The Ocean Pro Basshunters Club,
of Townsend, Delaware, was founded in 1995, by our by club
president Ed Manlove; vice-president, John Gossman; secretary,
Richard Balance; and treasurer, John Gossman. Members come from
Townsend, Bear, Dover , Smyrna, Clayton and Hartly, Deleware.
The Club was brought together out of a fondness for bass
fishing, as well as fellowship among its members. Membership in
the club numbers 20. Members come form various walks of life,
including government employees, local craftsman, military
personnel and retirees. The club is also home to former PVA
Champion Richard Warwick.
The club fishes 12 tournaments a year, as well as local
Federation tournaments. The tournament locations are selected by
the tournament director, and voted on by club members. The
tournaments are held on local rivers in Delaware and Maryland.
These rivers include the Potomac, Wicomico, Sassafras and
Nanticoke. The club also holds an annual away tournament in such
places as Santee Cooper in North Carolina and Kerr Lake in
Virginia. The tournaments are held under a team format, with
winning weights for individual anglers and team members.
The Ocean Pro Basshunters sponsor a local youth tournament
every June. Kids ages four to 14, compete at a local pond for
prizes. Prizes are awarded for largest fish caught and most fish
caught. Every child receives a trophy, and goodie bags at the
end of the tournament. Then children and parents are treated to
a barbeque lunch.
The club also helps with a tournament for underprivileged
children held on the Nanticoke River, in Seaford, Delaware. All
proceeds are donated to Melvin Seichepine Scholarship Fund. To
date the scholarship funded has paid out over $4,000 to local
high school graduates, to help them with college tuition.
Members of the club are also involved in local conservation
efforts. They work yearly with the Delaware Department of
Natural Resources and Environmental Control, conducting fish
counts, to help study the health of local waterways in and
around Delaware.
