Bass Pro Shops Announces Huge Acquisition

It’s a great day to be a Bass Pro Shops fan. The Springfield, Missouri-based retailer announced on June 16, 2026, the acquisition of an iconic property in Florida. The Cheeca Lodge on Islamorada’s world-famous waters is now a part of the Bass Pro Shops family, according to a news release.

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“Cheeca Lodge reinforces Bass Pro Shops’ ongoing commitment to hospitality through world-class nature-based properties. Referred to as America’s Premier Wilderness Resort, Bass Pro’s flagship Big Cedar Lodge in the Missouri Ozarks hosts 7.5 million guests annually,” Bass Pro shared. “In keeping with the founder’s commitment to conservation, over half of the resort’s 24,000 acres have been donated and forever preserved as part of the not-for-profit Johnny Morris Conservation Foundation.”

Bass Pro Shops founder Johnny Morris shared his excitement for the acquisition and the future of Bass Pro in the Florida Keys.

“I have been very blessed to have spent my entire life around the great sport of fishing. Growing up as far from the ocean as you can get in the Missouri Ozark Mountains, fly-fishing beautiful streams for perch and smallmouth bass. I will never forget dreaming about and then getting to catch my first tarpon on a fly. I was 16 years old, fishing with my best buddy, my Dad, and Capt. Sonny Eslinger on Buchanan Bank out of Bud N’ Mary’s Marina,” Johnny said.

“From that special day forward, like many others, I have come to have enormous respect for the history of Islamorada, and the generations of anglers and families who have made memories here or who are blessed to call the Keys home. We’re humbled and honored to have the opportunity to help protect it and carry that story forward.”

Bass Pro Shops purchased the Cheeca Lodge for an undisclosed sale price.

This story’s featured image is by Jeffrey Greenberg/Universal Images Group via Getty Images