NEWS RELEASE FROM RAY SCOTT ENTERPRISES

"THE BASSMASTERS"  TV Producer Bob Cobb Resigns From B.A.S.S . . .
Joins Ray Scott Enterprises

CONTACT: Ann Lewis
Director, Publicity & Information - 238 Whitetail Trail - Pintlala, AL
36043 - 334-281-3661 - Fax: 334-286-9186 - annlewis@mindspring.com


MONTGOMERY, Ala., October. 14, 1999 -- In May 1967, Ray Scott and Bob
Cobb
met face-to-face at a press conference in Springdale, Ark.; a meeting
that
would change the shape of the bass fishing world.

Today, Scott, the founder of the Bass Anglers Sportsman Society
(B.A.S.S.),
and Cobb, the former editor of BASSMASTER Magazine and the
producer-writer
of the popular "The BASSMASTERS" TV series on the Nashville Network
(TNN)
cable system, announced plans to renew their working relationship.

Scott, after successfully growing the Montgomery, Alabama-based
B.A.S.S.
into a worldwide organization, ended his association with the Society
last
year. Scott sold his interest in B.A.S.S. in 1986 to a group of
investors,
but continued as spokesman and BASSMASTER Tournament Trail weighmaster
until his decision to form his own Ray Scott Enterprises marketing and
consulting group.

"When I met Bob Cobb at the press conference announcing the first
All-American Invitational Bass Tournament," Scott recalls, "we
clicked. Bob
was the only journalist that stayed to interview me after I humbly
announced that bass fishing would become a major league sport." At the
time, Cobb was outdoors editor for the Tulsa-Tribune.

Cobb leaves his current B.A.S.S. position as Vice President of
Communications after 30 years with the company. He was Scott's first
executive employee of the fledging B.A.S.S. organization in 1969.

"It's been a great ride," says Cobb. "But now it's time to do
something
different. I'm excited . . . I'm ready."

True to his vision, Scott, with Cobb as his co-pilot, launched bass
fishing
from a casual recreation pastime into a world of high-stakes
cast-for-cash
competition, superstar bass fishing professionals, a magazine
(BASSMASTER)
soon regarded as "the Bible of bassin'" and, perhaps, the most
spectacular
achievement . . . the BASS Masters Classic world championship of bass
fishing.

Cobb worked for 16 years as the first editor of BASSMASTER Magazine,
and
then was assigned to create a brand-new television series, THE
BASSMASTERS.

"When Bob came to B.A.S.S. in late 1969," says Scott, "I handed him a
cardboard box of manuscripts and a few photos and he turned it into
the
world's premier bass fishing magazine. Then in 1985 we pried his
fingers
off his manual typewriter to produce THE BASSMASTERS, which he turned
into
an award-winning, number-one ranking fishing show."

According to Cobb, the creation of the Classic best reflects what it's
like
to work with Ray Scott and his drive to promote a good idea into
reality.

The idea of the Classic championship was spawned on a drive from
Montgomery
to attend an Atlanta-tackle show. "We'd been hosting bass tournaments,
but
the outdoor press was slow to warm up to the fact of fishing as a
competitive sport," recalls Cobb. "We started lobbing ideas around, on
the
way to Atlanta."

The short version of the story is that Scott and Cobb formulated a
plan to
pick the top anglers from the BASSMASTER tournaments to fish in a
season-ending championship. The press would be invited to serve as
press
anglers.

"The hook in the invitation to get the press to attend, says Cobb,
"was
that neither the press nor anglers would know the location of the
championship lake."

The "mystery lake" idea came to Scott on the eve of the announcement
at the
next scheduled "qualifying" event. "At the time, we didn't have any
idea of
where the Classic would be held, so we covered it with the mystery
concept," remembers Scott.

For the record, Classic I at Lake Mead near Las Vegas, Nevada did
catch the
attention of the media. "The idea of dropping the qualifiers into a
lake
with complete blackout notice and matching them with identical bass
boat
rigs was the ultimate bass fishing test," says Cobb.

Thus, the Classic became instantly known as the "Test-Of-The-Best."

Truly, a challenge to the skill of a bass angler to find and catch
fish on
a totally "strange" body of water with absolutely zero outside
assistance.

But, because of the popularity of the Classic, the format evolved from
a
closely guarded secret location into a mega-week-long attraction
hosted by
press-hungry cities and Chamber of Commerce boosters.

According to Cobb, Scott's vision of taking bass fishing from the
cork-and-line dark ages into the spotlight of indoor weigh-ins, such
as the
recent 28th annual Classic inside the Superdome in New Orleans, La.,
illustrates his ability to market to the fishing public.

"Bob Cobb was right by my side with every idea, every innovation,
every
leap into the unknown," says Scott.

With those leaps, Ray Scott has registered an indelible impact on the
sport
of fishing. Not only in the popularity of bass fishing, but the
evolution
of an entire industry -- the pioneering from a john boat to the
modern-day
bass boat, the high-tech fishing machines. New tackle innovations
transcend
from the tournament-tested use to the average weekend fisherman's
enjoyment.

But, perhaps, the biggest winner is the future of fishing. "Catch and
Release," the recycle effort of returning tournament-caught bass to
the
waters, is the prime example of Scott's dedication to conservation,
which
Cobb supported with both heart and pen.

"Today, bass fishermen take real pride in returning a bass . . . and
not
just under tournament rules, but the catch-and-release attitude has
been
completely instilled in the sport of bass fishing," points out Cobb.

In the pages of BASSMASTER, Cobb also hammered Scott's views on
boating
safety into the consciousness of America's fishermen. In his B.A.S.S.
conducted events, Scott required the wearing of personal flotation
devices
(life jackets). He also mandated the use of safety ignition "kill
switches"
for the operation of outboard motors in tournaments and worked with
bass
boat manufacturers to improve safety features -- such as upright foam
flotation -- in bass boats.

Scott's desire to continue to be involved in the fishing market place
and
in the shaping of bass fishing's future explains his decision to step
aside
as the "official" spokesman for the Bass Anglers Sportsman Society
(B.A.S.S.) in 1998.  "I can do more as a free agent," explains Scott
simply.

Since forming Ray Scott Enterprises, Scott has become a consultant for
hand-picked industry leaders: Earl Bentz's Triton Boats; Mercury
Outboards;
MotorGuide trolling motors; and SOSPENDERS, a pioneer of comfortable,
inflatable life vests. The company just received approval, much to
Scott's
delight, by the U.S.  Coast Guard for its new automatic trigger model
as a
PFD.

"I'm working with the best," says Scott. "They're my dream team. We
don't
want to be ON the cutting edge. We want to BE the cutting edge.

Cobb is the second long-time B.A.S.S. employee to join Scott's new
enterprise. Ann Lewis, B.A.S.S. media director for 15 years, came on
board
as Scott's publicity and information director in June.

Both Scott and Cobb appreciate the ironic timing of their renewed
partnership after 30 years. "To quote Yogi Berra," says Scott, " 'It's
deja
vu all over again.'"

---  ###  ---

Editor's Note:  Catch up on the next chapter in the Ray Scott-Bob Cobb
reunion plans on the Internet at www.rayscott.net.

Ann Lewis
Director, Publicity & Information
Ray Scott Enterprises
238 Whitetail Trail
Pintlala, AL  36043
334-281-3392 (direct)
or
334-281-3661 (switchboard)

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