Like most times we generally tend to spotlight and discuss others’ successes on the water, but I felt like for this week on ‘The Catch’ I would spotlight Ken Hackworth who I have truly looked up to since I have been fishing. I have admired Hackworth’s hard work and the dedication he has put into bass fishing in our state of West Virginia. I think we are all very appreciative of his work for the anglers and tournament fishing. I didn’t really know his story and how he became President of BASS Nation of West Virginia but, I am glad I got to spend a little time with Hack to dig in on a cool story.
Hackworth has been hunting and fishing since he could remember, it was a pastime his father, grandfather, uncles, brother, and cousins passed on to him.
“I received my first very own rod & reel for my 5th birthday. It was a True Temper rod with a Zebco 33 and I still have the 33 to this day,” said Hackworth. “I have always enjoyed my time on the water or in the woods with my family and it’s one thing that is just in my soul now.”
It was in 1983 when Ken found a love for tournament fishing when he joined B.A.S.S. as a member when he was just 18 years old. We won’t dig into the math of how old he is now…
“I first heard about B.A.S.S. while watching Bill Dance’s TV show back in the 70s,” Hackworth said of B.A.S.S. “B.A.S.S. is the premier bass fishing organization and all bass anglers owe a debt of gratitude to Brother Ray Scott for his vision and conservation initiatives. I had the pleasure of meeting Ray Scott and got to speak with him as well.”
It was then in 1996 when Hack entered his first bass fishing tournament that his employer put on. It was on the Kanawha River, Hack and his friend entered the event and won the event. It was then that Hack found a new love for tournament fishing.
Flash forward to 2007 when Hack officially joined BASS Nation of West Virginia. Hack and six others formed The Classic Bound Bassmaster which is still a popular club associated with BASS Nation of West Virginia today.
“My cousin and I fished the Sutton Buddy Trail that year and after the tourney, we stopped to get a bite to eat at a local restaurant. Two wind-burned guys sat across from us and we struck up a conversation about the tournament. We were critiquing the tournament and they listened and asked questions,” Hackworth said of the two gentlemen. “We introduced ourselves to each other and it turned out that we were speaking with then-President Jim Dingess and his club mate, Dave McKinney. I was impressed that they cared what two newbie members thought and knew I’d found the right organization to join.”
In 2008, on very short notice, Hack organized a CastingKids competition at the Friend of Coal Auto Fair in Beckley. Just a few weeks later, the Mountaineer Bassmasters group asked Hack if he would assist them with another CastingKids competition at Gander Mountain in Charleston. Of course, Hack was more than happy to help assist and both events were extremely successful. It was then, former BASS Nation of West Virginia President Ed Vozniak noticed Hack’s efforts and asked him to run for Youth Director.
“I was elected as Youth Director on January 1, 2009, and didn’t have a clue what the position entailed. I just knew we had super talented juniors in our program and due to the abilities of Henry Schomaker, Zach Horrocks, and Alex Goff, it made what I was doing look great. Those three would earn a total of five Divisional Jr. Championships and one Jr. World Championship during the six years I was Youth Director.”
After his sixth year as the Youth Director was expiring, Ken was ready for a change of pace. It was then Dave McKinney was stepping down as Western Delegate and Hack ran for the position and was elected. He was in that position for a short amount of time before the Vice President of the organization Jim Summers announced he was retiring and Ken ultimately ran and was elected Vice President. But it moved even quicker for Hack whenever the previous President of the organization Tim Mitchem during the same year announced his retirement and therefore Hackworth ran for that position and was elected. He began his first term on January 1, 2018, and has been the President since.
“Being President of the organization was never my goal. My goal has always been to assist in making BNWV an organization that makes our members proud.”
And that he has done. Since 2018 the organization has grown, not only due to Hackworth’s work but to a lot of other members who are very much involved.
“I’ve been honored to serve with members who put the interests of BNWV above their own and did what they felt was best for the organization,” Hackworth said. “My vision for our organization is to continually seek ways to improve our processes for our members, continue to expand our Conservation & Youth programs, retain strong partnerships with our Sponsors, continued growth with our Children’s Home Society benefit tournament, and welcome new members and ideas.”
Again, we all owe a thank you to Ken Hackworth and the organization for providing its members with an amazing platform. It allows us to compete and have the opportunities to advance to the biggest tournaments in bass fishing, grow our skills and knowledge as anglers, and most importantly make memories and friends that will last a lifetime. I know I can speak for myself when I say I was fortunate enough to compete one year on the buddy trail and I made memories I will never forget as long as I live. Thank you to Ken Hackworth and everyone involved with BASS Nation of West Virginia.
