Blackhawk Bassmasters

We truly appreciate the interest you have in considering joining our Bass Fishing Club. If you have browsed this site you should be somewhat familiar with us. We will therefore spend our time explaining some of the things that make our Club different from many other Bass Clubs in the area.

First we are a Federated Club. That means we belong to the Illinois BASS Chapter Federation and the National Federation. Every club member must belong to both of these organizations as well as being a BASS member. You can join BASS online and the State and National Federation dues are paid to the club when you join. We charge Club Dues according to the Dues Schedule which may change from year to year.

This club is comprised of people who like to fish. We are not Pro's and do not look upon ourselves as anything more or less than a group of people that enjoy fishing. This is not to say that we are not competitive, but at the end of the day we have had a good time whether we finished first or last.

We accept both boater and non-boater members. Boaters and non-boaters are paired for all official Club Tournaments. For informal or buddy tournaments, it is your responsibility to arrange a partner. Boaters retain control over their boat for the entire tournament and may or may not share the front deck with their non-boating partner. Boaters must carry a minimum of $300,000 liability insurance on the boat they are using.

We do not require members to attend meetings, participate in Events, or fish any tournaments. The Club is a total pay-back operation which pays out 100% of every dollar (includes payouts, award plaques and plates) collected from entry fees, by the end of the season.

During the non-fishing portion of the year we may hold a few Club Meetings and try to plan at least one trip to Bass Pro Shops. A few of us may also get together to attend the Boat and Fishing shows in the area. These trips are not required but provide the opportunity for Club members to get to know one another better and provide us with the chance to think and talk fishing when it is too cold to actually go.

We would be happy to discuss any questions you might have. You may contact us through our email link below or attend any of our meetings, or just show up at the ramp and talk with us there. We are always happy to discuss fishing and look forward to hearing from you.

While we accept new members throughout the year there are a few deadlines imposed by the State Federation if you want to advance to Regional and higher levels of competition. To fish the State Qualifier in 2015, you would have to have been on our roster prior to December 31, 2014. In addition to this, the Club requires you to be on the 2015 roster.

If you like to fish and enjoy competition, we would welcome your membership. We hope to hear from you in the future. For more information or to join Click Here or call Kevin Collins @ 847-977-1505.

Blackhawk Bassmasters