BASS announces that, in 2009, the Women's Bassmaster Tour presented by Academy Sports & Outdoors will visit fisheries in Louisiana, Alabama, Arkansas and Tennessee for its four regular-season events. Building on its landmark announcement before this past season, the circuit will continue to provide a direct qualifying berth into bass fishing's premier event, the Bassmaster Classic.

BASS has pledged $15,000 to the Reservoir Fisheries Habitat Partnership, a new group whose top priority is the conservation of man-made U.S. lakes.

Pure Fishing CEO Terry Carlson announces the company's hiring of Todd Hoskins, a veteran of the marine and consumer goods industries, to the position of Chief Marketing Officer.

The pros in the October 30-November 1 Bassmaster Central Open season finale on Lake Texoma out of Denison, Texas, will be fishing for points as well as for pounds.

With a Bassmaster Classic qualifying spot in the balance, Kim Bain brushed off her nerves Thursday and did at the Women's Bassmaster Tour Championship presented by Academy Sports & Outdoors what she had done throughout the regular season. The 28-year-old from Alabaster, Albama, boated a limit weighing 5 pounds, 2 ounces, on Arkansas' Lake Hamilton, which put her in seventh place at the tournament and helped her maintain the lead in the Toyota Tundra Women's Bassmaster Tour Angler of the Year standings -- at least through Day One.

Boat trouble in the morning lead to a productive afternoon for Terry Butcher of Talala, Oklahoma, as the Bassmaster Elite Series pro took a commanding lead Thursday on Day One of the Bassmaster Central Open, the final Central Open division event of the season, on Lake Texoma. Butcher's five-fish limit of 17 pounds, 1 ounce, topped his closest challenger, Paul Ferguson of White House, Texas, by more than 2 pounds.

Michael Burns of Plano, Texas, and Bassmaster Elite Series pros Rick Clunn of Ava, Missouri, and Jami Fralick of Martin, South Dajita, qualified Saturday for the 2009 Bassmaster Classic through the Bassmaster Central Open circuit.

Bassmaster Elite Series pro Terry Butcher of Talala, Okla., claimed a bittersweet victory Saturday at the Bassmaster Central Open on Lake Texoma, the final Central Open division event of the season, weighing in five fish at 15 pounds, 14 ounces for a three-day total of 46 pounds, 8 ounces.

Bryan Schmidt of Olney, Texas, won the 2008 BASS Federation Nation Championship Saturday with a two-day total of 9 pounds, 12 ounces, to outlast a field of 55 amateur anglers and earning a coveted berth in the 2009 Bassmaster Classic, Feb. 20-22 on the Red River out of Shreveport-Bossier City, Louisiana.

Roughly three months away from the 2009 Bassmaster Classic, the full field of 51 anglers was finalized Saturday with David Williams of Maiden, North Carolina, winning the Toyota Tundra Bassmaster Weekend Series Championship Operated by American Bass Anglers and scoring the final Classic berth. The 39th edition of the Classic will be held February 20-22 on the Red River out of Shreveport-Bossier City, Louisiana.