Busch Light Offers $15,000 for "Fishing Innovations"

Want to get paid to think? Here's your chance

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By RC Staff

16 March 2026

Key Points

Busch Light and Bass Pro Shops’ “Bass Bank” contest awards one winner $15,000 cash to develop a fishing innovation
Submissions are open right now, and close on March 22
The contest is open to U.S. residents 21 and older, excluding CA, CT, FL, IL, MA, NJ, TX, and VA

This definitely isn’t your typical reselling opportunity, but hear us out. Busch Light and Bass Pro Shops just launched a contest called “Bass Bank” asking anglers to pitch their best ideas for making fishing better, easier, or more enjoyable. The grand prize is $15,000 cash, a year’s worth of beer, and a live working session with fishing personalities Chris and Casey Keefer to help bring the winning idea to life. If you’ve ever had a genuinely good on-the-water idea and done nothing with it, this is a zero-effort shot at real money.

Busch Light "Bass Bank" Fishing Contest

Busch Light is calling this its biggest investment in fishing to date. The pitch is simple: if you have an idea for a product or innovation that solves a real problem for anglers, submit it. Judges are evaluating entries on creativity, ingenuity, realistic usage, and passion.

The collaboration also includes a limited-edition Bass Pro Shops x Busch Light collector’s can available in 42 states starting March 9, though those are more novelty than resell opportunity.

How to Enter

Head to busch.com/bassbank and submit your idea before the March 22 deadline. That’s a two-week window, so don’t sit on it. Entry is free, no purchase necessary.

A few things worth knowing before you submit: the contest excludes residents of California, Connecticut, Florida, Illinois, Massachusetts, New Jersey, Texas, and Virginia. If you’re in one of those states, you’re out of luck here.

Bottom Line

If you fish, have a half-decent idea, and 10 minutes to spare, $15,000 is $15,000. The bar for “innovative fishing idea” probably isn’t as high as it sounds.