This year, the numbers 50 and 500 have special significance for Rick Clunn and the sport of bass fishing, with no angler likely to match those merits.
Clunn, undeniably the greatest professional bass angler of all time, competes in his 500th Bassmaster event, doing so in the 50th year of a career that began in 1974.
The year will be a celebration of Clunn’s epic career milestones and his notable impacts in bass fishing and professional angling. B.A.S.S. will celebrate his career across its media, including a Bassmaster feature in the March issue and extensive content on Bassmaster.com with videos, photo galleries, articles and more. Clunn’s 500th tournament will be in April at the Bassmaster Elite at St. Johns River, where he won his two most recent Elite titles in 2016 and 2019.
Clunn will be featured in an episode of The Cast presented by Bass Pro Shops. “B.A.S.S. Superstar Rick Clunn” airs Feb. 10 at 10 a.m. ET on FS1.
Melissa and Rick Clunn have developed a “Fifty Years of Fishing” logo that will be the central theme of their celebration year. They also have commemorative merchandise including apparel carrying at least two of Clunn’s famous quotes. Those are “Never accept that all your best moments are in your past,” from his victory speech after winning the 2019 Elite at the of age of 72. “There are no limits” was a historically significant quote made by Clunn after winning the 1984 Classic in the presence of then Arkansas Governor Bill Clinton and Vice President George H.W. Bush, both of whom became U.S. presidents.
Merchandise will be available online at www.ProDesignPrinting.com/RickClunn, and the page will be updated as more items become available. You can also shop in Clunn’s booth at the Bassmaster Classic Outdoor Expo in Tulsa, Okla., during the March 22-24 Bassmaster Classic.
Clunn’s 2024 Elite season tournament jersey and his NITRO Z21 will also be themed in the commemorative graphics. Some of Clunn’s favorite all-time lures will even be remanufactured for the 2024 season.
Beyond Clunn’s epic Classic milestones below is a B.A.S.S. career with 16 wins, 123 Top 10s and an impressive 247 Top 30 finishes. His total weight is staggering at 13,518 pounds, even though it accumulated over 49 years so far. The 1988 B.A.S.S Angler of the Year has more than $2.5 million in career B.A.S.S. earnings, not counting his impressive track record on other tours. Here are those Classic milestones.
- 28: Most consecutive Classics (1974-2001)
- 32: Most Classics fished
- 4: Classic wins
- 11: Top 5 Classic finishes
- 16: Top 10 Classic finishes
- 1976-1977: Back-to-back Classic wins
- 25 pounds, 8 ounces: Largest Classic Margin of Victory (1984)
- 16 Wins
- 14 Second-Place Finishes
- 12 Third-Place Finishes
- 123 Top 10 Finishes
- $2.6 million B.A.S.S. winnings
