Not many people reach legendary status. But there’s one man who lives just across the Louisiana/Texas line that falls into the category of a legend. He’s a guy who for years has conducted the greatest bass tournaments in the world. He’s become so big that National Geographic came to East Texas and did a one hour special on his amateur bass tournament trail. His name…Bob Sealy! He is the owner and creator of the Bob Sealy Big Bass Splash Series.
Back in the 1980’s, Bob had this great idea to conduct a big bass tournament on Lake Sam Rayburn as part of an initiative to bring tourism to the lake area. Little did he know that 40 years later it would explode nationwide, and now globally, as anglers all over the country and the world come and compete in one of his many big bass tournaments held all across the south.
Bob was also the guy who sat down with Ray Scott, the founder of the Bass Anglers Sportsman Society (B.A.S.S.), and convinced him to bring a professional bass tournament to Sam Rayburn. This brought national exposure to the area as Sam Rayburn became one of the legendary lakes in America with its reputation for producing huge bass and 30-pound tournament winning stringers.
Why so much success over a bass tournament? What has been the reason so many people have come and continue to make their way to all Bob Sealy events? It’s all due to a simple formula Bob figured out a long time ago. He realized most anglers will never have the opportunity to make the kind of money professional bass fishing offers. That’s when he came up with the slogan, “Where amateurs win like the pros!” As they say, the rest is history!
Another reason for the Sealy success is the fact that Bob does what he says he will do. Early on when he started these big bass tournaments, he took a few financial losses mainly due to the promises he had made. There were times when he did not have enough entries to cover the amount he was giving away. Bob still wrote checks and borrowed money from the bank in order to make sure everyone got paid.
Another example of why Bob has had so much success is his willingness to give. There’s one aspect of all Sealy tournaments where he offers $5000 each day for any angler that weighs an exact 3.00, 4.00, or 5.00-pound bass. Even if no one weighs in an exact size bass, he will put all the entries from the tournament into a hopper and will draw a random name to give away three $5000 checks. Most tournaments would just pocket this money and move on. Not Bob Sealy, he wants anglers to walk away with money in their pocket!
These are just a few reasons why Bob Sealy has so many participants follow his tournament trail. Bob does what he says he will do, no matter what the cost. This is the key to any successful bass fishing circuit. Anglers only want two things: enforce the rules and make sure the payout is exactly what each event says it will be.
Today we salute Bob Sealy on his commitment and dedication to making this tournament trail so successful. Sealy events are for all weekend warriors who love to fish. It’s also about family by offering something for all ages with plenty of food, entertainment and kids fishing division. As a member of the Bass Fishing Hall of Fame and the Outdoors Hall of Fame, Bob continues to set the bar for all bass tournaments.
This article would not be complete without recognizing and thanking the entire Sealy Outdoors staff and volunteers who coordinate and make all Sealy events possible. Without these folks, the Bob Sealy Big Bass Splash would not be possible.
To learn more about the Sealy Big Bass Splash Series of tournaments go to sealyoutdoors.com. Till next time, good luck, good fishing and when in doubt…. set the hook.
Steve Graf
Angler’s Perspective
