ESPN Inc., announced Tuesday that it has reached an agreement in principle to sell BASS, LLC to a group of investors led by Don Logan, Jerry McKinnis and Jim Copeland.

BASS is the largest membership organization of bass anglers in the U.S. with more than 500,000 members. It was purchased by ESPN in 2001 and includes several media platforms, including three magazines and a popular web site.

The purchasing party will assume ownership of all BASS' assets after the completion of the sale.

"The investor group, with its enthusiasm for the brand, will continue to serve BASS' interests with anglers," said Traug Keller, ESPN senior vice president, production, business divisions.

As part of the agreement in principle, BASS' core television programming assets -- the Bassmaster Elite Series and Bassmaster Classic -- will remain on ESPN networks.

Investor and outdoorsman McKinnis has a long history with ESPN as the host of the network's second longest-running show, The Fishin' Hole, which aired from 1980 until 2007.

Retired Time Inc., executive and avid angler Logan at one time oversaw Time Inc., America Online, Time Warner Cable and the Time Warner Book Group before his retirement from the media giant in 2002.

Georgia native Copeland retired as U.S. and Global CEO of international financial services firm Deloitte in 2003 and currently serves on the board of directors of three Fortune 500 companies.

"I am eager to begin working with the anglers, sponsors, and supporters to bring an even more exciting BASS business to its fan base," said McKinnis.

"This group is looking forward to working with the fishing industry's strongest brand and plans to make BASS even more relevant in the multimedia world," said Logan.

Until a sales transaction is finalized, BASS will continue to operate under ESPN's ownership.

DNR
Posted: July 27, 2010

The Iowa Department of Natural Resources annual survey of upland game populations begins on Aug. 1, with state biologists and conservation officers driving more than 200, 30-mile roadside routes statewide.

"The August Roadside Survey is the DNR's main tool for determining whether our fall populations will be up or down from the previous year," says Todd Bogenschutz, Upland Wildlife Research Biologist for the DNR.

Routes start at sunrise on mornings with heavy dew and are run primarily on gravel roads because of lower traffic volume. A heavy dew causes hens to move their broods to the gravel roadsides to dry off before feeding, allowing them to be counted easily. Routes are run over the same roads each year from August 1 to 15 so that the information is comparable with previous years.

This survey is the best indicator of what hunters will find when they take to the field this fall, said Bogenschutz. "Historically, when the roadside counts are compared to the small game harvest figures, they parallel each other nicely," he said.

However, since the survey depends on heavy dew for consistent results, hot dry weather in August can affect the results.

"The birds do not come to the roads as consistently in dry years, which makes the counts more variable," Bogenschutz said.

Final results of the survey will be compiled in late August and posted on the DNR's website in early September. To find out more information visit: Here

To sign up for e-mail notification when the roadside results have been posted visit: Here

2010 High School State Trap Shoot Championships
Posted: June 15, 2010

It's the state championships. You step up to the line, take a deep breath and concentrate. It's good advice as you cradle the ball for that last second foul shot in basketball... or position your shotgun during the final round shootoff on the trap shooting range.

More than 500 Iowa high schoolers took their best shots this month at the 2010 state high school trapshooting championships, near Cedar Falls. "In the last three years, we've been growing about 100 competitors a year," notes Ben Berka, shooting sports coordinator with the Department of Natural Resources. "We see a 'cluster' effect. One school starts; then another wants it."

The state finals are the culmination of a two-month competitive program, which saw 130 different matches across Iowa. Each fielded from 20 to 250 young shooters. Results are displayed online, so every shooter knows who to beat, when he-or she-gets to state. This year, more than 70 girls toed the 16 and 19 yard shooting lines at state. They joined about 465 boys at the nearly mile-long trap range, north of Cedar Falls.

New Hampton won the team title, in a shootoff over Maquoketa, after each team finished with 472 broken clays, out of 500 thrown. Osage was third (458), with Nashua (454), Northwood Kensett (453) and Mason City Red (449) breaking into the top six, among the 92 competing teams. Some schools sent more than one five-member team to the meet.

In the individual boys competition, Cody Mercer (Charles City) took the shootoff over Samuel Beaver (St. Ansgar), after each had knocked down 99 of 100 in the four regular rounds. Right behind them were Nick Arthur (Lynnville-Sully), Bryce Haines (Iowa City West), Robbie Marzoff (New Hampton) and Jaycob Clark (Maquoketa). Each broke 98 clays, with a shootoff settling the final order.

Girls compete with the guys in the team competition, but are recognized separately in the individual honors. Calleen Anderson (Ogden) broke 88 clays, to edge Kayci Klobassa (Osage) for top honors. Following them were Jade Johnson (Mason City), KJ King (Waterloo West), Ruth Kiela (Nashua-Plainfield) and Megan Meissen (New Hampton), whose 83s had to be sorted out through a shootoff as well.

The day prior to the High School Championships, high schoolers and middle school shooters competed in the Scholastic Clay Target Program meet. That, along with the high school meet results and the season-long league finishes produces the Iowa Team Cup winner; won for the second year in a row by Maquoketa High School.

Most schools in the competition offer the trap shooting opportunities as a club or school activity. Also available in Iowa are sporting clays, skeet and archery. "It teaches shooting in a safe manner. Boys and girls compete equally," notes Berka. "Coaches and school officials tell us it catches a lot of kids who maybe aren't participating in other activities."

And in an increasingly urban society, the shooting sports offer a venue to the outdoors. "Coaches are familiar with safe shooting. Many are hunters," says Berka. "It offers avenues to hunting and conservation to any one who wants to pursue them."

More information on the shooting sports, including shotgun coaching certification for adults is available at Here.



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DNR
Posted: April 20, 2010

MORAVIA, Iowa - The annual spring walleye egg collection at Lake Rathbun ended two weeks ago and the conditions could not have been better. Fisheries crews with the Iowa Department of Natural Resources collected adult walleyes for nine nights to supply the hatchery with enough eggs to produce 51 million walleye fry.

The bulk of those adult walleyes can be traced to the 2006 year class. Walleyes are an important resource at Lake Rathbun and their popularity continues to grow.

"While we caught a lot of fish, this 2006 year class could be so much larger," said Mark Flammang, fisheries biologist for the DNR at Lake Rathbun. "Our walleye population is down, but the weather was perfect and that attracted a lot of fish to the dam."

Walleyes have not always been as prominent in the lake as they are today. In the 1980s, the population crashed. A major effort to increase walleye survival in the 1990s re-established the population and the lake began its run as a major player in the Midwest walleye fishing world.

Then, the 2000s brought four years of flooding that knocked the walleye population back down.
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