Toledo Bend Lake Association

BASS UNLIMITED

BOAT RAFFLE

Annual Bass Unlimited Boat Raffle

We have been very fortunate to have Tracker / Nitro Boats and Bass Pro Shops as the major sponsors for the Bass Unlimited (BU) Banquet. Since the conception of the BU Banquet in 2003, Tracker / Nitro Boats has graciously donated a new aluminum or fiberglass fishing boat that is raffled off as the grand prize at the Banquet. The boat is completely rigged out with a trailer, trolling motor, Mercury outboard engine and transport cover.

Each January the BU Banquet planning committee convenes to initiate preparations for the upcoming April Bass Unlimited Banquet. Attendees include volunteers who fill the fourteen coordinator positions and their helpers. Two of the key positions are the Boat Raffle Coordinators. These people head up sales locally with a traveling ticket sales crew and a second ticket sales crew at the Bossier City Bass Pro shop for weekend ticket sales. The Boat Raffle Coordinators track ticket sales, boat appearance schedules and they make sure there are enough members in each weekend sales crews.

The boat raffle tickets are sold up to and including the evening of the BU Banquet. At the conclusion of the Banquet, one lucky name is drawn from a hopper that contains the name of the purchaser of each ticket sold. That one name drawn is the new owner of the fully rigged Tracker or Nitro Boat.

In 2008 Tracker Boats donated a 17’ 4” Fiberglass Nitro bass boat with a 90 HP Mercury outboard complete with power trim & tilt. The Nitro boat was won by Floyd Gonzales of De Queen, Arkansas. The winning ticket was purchased at the Bass Pro Shops in Bossier City.

The 2007 winner of the 18’ Tracker Aluminum All Fish fully rigged boat with a 90 HP Mercury outboard was Calvin & Gayla Jones from Vivian Louisiana. They purchased their winning ticket at the Bossier Bass Pro Shop. What a great surprise to the Jones family as they had been to Bass Pro Shops looking to possibly purchase a new boat and on the way out they thought “why buy one when we can win one”.

The 2006 winner was Kevin & Stephanie Smith of Brazoria, Texas. Stephanie is shown with TBLA President Jack Vermeire, presenting her with the keys to the family’s new Tracker boat. The couple, together with their four children, was visiting Toledo Bend on April 23, 2006 when Stephanie bought the winning boat raffle ticket at Toledo Town & Tackle in Toledo Town.

Keith Gibson of Fisher, La. was the winner of the Grand Prize Tracker Boat at the 2005, BU Banquet. Mr. Gibson is shown above on the right, accepting the boat from TBLA representative, Larry Kelly, who was the Boat Raffle Coordinator that year. Mr. Gibson purchased the winning ticket on January 22, 2005, when the boat was displayed at the Wal-Mart in Many, LA