Inductee

Bruce Holt (1948 – 2021) So many aspects of the bass fishing industry have seen success over the years due to efforts from people like Bruce Holt. While he fished local bass tournaments and promoted the sport in nearly everything he did, his involvement on the ‘business’ side is what qualifies him for induction into the Bass Fishing Hall of Fame. His contacts with the industry led to the success of G. Loomis Rods – he identified up-and-coming pro anglers and his support to them led to success in their careers – his life and career mirrors the mission of the BFHOF – celebrating, promoting and preserving the sport of bass fishing.

Bruce was involved in the fishing industry for nearly 45 years prior to passing in 2021 after his battle with cancer. He was a quiet, yet very influential force within the bass fishing world in roles that spanned the gamut – senior executive with an international fishing rod brand where he was also involved with bass rod research and development, writer and photographer with credits in leading media outlet, and was known for uncovering key bass waters – El Salto in Mexico, Choke Canyon in Texas, Peacock bass in the Amazon, and the smallmouth-filled waters of the Columbia River to name a few – that over the years became well-known from the ‘fam trips’ he organized with bass fishing media from around the globe.

Through his 34-year career with G. Loomis Rods, Bruce had a key role in the manufacturer’s rise to being one of the world’s most highly respected, high-performance rod makers. An avid bass angler, Holt played a large part as G. Loomis expanded its salmon and steelhead rod roots from being located in the Pacific Northwest to a major emphasis on the bass fishing market. He contributed to G. Loomis’ success in numerous positions over the years, from being in charge of sales and marketing before Shimano’s acquisition of the company in 1997, to a nearly a decade-long stint as executive director and then returning to his media communications and public relations role during his last decade with the company.

During the early days in the growth of professional bass fishing circuits, Bruce identified and supported many upcoming anglers, including Ricky Green, Greg Hackney, Luke Claussen, David Walker and Mark Rose who have all found success in the pro ranks. He further gave back to the industry by serving on Bass Fishing Hall of Fame Board of Directors for 10-plus years, including being the Board vice president during major decisions about the Hall’s future.

Glen Andrews – From 1962 to 1966, Glen Andrews, of Lead Hill, Ark., won three Missouri State Championships, an Arkansas State Championship, was the runner up twice in the World Championship, followed by two World Championships. Those World Championships, formally known as World Series of Sportfishing, were the first national fishing contests combining anglers from all over the country. Andrews was the only angler to win two of those titles. In all of those events he never made a single dollar in prize money. But his reputation, guide and lure business were flying high. He had helped develop and was the first man to market what is now known as the Texas Rig. In the 1960s, it was the Andrews Slip-Sinker Worm.

He has been called many times the ‘best bass angler’ to ever live from the likes of Bass Fishing Hall of Famers, Bill Dance, Bobby Murray, Jerry McKinnis, and Ray Scott. Many of today’s heroes were mentored by him, including Dance and Murray.

His impact, though, was even greater.  Without Andrews’ experience and reputation, the All American on Beaver Lake in 1967 would have never gotten off the ground. Local supporters of the All American would not sign off on the event unless Andrews gave it his blessing. Once blessed, Andrews used his contacts to help Ray Scott fill the field with anglers ready to travel and compete.

He was the Rules Chairman for Ray Scott in that first event and helped forge the strict rules that all tournament anglers live by today and for good reason. In those early World Championships, rules often changed sometimes day to day to keep Andrews from winning.

Here’s a link with more to read to see why those rules were so integral to the game we love today – https://www.bassfishinghof.com/glen-andrews

Lonnie Stanley — Texas legend Lonnie Stanley is the owner and creator of Stanley Lures, one of the most popular lure companies of the 1980s and beyond. His jigs and spinnerbaits became the must-have lures of that period, largely because of his success with them on the Bassmaster Tournament Trail and his passion for teaching others how to fish jigs and spinnerbaits properly. He fished 124 B.A.S.S. events, made five Bassmaster Classic appearances, won one tournament and finished in the Top 10 a total of 13 times. Stanley co-hosted ESPN’s “Sportsmen’s Challenge” show for 18 years and was inducted into the Texas Freshwater Hall of Fame in 2012.

Steve Quinn — Steve Quinn has been involved in the fishing industry and outdoor writing for 35 years, including 30 years as an editor at In-Fisherman Magazine. He combined science, media and communication to promote bass fishing and conservation across the continent. In 1989 he published the first scientific paper to demonstrate that voluntarily releasing largemouth bass clearly led to improvements in the quality of fishing. He has been on numerous committees of the prestigious American Fisheries Society (AFS). Quinn authored hundreds of popular articles and over 50 scientific publications. He has given countless seminars across the country and been active in tournaments for decades. Quinn is the only author to receive writing awards from both Outdoor Writer’s Association of America and AFS as well as receiving the Award of Excellence from the Fisheries Management section of AFS.

Aaron Martens – After a storied career on numerous Western circuits, Aaron Martens qualified for the Bassmaster Top 150 tour through the Bassmaster Western Opens, and subsequently fished on various iterations of that tour, including the Bassmaster Elite Series, from 1999 through 2018. Along the way he qualified for and competed in 20 Bassmaster Classics, finishing in the top 10 on nine occasions, including four runner-up finishes. He won three AOY titles and nine Bassmaster tournaments.

During his more than two decades at B.A.S.S. he won more than $3 million. In addition to competing with B.A.S.S., Martens also fished the FLW Tour from 2001 through 2006 and qualified for the Forrest Wood Cup three times. In 2003 he won a tour event on Wheeler Lake, and the following year he won at Champlain. He later fished the Major League Fishing events, and left B.A.S.S. to compete on the Bass Pro Tour circuit in 2019. Many of Martens’ most meaningful innovations came using light line techniques. At the 2004 Classic on Lake Wylie, in which he finished second to Takahiro Omori’s last-minute charge, he brought several obscure lures from the 1970s back to life , including Scroungers and “horsey heads.”. He is perhaps best known for his prowess with and reliance upon the drop-shot technique. He tirelessly worked to refine both finesse and big bait techniques and was noted for his tackle-tinkering and perfectionism. He was also a conduit between Japanese innovators and the U.S. bass scene, and at times was sponsored by various Japanese companies including Megabass, Duo Realis, Sunline and Shimano.

Dewey Kendrick – Dewey Kendrick served as the Tournament Director of the Bass Anglers Sportsmen Society from 1986 until 2002, and during that time spearheaded and implemented many critical changes in the evolution of professional tournament fishing. Those included: the addition of the Pro-Am format (angler/co-angler) at the highest level of the sport; the conservation-minded change to a five-bass limit; the rule that all sight fish must be hooked in the mouth; the increased horsepower limit from 150 to 250; and perhaps most notably, taking the circuit outside of its previous range, to unconventional and urban locations not previously known for bass fishing, such as Hartford, Connecticut, and Detroit, Michigan.

Kendrick’s tenure also saw the maturation of the Bassmaster Classic with the addition of the outdoor expo, indoor weigh-ins, and fan-friendly take-offs. He worked closely with Bob Cobb to elevate the profile of “The Bassmasters” television program on TNN. During his time as TD, Kendrick was known as a strict rule enforcer with a great tremendous work ethic. His leadership positioned BASS to become an acquisition target for sports behemoth ESPN.