ANHEUSER-BUSCH ON BOARD WITH BASS IN 2006

CELEBRATION, Fla. – BASS announced today that Anheuser-Busch, the premier sponsor of the CITGO Bassmaster Elite Series, will continue its sponsorship with the worldwide authority on bass fishing through 2006. Anheuser-Busch joined BASS as the premier sponsor in 2002, and in 2004 implemented its BUSCH Shootout award program.

“The BUSCH Shootout has created a lot of excitement on the Bassmaster Tournament Trail over the last few years,” said Jim Lukowski, director of marketing, value brands, Anheuser-Busch, Inc. “We’ve received a lot of great feedback from anglers who participate in the program and anglers who have qualified for the BUSCH Shootout.”

The BUSCH Shootout is a season-long, $216,000 incentive program for pros who compete in the CITGO Bassmaster Elite Series and Bassmaster Majors. Anglers with the heaviest bag throughout each of the tournament competition days receive the BUSCH Heavyweight $1,000 bonus, equaling $56,000 throughout the season. The top 10 anglers with the heaviest bags for the season qualify for the BUSCH Shootout.

Additionally, the angler with the heaviest sack of the 2006 Federation Championship, the 2006 CITGO Bassmaster Classic and the 2005 CITGO Bassmaster Open Championship also qualify for the BUSCH Shootout.

The 13 qualifying anglers will compete on an undisclosed mystery lake somewhere in the United States, under a modified format announced hours before the tournament. The dates of the tournament have not been announced.

The BUSCH Shootout champion will collect a $100,000 grand prize, and each remaining participant receives $5,000, for a total purse of $160,000.

BUSCH beer is the official beer of BASS and committed to supporting BASS anglers across the country through its continued association with BASS, and its sponsorship of Denny Brauer, 14-time winner of the CITGO Bassmaster Tournament Trail and 1987 CITGO Bassmaster Angler of the Year.

BASS is the worldwide authority on bass fishing, sanctioning more than 20,000 events through the BASS Federation annually. Guided by its mission to serve all fishing fans, BASS sets the standard for credibility, professionalism, sportsmanship and conservation, as it has for nearly 40 years.

BASS stages bass fishing tournaments for every skill level and culminates with the CITGO Bassmaster Classic. Through its clubs, youth programs, aquatic resource advocacy, magazine publishing and multimedia platforms, BASS offers the industry's widest array of services and support to its nearly 550,000 members. The organization is headquartered in Celebration, Fla.

For more information, contact BASS Communications at (407) 566-2208. To join BASS, call 1-800-BASS-USA or visit www.bassmaster.com.