Go Out{side} With B.A.S.S. Chairman Chase Anderson

Hey Everybody it’s Jessalyn Adams– and we are going outside with Chase Anderson, the chairman of BASS LLC and getting to know him in five questions. So Chase– Are you ready? Yes, thank you Jessalyn! OK– so when thinking about the outdoors, how do you make sure that your company aligns with outdoor activities and getting people inspired to go outside?

I know- a lot of that it’s just spending time out our time outdoors ourselves and living up to our heritage and Legacy in the outdoor industry and We’re.. we are a 52 year old organization that’s been fueling the passion for bass fishing for over five decades. We run a lot of tournaments and we promote fishing at all levels from youth all the way up to professional. And it’s just spending time outdoors and staying in touch is what’s happening in the industry.

And also listening to fishermen and getting to know them as well. And we have a passion for promoting all outdoor activities with fish and getting people in the water and getting people outside.

So second question, what would you say is your favorite thing about being a part of BASS?

I love it. I love working in the fishing industry, it’s just great. It’s a passion of mine and it’s a job where I can work around people in the industry that I have a lot in common with, and I admire the emphasis we have on trying to grow fishing and grow outdoor participation. ’cause we have a mutual belief — that it’s good for people to get outside. It’s a big driving force behind our Go Outside initiative, but I just love being able to work in the industry and be around fishing events.

That’s fantastic — and actually getting into that Go Outside is your brainchild. So — where would you say that idea came from?

I’ld have to take that all the way back to my childhood when I started fishing.

Jessalyn — you know, I first fished when I was six years old with my Grandfather on the Tennessee River in Florence, AL fishing for catfish and Bream– and first time I felt a fish on the hook– I think I was hooked and overtime I developed a lot of really neat relationships through fishing— including an older gentleman named Clarence Smith, who kind of became my fishing mentor. Clarence and I are a lot different– but we had a lot in common on the water. Just spending time outdoors. I got into hiking, camping, other types, outdoor activities as I grew up.

But I had a real dream to be a part of the outdoor industry. Be able to work in the industry and it’s just wonderful. Being able to work here for Bass now.

So would you say Clarence is who inspired your passion for the outdoors?

Yeah..

..really cultivated it?

I think it was. Yeah, my Grandfather was who I fished with first, but Clarence is who I spent a lot of time on the water with. Clarence and I were very different– from a different era, different generation. But we — we just really connected on the water. We both had a passion and desire for fishing and He really taught me– just about how great it is to spend time on the water and all the benefits of spending time fishing– so.

Fantastic! And now as you get older you have a family of your own. What are some of your favorite activities to do once you get outside?

Right now my girls are young. I’ve a 2-year-old and a 4-year-old. We really love going on walks around the neighborhood. That’s kind of where it starts out- I think– just getting outside in the neighborhood and–

We consider that going outside at this stage. I do take them up to a pond that our family has in North Alabama, where we go– we go fishing together for small little brim and panfish. Have a good time and–

We’re starting to talk about camping and doing more things outside, but it’s really fun having little ones and introducing them to the outdoors, and I can already tell that they’re going to have a love for the outdoors as well.

Perfect– now we have time for one more question. Everybody has one of these. What is your best fishing story?

My best fishing story–

It would have to be– It relates to fish and also getting a boat stuck so it’s fun, but uh– I was cat fishing with Clarence underneath Wilson Dam on the Tennessee River. We actually got stuck. We’d been catching a lot of catfish that day and before I got into bass fishing.

And we got our boat stuck on a rock and it was pretty scary ’cause the water was running — the turbines were running– The water was moving pretty quickly– but we both got stuck on the rock — and were both trying– and I was a young boy and Clarence was an old man — we couldn’t get off. So we just we– We had some guys come and help us get off. We got off– we floated down the river and we just caught fish all the way down the river– and then came back but it’s a mix of fun fishing and a good story from getting stuck on the rock out there on the river– so.

It sounds terrifying, but at least you – y’all got free from that!

That’s right, yeah.

Absolutely— so there you have it everyone that’s Chase Anderson with BASS. Thank you so much for watching this video and for more outdoor fun you can head over to go- outside.com.