Ray Scott, was an American outdoorsman who turned bass fishing into a professional sport and founded the Bass Anglers Sportsman Society (B.A.S.S.), died on May 8th; he was 88 years old.

B.A.S.S. is the the world’s largest fishing membership organization and will be his legacy. His contributions and impact on conservation and his advocacy and passion for anglers and the bass fishing sport will continue to carry on as well.

While Ray Scott did not invent the catch and release, his campaign “Don’t Kill Your Catch,” mandated that all tournament competitors’ boats feature an aerated livewell to keep their bass alive. As a result, the catch-and-release ethic caught on so well that more than 90% of all bass anglers today release all or most of the bass they catch.

Scott and the B.A.S.S organization also crusaded against industrial pollution of America’s waterways. In 1970 and ’71, Scott filed some 200 anti-pollution lawsuits, drawing national attention to declining water quality and contributing significantly to passage of the Clean Water Act of 1972.

Scott also advocated for bass fisheries research and had a positive impact on boating safety by requiring tournament competitors to wear personal flotation devices and he convinced boat manufacturers to make emergency shut-off devices — “kill switches” — standard features on motorboats.

Aquarius Systems joined forces with Ray Scott, The Lower Colorado River Authority, Texas Parks & Wildlife, the Tennessee Valley Authority and numerous fishing & environmental groups in giving a demonstration of an Aquatic Plant Harvester for Texas Governor George Bush.

TVA brought their specially designed Aquarius Systems Aquatic Weed Harvester from Guntersville, Alabama to be tested on Lake Bastrop approximately 40 miles southeast of Austin, Texas. During the week long demonstration, research teams rode along on the harvester to study its effectiveness and environmental impact on fisheries.

On the last day of the demo, Ray Scott convinced Governor Bush to come out and take a ride on the harvester. After a quick lesson, the Governor got into the driver’s seat to put the machine through its paces.

Governor Bush stated; “I am an avid fisherman and Ray [Scott] is deeply concerned about fishing, food chains and habitat. He and I had a long talk about how do we make sure Texas lakes are not only accessible to all water users, but are the best places to fish in America. I’d love to be the governor to stand up and say anybody can put their bass boat in our lake and catch the biggest fish in America. And so the question is, is there a way to manage hydrilla and at the same time be able to have water use for all our citizens, including the best bass fishing in America? This harvester is a good way to get it all done.”

This demonstration was in response to overwhelming public pressure to find alternatives to using herbicides in Texas lakes to manage excessive aquatic vegetation.

Ray Scott’s dedication to outdoor sports landed him in the pages of Field & Stream Magazine — along with President Teddy Roosevelt, environmentalist Rachel Carson and naturalist/conservationist Aldo Leopold — among 20 individuals who most influenced outdoor sports during the 20th Century.

Ray Scott remained mostly out of the public eye in the years prior to his death, but his impact will continue to be felt in the sportfishing industry.