Aaron Martens Honored: Donation To Martens’ Family

Originally posted on Men's Journal | By Kurt Mazurek | Last updated Mar 17, 2024 12:16 PM ET

Representing the Bass Fishing Hall of Fame, Kevin VanDam and Kathy Fennel presented a check to Lesley Martens, the widow of bass fishing legend and Bass Fishing Hall of Fame Inductee, Aaron Martens. The presentation was part of the Hall of Fame’s Saturday Mixer at the MLF REDCREST Championship.

Bass Fishing Hall of Fame President, John Mazurkiewicz, described it as, “…just part of the Hall’s ongoing efforts to honor and preserve the history of Bass Fishing. Aaron Martens made an incredible and positive impact on the sport and that’s very important to us and the future of professional bass fishing. We will take every chance we get to shine a spotlight on the greats of our sport.”

In this particular case, much of the credit goes to Tennessee, Bassmaster Elite angler, David Mullins. Trying to find a way to honor the memory of his friend, Aaron Martens, Mullins decided to compete wearing a jersey matching the same styling and iconic purple coloring of Martens.

In an effort to take this gesture to the next step, he teamed up with the Bass Fishing Hall of Fame who holds a fundraising auction in conjunction with their annual induction ceremony. The special jersey was listed in the 2023 auction, and made a big impression. After a spirited round of bidding, this tribute to Martens and bass fishing history, raised an impressive $4,500. And while all of the rest of the money raised in that event goes to fund the work of the Hall of Fame, the money from from the Mullins’ jersey was to go directly to the Martens family.

With REDCERST as the first major gathering of anglers and the bass fishing industry since the auction, and Aaron Martens having been a Bass Pro Tour competitor and Bass Fishing hall of Famer, it seemed like a very appropriate venue to present Lesley Martens with the donation.

To learn more about Aaron Martens and all of the other Hall of Fame Inductees, or the work of the Hall of Fame go to https://www.bassfishinghof.com

This article first appeared on Men's Journal and was syndicated with permission.

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