Northwest Bass was started by Jeff Priester, Bob Banta and Ron Terhark in 1996 with the sole purpose of providing a competitive circuit for Pacific Northwest bass anglers.

In 2003, Gary Stiles, a retired oil company operations and sales manager, and Lisa Stiles, a chemical engineer and practicing environmental, health and safety consultant purchased the circuit from Bob Banta and nurtured it until 2015. Nixon’s Marine, the primary sponsor since 1996 purchased it from Gary and Lisa and have continued to provide anglers with a competitive bass tournament circuit.

In 2021, Willie and Kim Nelson purchased Nixon’s Marine and Northwest Bass. They continue to provide the Northwest with a successful, competitive and angler based bass tournament circuit while thinking outside the box to encourage growth and comradery within the bass community.