It’s not likely that the casual follower of bass fishing would recognize Travis Manson’s photo, or would have heard of the Bassmaster Northern Open pro.
That could soon change.
In his first season at the pro level in a bass circuit of any brand, the 30-year-old from Green Bay, Wis., has managed to work his way into the No. 2 spot in the points ranking. With 512 points, he’s sitting in one of two hot seats in the Northern Open points race to the 2011 Bassmaster Classic, and is in line to join the Bassmaster Elite Series.
No way does he have the coveted Classic seat all sewn up. Threatening hard — only one point behind — is seasoned angler Chip Harrison of Indiana. On Harrison’s heals are two Bassmaster Elite Series pros: Jeremy Starks of West Virginia, with 508, and Kevin Short of Arkansas, who has 502. Yet Manson, finishing No. 16 and then No. 9 in the season’s first two events, has already shown he can compete.
Manson had never before seen the Northern Open fisheries that got him this far. Lake Champlain was new water to him for the first event, as were Lake Erie, Lake St. Clair and the Detroit River for Northern No. 2.
Ditto for the Chesapeake Bay, site of the final and determining 2010 Northern event, set for Sept. 16-18 and hosted by Cecil County, Md. He plans to leave this week for Maryland to put in a chunk of practice time.
“It will be a major tournament for me,” he said. “Originally my plan was to qualify for the Elite Series, but being No. 2 in points now, that goal has changed slightly,” to include the Classic.
Growing up, fishing was all about walleyes, he said. He stared competing in walleye derbies at 16. (On Sept. 3, he’ll turn 31.)
“I didn’t start bass fishing until about four years ago,” said Manson, who worked as a commodities trader after college, where he earned a marketing degree. “I was fortunate enough to have Mercury invite me to the first-ever Elite Series tournament (March 2006) as a co-angler. From that point on, I sold all my walleye gear and switched to bass.”
Over the next two years, he was a Bassmaster co-angler six more times. He competed as a boater in local bass tournaments.
“I realized that the next step was going to have to be on a much bigger scale, and that’s why I chose to do the Northern Opens,” he said.
Now, so close to a Classic entry, missing it would naturally be disappointing. Because all top Northern pros will receive Elite Series invitations, his future as an Elite pro is more likely. He said that if asked, he’ll commit to the circuit for 2011.
“I know you can’t count on it until the tournament,” he said. “I’ll have to make sure I get five decent fish in the boat every day.”
Bassmaster Elite pros always on the go: Even the world’s best bass anglers don’t kick back and wait months for the next season to begin. When the 2011 Elite season opens March 10-13 in Florida, most pros will have squeezed in a vacation, but few, if any of them, will have stayed idle for long.
For example:
* Jeremy Starks, Kevin Short, Ish Monroe and Jason Quinn have worked their way into the top 10 in Bassmaster Northern Open points, putting themselves in contention for a 2011 Bassmaster Classic seat. The winners of the two Classic seats awarded through the Northern Open will be revealed Sept. 18 at the conclusion of the Chesapeake Bay season finale out of Cecil County, Md. Because all four missed a Classic berth through the 2010 Elite Series, any of them would welcome a Northern Open qualification.
* “Big Show” Terry Scroggins appeared as the star of the inaugural live and unedited production of “Day on the Lake” that aired on BASS Insider, the premium pages of Bassmaster.com. Within 15 minutes, he hooked into a 10-pounder. The unedited footage is still up for viewing, but only by Insider members. Click here, then pull down the “Membership” tab, to sign up for a 30-day trial.
* Michael Iaconelli has been deep into his new venture, The Bass University. He and his partner, pro Pete Gluszek, have lined up five fall-winter seminars. Locations are Kissimmee, Fla., Chicago, Nashville, Tenn., Shreveport, La., and Framingham, Mass. Dates and details are at www.thebassuniversity.com
* Boyd Duckett exhibited his new Duckett Fishing products at the July ICAST trade show, and has been working to get his new rod models to market.
The importance of Nov. 6: The last of 50 qualifiers for the 2011 Bassmaster Classic will be determined Nov. 6 at the Toyota Tundra Bassmaster Weekend Series Championship operated by American Bass Anglers.
Only one Weekend Series angler — the winner of the four-day championship — will advance to the Classic.
September and October are chockfull of local and regional Weekend Series tournaments through which anglers will qualify for the Championship and their shot at the Classic. Click here for information about the Nov. 3-6 finale on Alabama’s Lake Guntersville.
Watch for Junior World announcement: The location of the 2010 Junior Bassmaster World Championship will be announced in late September when the full field of 12 is set.
The competition will be split into two age groups, 11-14 and 15-18. In the championship, one youth angler from each of six divisions will be in each age group. They will be fishing to win scholarship money.
To qualify, young anglers have been competing at 2010 BASS Federation Nation Divisional events, which began in March.
Only four Junior Bassmaster World Championship slots are yet to be filled. The final four will be determined at the Sept. 6-10 Mid-Atlantic Divisional and the Sept. 20-24 Eastern Divisional. The eight already qualified are: Southern Division: 11-14, Ryan Edwards of Stuart, Fla.; and 15-18, Logan Holt of Creedmoor, N.C. Western Division 11-14, Ethan Peterson of Post Falls, Idaho; and 15-18, Tyler Ashton of Boise, Idaho Central Division, 11-14, Nick Luna of Grain Valley, Kan.; and 15-18, Matt Nobile of Paulina, La. Northern Division, 11-14, Joshua Lee of Star Prairie, Wis.; and 15-18, Harry Marsh III of New Berlin, Wis.
New hobby: Hooked after attending an Indy 500, Skeet Reese is delving further into his new hobby. He caught last week’s Izod Indycar Series race in Sonoma, Calif., at Infineon Raceway, about two hours’ drive from his home in Auburn. He watched from the hospitality tent, courtesy of two connected buddies. The next day he took them fishing on Clear Lake.
About BASS
For more than 40 years, BASS has served as the authority on bass fishing. The organization advances the sport through advocacy, outreach and its expansive tournament structure while championing efforts to connect directly with the passionate community of bass anglers through its Bassmaster media vehicles.
The Bassmaster brand and its considerable multimedia platforms are guided by a mission to serve all fishing fans. Through its industry-leading publications Bassmaster Magazine, BASS Times and Fishing Tackle Retailer; comprehensive Web properties in Bassmaster.com, BASSInsider.com, and ESPN3.com, and ESPN2 television programming, Bassmaster provides rich, leading-edge content true to the lifestyle.
BASS oversees the prestigious Bassmaster Tournament Trail, which includes the Bassmaster Elite Series, Bassmaster Opens, BASS Federation Nation and the ultimate celebration of competitive fishing, the Bassmaster Classic.
BASS offers an array of services to its more than 500,000 members while spearheading progressive, positive change on issues related to conservation and water access. The organization is headquartered in Celebration, Fla.
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