THE BASS FEDERATION
50 YEARS IN THE FEDERATION
ST. JOHNS BASS ANGLERS
CLUB CELEBRATES TBF
GOLDEN ANNIVERSARY
The St. Johns Bass Anglers, based
out of Jacksonville, Fla., was founded
in 1970 as the 19th federated club in
the nation. In April, the club will cel-
ebrate its 50th anniversary.
St. Johns Bass Anglers got in at
the ground floor of the grassroots
Federation of anglers by being the
first club to organize in the state of
Florida.
On April 21, 1970, U.S. Secret
Service agent Dick Hulcher and
Jacksonville-area lawyer Gene Loftin,
along with four other anglers, sent
out an application to become what
was then a B.A.S.S.-affiliated club.
The founding members promoted
the club and built its membership
base to 50 anglers, which was no
small feat considering membership
was by invitation only at the time.
Loftin, who is still active in the
club today, crafted the constitution,
bylaws and club rules that drew
accolades from TBF leadership. They
still stand as the club’s solid founda-
tion today.
The constitution also provided
stipulations for youth participation.
The first young angler to join the
club at age 16 was Peter Thliveros,
who went on to become a legend of
professional bass fishing. Thliveros
has seven B.A.S.S. wins to his name
Gene Loftin
and has qualified for 13 Bassmaster
Classics. He was also the FLW Tour
Angler of the Year in 1996 and the
2003 Ranger Cup Champion.
Another former junior member
was Jerry Shawver, the 2003 TBF
National Champion. Several former
and current members have fished
their way to state championships
and the National Semi-Finals, includ-
ing Jason Stake, who represented
the St. Johns Bass Anglers in the
2020 TBF National Championship.
Congratulations to the St. Johns
Bass Anglers club, and thank you
from everyone in the Federation
family for your commitment to TBF’s
grassroots mission.
WORLD FINALS
11TH ANNUAL HIGH SCHOOL FISHING WORLD FINALS AND
NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP: THE MULTI-MILLION-DOLLAR PRIZE
POOL IS STILL GROWING
Registration is open for the 11th annual High School Fishing World Finals
and National Championship, scheduled for June 23-27 on the Mississippi River
in La Crosse, Wis. Registration is open to all SAF members worldwide.
The prize pool and scholarship money available for this year’s dual event
already exceed $3 million. Visit highschoolfishing.org for more information.
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TBF CHAMPIONSHIPS:
THE EARLY DAYS
Before starting The Bass
Federation National Championship,
the Federation had what was called
The Bass Federation Chapter Team
Championship. Each state Federation
(referred to as a Federation “chapter”
back then) held qualifying events to
determine its six-person team, which
would head to the TBF Chapter Team
Championship each year.
Many of those early events includ-
ed some of bass fishing’s most suc-
cessful anglers. Here are some nota-
bles from the early 1970s. In the next
issue, we’ll highlight TBF Chapter
Team Championships from 1977-
1980.
1973 – Federation member
Wendell Mann won the 1973 TBF
Chapter Team Championship on
Pickwick Lake. His winning weight
was 42 pounds, and he won $1,940
for his team, as well as a 1973
Ranger boat. There were only 20
anglers in the 1973 event, but it
included names such as Woo Daves,
Billy Phillips, Don Buffalo and RA
Agnew.
1974 – Federation member
Charlie Campbell won the 1974 TBF
Chapter Team Championship with 55
pounds, 15 ounces on Table Rock
Lake. Participation in that event
soared to 144 anglers.
1975 – Federation member Sonny
Lee bested the 192-angler field to win
the 1975 TBF Chapter Team
Championship with a winning weight
of 30-8 on Clarks Hill Reservoir. Other
notable competitors included Charlie
Campbell, Babe Winkelman, Don
Buffalo, Ken Cook and 1973 winner
Wendall Mann.
1976 – Federation member Don
Buffalo claimed the title from the
198-angler field fishing on
Oklahoma’s Lake Texoma. That field
also included Jack Chancellor, Babe
Winkelman, Charlie Campbell, Billy
Phillips, Charlie Hoover, Harold Dees,
Robert Evans and Woo Daves.
FLWFISHING.COM | MAJORLEAGUEFISHING.COM | APRIL-MAY 2020