The professional bass anglers on the Bassmaster Elite Series are stepping up their promotion of Autism Awareness during the month of April this year. During their two Elite Series events, the pro anglers will be competing for the third annual Autism Angler of April award. The trophy will be awarded to the angler who finishes the highest in those two bass tournaments while wearing the custom autism awareness bracelet.
Pros will also be optionally pledging donations to various autism charities and using the hashtag #AnglersForAutism to create a link for the cause.
“The bass fishing community has really embraced our autism push that we are do every April. The pros, the fans, B.A.S.S., and everyone has helped us make this campaign great,” says pro angler John Crews. “This year, we are going to award the awesome trophy and are stepping up our social media game with the #AnglersForAutism hashtag. I am making a pounds pledge of $2 per pound for every bass I weigh during the month of April and donating that to Blue Ridge Autism and Achievement Center.”
In order for the angler to win the Autism Angler of April trophy this year, the anglers who wear the blue autism wristbands will be tracked by the amount of AOY points they earn in the two Elite events in April, which are Lake Hartwell and Winyah Bay. The step up this year for the pro anglers is going to be that they are encouraged to pledge a certain amount of money to their local or a national autism charity. The next step is posting about their pledge on social media and then B.A.S.S. and the pros sharing the other pros social media posts using that #AnglersForAutism tag.
The blue Autism bracelets will also be available for sale at the two April BASS Elite events expo in the B.A.S.S merchandise booth. They can also be purchased online at missilebaits.com and at mylittlebuddysboat.com. The Autism bracelets will sell for $10 each and 100 percent of the money going to an Autism charity.
Eli Delany, an Autism activist and avid bass angler, is the president and founder of My Little Buddy’s Boat Inc., an Autism non-profit. Eli is one of the main people that has pushed the Autism flag into the forefront of bass fishing. He has worked on several efforts such as the Fishin’ With a Mission decal program. Many bass pros have had the decal on their boat for years.
Remember that April 2 is World Autism Awareness day and April is Autism awareness month. The winner of the Autism Angler of April award will be crowned at the BASS Toyota Texas Fest at Lake Fork in Texas. Be sure to follow each angler on social media and at the weigh-ins to see where and how much they are raising and catching.
