Seven elected to Ohio Bass Fishing Hall of Fame

New Franklin, Ohio – The Ohio Bass Fishing Hall of Fame on May 12 announced that seven people have been chosen as the 2026 class of inductees, emerging as the top vote-getters among the 14 people announced as finalists in March.

This year’s inductees include active professional bass anglers Charlie Hartley and Bill Lowen, promoter of multiple Ohio bass tournament organizations Rory Franks, long-time Ranger Boats dealer and Bassmaster Classic qualifier Bruce Cunagin, Ohio Bass Tournament Circuit operators Dick and Barb Advey, and angler and fishing lure manufacturing company executive Dick Kotis.

The Ohio Bass Fishing Hall of Fame was created to preserve the legacy of bass fishing in the Buckeye State, honor the performance of champion anglers, and celebrate the contributions of the people pivotal in the growth of the sport. This year’s inductees are:

Dick and Barb Advey, Willoughby Hills, founders and promoters of the Ohio Bass Tournament Circuit, a highly popular draw-style circuit in the 1980s and ’90s.

Bruce Cunagin, Cincinnati, owner-operator of one of the Midwest’s top Ranger boat dealerships and 1981 Bassmaster Classic qualifier. His Dixie Marine dealership helped establish the fishing careers of not just Ohioans, but also anglers throughout the eastern U.S. His pro fishing career started in 1974 when he entered his first Bassmaster event.

Rory Franks, Ravenna, organizer and promoter of several of Ohio’s most successful tournament circuits as well as Mosquito Madness for nearly 20 years. He also coached the Kent State University intercollegiate bass fishing team.

Charlie Hartley, Grove City, is the only Ohioan who has held the lead after a round of Bassmaster Classic competition, topping the field after the first day of 2008’s Classic at South Carolina’s Lake Hartwell. Still active, he has earned 78 money finishes in 296 Bassmaster tournaments, including a win in the 2016 Bass Pro Shops Northern Open on the James River.

Dick Kotis, a Cleveland native who became president of Fred Arbogast, Co., in the 1950s and rose to leadership in the fishing lure manufacturing and marketing industry.

Kotis served as president of the American League of Anglers, American Fishing Tackle Manufacturers Association, and the World Series of Golf.

Bill Lowen, who grew up near Cincinnati and cut his fishing teeth on the Ohio River, is one of America’s top professional bass anglers. He has qualified for 11 Bassmaster Classics and competed in 209 Bassmaster tournaments, finishing in the money 145 times and winning twice. Career earnings are nearly $1.8 million.

Ohio Bass Fishing Hall of Fame directors selected the 2026 inductees from among the finalists. The top vote-getters will be enshrined this summer at Fisherman’s Central in New Franklin, just south of Akron.

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The founding Ohio Bass Fishing Hall of Fame chairman is fishing columnist, feature writer, and author Jack Wollitz of Youngstown. Board members are retired Ohio Division of Wildlife executive and tournament angler Rich Carter of Columbus, retired Cleveland Plain Dealer outdoor editor D’Arcy Egan of Marblehead, prolific outdoor writer and bass tournament angler Mark Hicks of Athens, champion tournament anglers Bill Byers of Columbus and Ray Halter of Strongsville, and veteran Ohio outdoor writer Doug Clifford of Crooksville.

“Ohio played an important role in the growth of bass fishing beyond its traditional roots in the South, not only in the emergence of successful anglers, but also in the development of lures and tackle that were the building blocks for today’s multi-billion-dollar U.S. fishing industry,” Wollitz said. “The Ohio Bass Fishing Hall of Fame seeks to acknowledge those whose contributions to the sport are particularly noteworthy.”

The 2025 class of inductees included Fred Arbogast, Steve Clapper, Homer Circle, Nick Crème, Glen Lau, George Polosky, Frank Scalish, Joe Thomas, Larry Williams, and Ron Yurko. Plaques commemorating their Hall of Fame enshrinement hang at Fisherman’s Central in New Franklin.