Inductee

Penny Berryman (1958—2012)  – Penny Berryman was born to be a champion. Among her pre-fishing achievements, she was the first runner-up for Miss Kansas in the Miss USA Pageant. She was a competitive water skier for fifteen years, qualifying for the American Water Ski Association Championship three times and ranking 3rd in the nation when she set her sights on professional fishing in the early-1980s.

Considered a pioneer in women’s professional fishing, she reached many of the sports highest honors over a career that spanned nearly three decades. She qualified for more than 20 Women’s Pro Tour Classic World Championships, won the 1985 Bass N’ Gals Tournament of Champions, the 1987 Bass N’ Gals Georgia National, the 1989 Lady Bass Missouri National, the 1995 Bass N’Gals U.S. Invitational and became the 1992 Bass N’ Gals World Classic Champion. In Berryman’s eyes, her greatest accomplishment was winning the Bass N’ Gals Angler of the Year award in 1997. In later years, she earned four Top 10 finishes in the Bassmaster Women’s Tour.

For years Berryman was very active on fishing seminar stages around the country, using her vast experience and love of teaching and encouraging others to make her a fan favorite. She appeared on many television fishing shows including a stint as co-host of ESPN’s “Sportsman’s Challenge” outdoor competition series.

Berryman’s career was sidelined in 2008 when, at the age of 58, she was diagnosed with meningioma, which claimed her life 4 years later.

Penny is a member of the Bass Pro Shops “Living Legends of Fishing” and in 2004, was inducted into the Legends of the Outdoors National Hall of Fame. In 2014 she was posthumously inducted into the Bass Fishing Hall of Fame, which was accepted by her husband, Dick Berryman, and daughter, Lisa Lowry.

Don Wirth, Nashville, Tennessee, is one of the most prolific freelance writers on the bass fishing scene. His articles and photos have appeared in Bassmaster, Bass Times, Field & Stream, Outdoor Life, In-Fisherman, Bassin’ and other outdoor publications. Wirth sold his first article to Bassmaster in 1971 and has written for virtually every issue of that publication since that date. He is perhaps best known to veteran bass anglers as the Bassmaster Writer who authored the iconic “Harry ‘n Charlie” humor series. Wirth currently writes and photographs Bassmaster’s popular “Day on the Lake” reality series and “Bass Basics” columns, and is a creative consultant to the bass boat industry.

As an avid angler, you’ve most likely read articles written by Don Wirth. Pick up almost any freshwater magazine worth the paper it’s printed on – and odds are Wirth’s in it. The award-winning writer/photographer has covered the fishing scene since 1970 for Bassmaster, Outdoor Life, Field & Stream, In-Fisherman, North American Fisherman and, most recently, FINSnTALES.com. Not only a prolific writer but also a sagacious teacher, Wirth’s ability to educate and entertain anglers is unequaled.  We caught up with Wirth in his Nashville, Tennessee office for this Q & A. 

Stacey has been bass fishing since he was big enough to hold a rod and guided on his favorite body of water Table Rock Lake for many years.  He became excited about tournament fishing about the time Ray Scott started B.A.S.S.  Stacey competed in local and regional tournaments until the early 80’s when he began fishing B.A.S.S tournaments.  He qualified for 12 Bassmaster Classics.  In 2007 he began fishing the FLW tour where he has qualified for 4 Forrest Wood Cups.

Stacey has served on the Bass Fishing Hall of Fame Board of Directors and the Professional Anglers Association Board of Directors. He won the BFHOF tournament on Lake Ouachita in 2001 and the PAA tournament on Table Rock Lake in 2011.  King is also known for appearing often on fishing shows, specifically “The Bass Pros”.   As much as catching fish himself, Stacey enjoys working with kids and teaching people about fishing.

Bill Huntley (1933-2022) Bill and his wife Pat started Bumble Bee Bait Company in 1967. They were making spinner baits and jigs at night at the kitchen table. Bill had several sales reps helping to sell his lures even though their primary business was to sell parts and accessories to the marine industry.

Bill realized there were a lot of items that he could use in this boat that simply were not available. He began to manufacture some parts that were much needed and welcomed in the marine industry which in turn gave him great success in selling those items. After Bumble Bee Bait Company was sold in 1983, Bill remained in the marine industry. He became a partner of T-H Marine Supplies, basically a small machine shop with one product to sell…a power trim switch for outboards that mounted on the throttle/gear shift handle. The second product T-H Marine introduced was a foot operated trolling motor control switch. Today the company is one of the largest manufacturers of accessories for the boating industry in the United States.

Bill passed in November of 2022.

Harold Allen (1945—) Harold Allen was one of the original members of the legendary “Hemphill Gang”, named by B.A.S.S. founder Ray Scott in reference to the nearby hometown of a group of Texas bass fishing pioneers who guided on Toledo Bend back in the 1970s and ’80s. This generation of top guides, including Bass Fishing Hall of Famers Larry Nixon, Rick Clunn, and Tommy Martin went on to become some of the top tournament pros of all time. The bass fishing techniques and strategies developed by Allen and this group laid the foundation for much of professional bass fishing today.

Known affectionately as “The Legend,” Harold specializes in catching bass in the deep water far from shore. He is especially proficient in plying this deep structure with his favorite presentation, a soft plastic worm and jig.

Allen has competed in 265 Bassmaster tournaments, cashing a paycheck 105 times and earning 15 invitations to the Bassmaster Classic. He finished second in the 1981 Classic on the Alabama River, runner-up by less than a pound to Stanley Mitchell. In addition, Allen is the winner of four open invitationals, the winner of the 1994 Skeeter/NFL tournament on Lake Henderson in Louisiana, and winner of 1999 Angler’s Choice Pro-Am on Toledo Bend. He also holds Louisiana’s eight-fish tournament record with a one-day total of 43 lbs., 1 oz.

Harold Allen, who claims sport fishing journalist and fellow Hall of Fame inductee Homer Circle as his angling hero, was inducted into the Bass Fishing Hall of Fame in 2015.

Yamamoto, founder of Gary Yamamoto Custom Lures, is credited with numerous innovations in the design and manufacturing of soft plastic lures. His Senko is one of the most important lure developments in recent years, and his other creations, including the Hula Grub, are mainstays in anglers tackle boxes the world over. A very successful professional angler in his own right, Yamamoto sponsors numerous pros in the United States, Europe and Japan, and is also publisher of Inside Line Magazine