OutdoorWriter
Long Time Member
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Ray Scott died yesterday at 88. He was the founder of B.A.S.S. the tournament fishing company that spawned the competition fishing craze & made him very wealthy.
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Father of BASS tourneys gone
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OutdoorWriter
Long Time Member
- Messages
- 8,340
I was fortunate to know them both, and each of them was a class act.
When I lived in Colo., using our special writer's discount, I bought my first Ranger direct from them in 1977 and drove to Ark to pick it up. Forest happened to come into the shop when we were hooking it up to my truck. He told me it was the neatest looking boat they had made to that point.
Back then, most of the hulls were white with color accents. I ordered an all-black hull with a metallic orange stripe on the side & a metalflake charcoal top rail. The carpet was salt-&-pepper orange & the seats were all orange. It had double consoles, a Merc 90 Hp & a Zebco 24V trolling motor. The dual-axle trailer with all chrome wheels was all black with white pin striping & a spare mounted on each side. Total cost - $6200. My kids named it the 'Black Whale.'
That was the first time I had met Forest, but over the next few decades we often visited at writers' conferences or at a bass tournament somewhere. His wife, Nina, was a neat gal, as well.
I bought another Ranger direct in the early 1990s. I went with a deep-V 17' aluminum hull, dual consoles, 90 Merc & Minnkota 24V and kept it sort of plain Jane -- white with all maroon accents, including the carpet & upholstery. Total cost - $11,500
I got to know Ray in the late 1980s while attending BASS tournaments as a press observer. We never really became bosom buddies, but we always had a little chat when we would meet up.
When I lived in Colo., using our special writer's discount, I bought my first Ranger direct from them in 1977 and drove to Ark to pick it up. Forest happened to come into the shop when we were hooking it up to my truck. He told me it was the neatest looking boat they had made to that point.
Back then, most of the hulls were white with color accents. I ordered an all-black hull with a metallic orange stripe on the side & a metalflake charcoal top rail. The carpet was salt-&-pepper orange & the seats were all orange. It had double consoles, a Merc 90 Hp & a Zebco 24V trolling motor. The dual-axle trailer with all chrome wheels was all black with white pin striping & a spare mounted on each side. Total cost - $6200. My kids named it the 'Black Whale.'
That was the first time I had met Forest, but over the next few decades we often visited at writers' conferences or at a bass tournament somewhere. His wife, Nina, was a neat gal, as well.
I bought another Ranger direct in the early 1990s. I went with a deep-V 17' aluminum hull, dual consoles, 90 Merc & Minnkota 24V and kept it sort of plain Jane -- white with all maroon accents, including the carpet & upholstery. Total cost - $11,500
I got to know Ray in the late 1980s while attending BASS tournaments as a press observer. We never really became bosom buddies, but we always had a little chat when we would meet up.
