By Anthony Caruso III | Publisher
Ray Scott has passed away. He is credited with being the ‘father’ of modern bass fishing.
An official cause of death has not been released yet. He was 88.

According to Bassmaster.com, he passed away on Sunday night at approx. 11:30 pm. He died naturally in his sleep.
READ MORE: Click here for our latest Death coverage.
“I didn’t invent catch and release,” Scott previously said. “But we did make it popular in bass fishing and that changed the sport in so many ways. We preached that a bass is too valuable to be caught only once. We helped fishermen learn how great it felt to catch a 5-or-6 pound bass and then leave over and let it go and watch it swim away. Hopefully to be caught again.”
In 1967, he founded the Bassmaster Tournament Trail. At the time, it was the first national professional bass fishing circuit.
The following year, he created the Bass Anglers Sportsman Society, which is now known as B.A.S.S. for short. It is now the largest fishing organization in the world.
READ MORE: Click here for our latest Sports coverage.
“Our entire organization was saddened to hear about the passing of our founder Ray Scott,” Chase Anderson, B.A.S.S. CEO said in a statement. “Ray’s passion and vision for bass fishing birthed our entire industry more than 50 years ago when he founded B.A.S.S. and started the first professional fishing tournament series. His legacy is felt to this day and continues to influence B.A.S.S., the world’s largest fishing membership organization.
“Ray’s contributions and impact on conservation and his advocacy and passion for anglers and our sport set the standard for tournament fishing and are something we will always strive to uphold. Our hearts and prayers are with the Scott family.”
Subscribe to our newsletter!