Calvin and Selby Bearry, along with Jack Godsey (on the mic) were the founders of West Coast Bass and started with the idea of creating a “blue collar bass fishing circuit.”
Yelas drew national exposure by qualifying for the Redman All-American back east. B.A.S.S. could see the success of the tournaments in the West and decided to lift the 150 horsepower rule and get in on some the Western action themselves. They, too, brought national exposure to some of the top anglers in the West as they qualified for the Bassmasters Classic on local waters. West Coast Bass started to feel the squeeze with all the new tournament cir- cuits in town and went out of business in the late 90s. WON BASS weathered the storm of the 90s and is still one of the top professional bass circuits in the north today. In the north anglers can currently choose between WON BASS, FLW Ever- start, and Anglers Choice. The one-day workingman’s blue collar pro tournaments are all gone and B.A.S.S. is focusing on the East. The bass just keep getting larger in the north and the tournament weights continue to break records with the Florida-strain bass introduced in the Delta and Clear Lake. The spotted bass, another introduc- tion from the South, have found a home
26 SILVER EAGLES _ July 2011