Your Adventure Starts Here
Bass Pro Shops was founded in 1972 by avid young angler Johnny Morris on eight-square-feet of space in the back of his father's liquor store in Springfield, Missouri. Today, the leading national retailer of outdoor gear and apparel has more than 100 retail and marine center locations across North America.
Johnny's passion for the outdoors and his feel for the products and shopping experiences desired by outdoor enthusiasts transformed the industry. Bass Pro Shops locations are more than just stores — they are true destination experiences that draw more than 120 million visitors annually. Each location is heavily customized to reflect the character of the region. In addition to giant aquariums teeming with live fish and extensive wildlife mounts and dioramas, many locations feature unique restaurants and ocean-themed bowling alleys.
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White River Marine Group
In 1978, Bass Pro Shops founder Johnny Morris revolutionized the marine industry when he introduced the BASS TRACKER® aluminum boat, the world's first professionally rigged boat, motor and trailer package. That boat, and TRACKER® Boats with it, quickly became (and still is today) the best-selling fishing boat and fishing brand in America.
Decades later, White River Marine Group is the largest manufacturer of boats in the world by volume, manufacturing quality boats offering performance, innovation and value backed by world-class service. In addition, we have partnered with Textron—which is renowned for innovation in the aerospace and military industries—to create the TRACKER OFF ROAD™ lineup of ATVs, side-by-sides and sport carts. All to ensure everyone can experience the joy of fishing, boating and off-roading for years to come.
Big Cedar Lodge - Ridgedale, MO
Located in the heart of Missouri's Ozark Mountains, Big Cedar Lodge is America's premier wilderness resort. Inspired by the passion of Bass Pro Shops founder Johnny Morris to connect kids and families to the outdoors, the 4,600-acre lakeside retreat features a variety of nature-based experiences including fishing, boating, hiking, spa and wellness offerings. Signature attractions include Top of the Rock, home to world-class golf, dining and entertainment; and Dogwood Canyon Nature Park, a 10,000-acre nonprofit wildlife preserve. Named "Number One Resort in the Midwest" by the readers of Travel + Leisure, the resort offers genuine Ozarks hospitality and a convenient location just south of Branson. The resort and related properties welcomes more than one million guests annually.
Conservation Leadership
Guided by the visionary leadership of our founder and CEO Johnny Morris, Bass Pro Shops is making a significant impact on the future of conservation. Ever since Johnny began connecting people with nature through a tiny bait shop in the early 1970s, we continue inspiring everyone to enjoy, love and conserve the great outdoors.
“The people of our company believe very strongly that the future of our industry, the sports we serve and the sports we personally enjoy are absolutely more dependent upon our conservation efforts or how we manage our natural resources than anything else. It is far more important than any catalog we mail, any new store we open, or any new products our vendors create.“
– Johnny Morris
Key conservation initiatives include protecting wildlife and habitat, connecting kids and families to the outdoors and protecting sportsmen's rights through access and advocacy efforts. Together with thousands of passionate associates and 120 million annual customers, we're making a big impact.
More than 100,000 kids catch a fish at Bass Pro Shops-sponsored events each year. We're helping to foster the next generation of outdoor stewards.
Founder/CEO Johnny Morris launched The George H.W. Bush Vamos A Pescar Education Fund to bring more conservation, education, fishing and boating opportunities to Hispanic families with continued support from Bass Pro Shops.
We partner with more than a dozen leading conservation organizations including Ducks Unlimited, National Wild Turkey Federation, Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation and the Quality Deer Management Association to advance key conservation programs and initiatives. Bass Pro Shops supports our partners by hosting conservation events that raise millions of dollars, participating in education and promoting conservation through outreach and high-profile sponsorship opportunities.
Bass Pro Shops co-founded the National Fish Habitat Partnership. Since 2007, the partnership has completed nearly 600 projects spanning all 50 states, restoring nearly 27,000 acres and 1,560 miles of river ways.
Our Communities
We play an active role in the communities we serve by partnering with local conservation organizations, assisting in disaster relief efforts and supporting our military and veterans.
In the last five years, Bass Pro Shops has donated more than 250,000 products to youth-focused nonprofit organizations like Boys & Girls Clubs of America and Boy Scouts of America.
We proudly honor brave servicemen and women by offering monthly discount days, hosting donation drives with AmVets and USO and supporting more than a dozen local veterans groups. Veterans make up nearly ten percent of our workforce.
Our Communities
Bass Pro Shops co-founded the National Fish Habitat Partnership. Since 2007, the partnership has completed nearly 600 projects spanning all 50 states, restoring nearly 27,000 acres and 1,560 miles of river ways.
Our Associates
Our associates are the heart and soul of Bass Pro Shops. We work together based on the essential values of respect, teamwork, quality and ingenuity to create extraordinary experiences for our customers and guests. We support each other when disaster or personal hardship strikes through the Bass Pro Cares Fund. As a result, we have been voted by Forbes as one of America's Best Employers and one of America's Most Reputable Companies.
