Nevada County Picayune and Gurdon Times Newspaper Archive

Bass Hall of Fame discussed

Bill Fletcher with the Professional Bass Fishing Hall of Fame, was the guest speaker at Rotary this past week.

Fletcher said the idea for a Bass Fishing Hall of fame originally came from a fishing trip to Canada he and a group of buddies went on about three years ago. Since that time an idea has become a reality.

Entergy of Arkansas has donated many acres to build the Professional Bass Fishing Hall of Fame. The land is located about five miles south of the city of Hot Springs, just below Carpenter Dam and Lake Hamilton.

The site is accessed off of Highway 128, the same road that serves the Garvan Woodland Gardens.

Governor Mike Huckabee is a big supporter of the hall of fame.

Huckabee said, "With almost 600,000 acres of lakes and 9,000 miles of streams, Arkansas is a prime location for outdoor recreation in general bass fishing in particular. I'm excited about the Hall of Fame's first tournament and know that there will be many more to come."

Huckabee also agreed to match up to $15,000 of the money raised and donated to the Hall of Fame.

The Arkansas State Legislature has also joined in for support. It has put forth $300,000 to hire a director for the Hall of Fame.

In the past the board volunteered its time to help as much as possible. Having a specified director will help tremendously.

Fletcher said he knows Hot Springs is a great location for the Hall of Fame because the interest in fishing south Arkansas has. Not to mention all the great fishing spots.

To find out more about the PBFHOF or to become a member, call 1-800-690-BASS or visit their website at www.probassfishinghof.com. You can also write to: PBFHOF, 928 Airport Road, Hot Springs, Ark. 71913.