal their victory with 67.05 pounds.
“The key to winning the tournament was committing to getting five good bites each day,” Bardolf advised. “We stayed there until we got them. Then, we went flipping. On the second and on the third day, we caught two big fish flipping. That put us over the top. We caught all our fish in about eight to 10 feet of water. They were post-spawn fish and we caught them as they were funneling back out to deeper water.”
Ralph Moseley and William Spencer followed in second place with a three-day total of 15 bass going 52.24 pounds. On Day 1, they held fifth place with 16.77 pounds including a 4.41-pound kicker. On Day 2, they caught 17.92 pounds and moved up to fourth place with 34.69 pounds. On the final day, they moved up another two notches by catching 17.55 pounds.
“We fished three really good places,” Moseley said. “We fished a river ledge on the Florida side. The boat was in about 20 feet of water. We threw up to about eight to 10 feet of water. We caught fish on a Carolina rig with an Ol’ Monster Worm in green pumpkin or junebug and a Strike King KVD 5XD crankbait. We fished there two days and caught 35 fish. The spot had a lot of fish, but not any of the giant ones that are normally out there.”
Timmy Chapel and Shane Lundien finished third with a three-day limit of 15 bass weighing 51.31 pounds. On Day 1, they placed second with 19.46 pounds anchored by a 4.64-pound kicker. On the second day, the team dropped to fifth place with 34.05 pounds after catching 14.59 pounds. They wrapped up their tournament with a 17.26-pound effort on the final day to move into third place.
“We went up Spring Creek and got on a flat,” Lundien recalled. “We threw spinnerbaits and Alabama rigs all three days. The water was about 74 degrees and stained. The water is up. We usually key on a big cypress tree at our spot, but it was just under the water. We culled two fish on the second day and one on the final day.”
            “We struggled,” Chapel admitted. “It was tough. On the first day, we went to our second spot with only one fish in the boat. We threw two casts on the Alabama rig and caught three 4-pounders. We had four bites and caught five fish all day.”
Chris Sabo and Steve Kokora landed in fourth place with a three-day total of 45.18 pounds. They held third place after one day of competition with 18.98 pounds, but set the Day 1 lunker standard with a 5.76-pounder. On Day 2, they moved into second place with a 16.89-pound catch for a total of 35.87 pounds. On the final day of the event, they landed 9.31 pounds.
Burkitt Collins and Tommy Hudnall rounded out the top five teams with a three-day limit of 15 bass going 44.17 pounds. On Day 1, Collins and Hudnall held 11th place with 13.14 pounds that included one 5.59-pounder. On the second day, the team jumped into third place after a 21.79-pound effort gave them a total of 34.93 pounds. On the final day, they landed 9.24 pounds.
Mark Curry and George Curry finished 44th, but landed the largest bass of the event, a 7.20-pounder on the second day. They finished with six bass weighing 20.70 pounds.
Each year, the Military Team Bass Tournament pits the best bass anglers from the U.S. Armed Forces. Any active duty Army, Navy, Air Force, Marine Corps, National Guard, Reserve or Coast Guard member may fish in this event. Families of military members, honorably discharged veterans, Department of Defense civilians, contractors and retired military members may also fish this event.
            For more information on this tournament, call Joe Angelone, tournament manager, at 256-777-6152 or ABA at 256-232-0406. On line, see www.americanbassanglers.com.

About American Bass Anglers: The Toyota Bassmaster Weekend Series provides weekend anglers a professionally operated competitive tour with a path the world championship of bass fishing the Bassmaster Classic. American Bass Anglers commitment is to provide low cost, close to home tournaments for the weekend angler and at the same time offer each competitor an upward path for individual angler progression. For more information about American Bass Anglers and the American Fishing Tour, The Toyota Bassmaster Weekend Series or the American Couples Series, visit www.americanbassanglers.com.

Final Results

Best Western Partners with American Bass Anglers

Athens, Ala. (November 05, 2012) American Bass Anglers has announced a partnership with Best Western hotels that names the chain as the official host hotel for all American Bass Angler tours and events.

“Our anglers spend a lot of time, energy and resources traveling to tournaments, in addition to personal and business travel, and they need a reputable hotel choice that provides the amenities and comfort that Best Western hotels provide,” said Morris Sheehan, president of American Bass Anglers, Inc. “We are proud of this association because of the great impact it can have on our members when they travel. Our members will enjoy an everyday discount and special rates for tournaments,” concluded Sheehan.

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Biobor Sponsors American Bass Anglers Tours

Athens, Ala. (October 29, 2012) - Biobor, the worldwide leader of fuel additives, has come on board to be a major sponsor of the American Bass Anglers (ABA) and all ABA Fishing Tours. This multi-year agreement will have Biobor sponsor and represented at all of the Toyota Tundra Bassmaster Weekend Series, The American Fishing Tour, The American Couples Series and the Annual Military Team Bass Anglers Tournament. Biobor products will be promoted and available at all 105 Toyota Tundra Bassmaster Weekend Series events.

BioborEB®, one of Biobor’s core products, is a specifically formulated additive for gasoline and ethanol fuel blends which helps combat the negative effects of ethanol in fuel tanks and engines, while increasing engine performance, efficiency and fuel stability.

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Operation Rod & Reel Gives Back to
Active Duty Members of the Armed Forces

ATHENS, AL – In an effort to show appreciation for the sacrifices members of the armed forces make every day, American Bass Anglers and Early Times Kentucky Whisky joined to create Operation Rod & Reel. Through this program, active-duty service members from selected military installations will each receive fishing equipment and a free fishing trip to a local ABA bass tournament. Through posters placed at both Ft. Indiantown Gap and Horsham Air Force Base, 32 soldiers and airmen have signed up to fish the first of these events to come to Pennsylvania. On Saturday, October 6th, they will be treated to a great day on the water at Lake Wallenpaupack.