Hartselle native Don Logan makes big splash in bassing world
Published: Thursday, April 28, 2011, 1:40 PM
By Frank Sargeant,The Huntsville Times al.com
B.A.S.S.Hartselle native Don Logan, who now lives in Birmingham, is one of three co-owners of B.A.S.S.
HUNTSVILLE. With the purchase last week of JM Associates Production Company, Don Logan, a Hartselle native who now lives in Birmingham, completed establishment of a multi-media fishing empire that stretches to 59 foreign countries and every U.S. state. Logan and partners, including noted TV angler and producer Jerry McKinnis and Georgia business exec Jim Copeland, purchased the Bass Angler Sportsman Society late last year from ESPN.
"We want to bring B.A.S.S. back to its roots," said Logan, an Auburn grad who has a second home with a well-stocked bass lake just a short drive from the War Eagle stadium. "We're going to concentrate on bringing more young people into the sport, we're going to put a new emphasis on conservation and improving the bass fisheries, and we're going to offer tournament coverage with detail and immediacy that takes advantage of the Internet age."
Logan has an incredible set of credentials that should enable him to do whatever it takes to grow the company; he's former head of Southern Progress, AOL, Time, Inc, and lots more. He "retired" from life in New York in 2005--and quickly jumped back into business here in Alabama with sons Jeff and Stan.
The family team is now owner of The Birmingham Barons minor-league baseball team and of Seek Publishing as well as other enterprises here.
"The opportunity to buy B.A.S.S. came along because I had a handshake agreement with George Bodenheimer, the president of ABC Sports, that if they ever wanted to sell it, I'd get a chance to make the first offer," said Logan. "That opportunity came along last year and I couldn't pass it up."
ESPN owned B.A.S.S. from 2001 to present, and moved it from its original home in Montgomery to just outside Orlando, FL.
The company concentrated on televising major tournaments, and all of that footage came with the deal according to Logan--in fact, much of the ESPN library was produced by JM Associates and is housed at the company's Little Rock, Arkansas, headquarters. JM Associates was founded and operated for 40 years by B.A.S.S. co-owner Jerry McKinnis, and is now headed by his son, Mike McKinnis, so there's no question the production house will be a good fit with the bassing group.
Logan said that ESPN2 will continue to televise the Elite Series tournaments and the Bassmaster Classic, and will offer live Internet feeds on these events and on the Bassmaster Open series as well at their website.
*****
Area anglers report plenty of bass still have not completed the spawn on Guntersville, Wheeler and Pickwick, while on Lewis Smith, both largemouth and spots seem to be in post-spawn mode. The warm weather of the past week and the coming new moon Monday-Tuesday should bring on the last really strong spawn of the spring, with fish in water 4 feet and less in many areas.
Water has been exceptionally murky on all North Alabama lakes this spring due to heavy runoff, which has limited sight fishing in most areas. However, where fish can be seen on the beds, a Texas rigged worm, wacky-worm or fluke-style jerkworm will do the job. Spinnerbaits are a good bet over shallow weeds and in brushy coves as well as on stumps and laydowns on the shallow side of main lake points.
With plenty of water being released, the areas immediately below all TVA dams are likely spots to toss a crankbait in the eddies. This can be slow fishing, but produces lunker-sized bass at times--along with stripers to take home for the table.
Published: Thursday, April 28, 2011, 1:40 PM
By Frank Sargeant,The Huntsville Times al.com
HUNTSVILLE. With the purchase last week of JM Associates Production Company, Don Logan, a Hartselle native who now lives in Birmingham, completed establishment of a multi-media fishing empire that stretches to 59 foreign countries and every U.S. state. Logan and partners, including noted TV angler and producer Jerry McKinnis and Georgia business exec Jim Copeland, purchased the Bass Angler Sportsman Society late last year from ESPN.
"We want to bring B.A.S.S. back to its roots," said Logan, an Auburn grad who has a second home with a well-stocked bass lake just a short drive from the War Eagle stadium. "We're going to concentrate on bringing more young people into the sport, we're going to put a new emphasis on conservation and improving the bass fisheries, and we're going to offer tournament coverage with detail and immediacy that takes advantage of the Internet age."
Logan has an incredible set of credentials that should enable him to do whatever it takes to grow the company; he's former head of Southern Progress, AOL, Time, Inc, and lots more. He "retired" from life in New York in 2005--and quickly jumped back into business here in Alabama with sons Jeff and Stan.
The family team is now owner of The Birmingham Barons minor-league baseball team and of Seek Publishing as well as other enterprises here.
"The opportunity to buy B.A.S.S. came along because I had a handshake agreement with George Bodenheimer, the president of ABC Sports, that if they ever wanted to sell it, I'd get a chance to make the first offer," said Logan. "That opportunity came along last year and I couldn't pass it up."
ESPN owned B.A.S.S. from 2001 to present, and moved it from its original home in Montgomery to just outside Orlando, FL.
The company concentrated on televising major tournaments, and all of that footage came with the deal according to Logan--in fact, much of the ESPN library was produced by JM Associates and is housed at the company's Little Rock, Arkansas, headquarters. JM Associates was founded and operated for 40 years by B.A.S.S. co-owner Jerry McKinnis, and is now headed by his son, Mike McKinnis, so there's no question the production house will be a good fit with the bassing group.
Logan said that ESPN2 will continue to televise the Elite Series tournaments and the Bassmaster Classic, and will offer live Internet feeds on these events and on the Bassmaster Open series as well at their website.
*****
Area anglers report plenty of bass still have not completed the spawn on Guntersville, Wheeler and Pickwick, while on Lewis Smith, both largemouth and spots seem to be in post-spawn mode. The warm weather of the past week and the coming new moon Monday-Tuesday should bring on the last really strong spawn of the spring, with fish in water 4 feet and less in many areas.
Water has been exceptionally murky on all North Alabama lakes this spring due to heavy runoff, which has limited sight fishing in most areas. However, where fish can be seen on the beds, a Texas rigged worm, wacky-worm or fluke-style jerkworm will do the job. Spinnerbaits are a good bet over shallow weeds and in brushy coves as well as on stumps and laydowns on the shallow side of main lake points.
With plenty of water being released, the areas immediately below all TVA dams are likely spots to toss a crankbait in the eddies. This can be slow fishing, but produces lunker-sized bass at times--along with stripers to take home for the table.