• Is Bass Pro Shops fishing for a Jacksonville location? Rumors are running it is, but the Springfield, Mo.-based chain isn’t biting. “We have nothing to announce on Jacksonville at this time. When we make announcements on stores, we try to do so to all media at the same time,” said communications manager spokesman Larry Whiteley in an email Friday. Asked earlier last week, spokeswoman Katie Mitchell emailed that Bass Pro Shops is looking at several markets across the country, but “I don’t have any information on Jacksonville. It’s not even on my radar screen and I do have several, but just not Jacksonville.” Speculation surfaced in 2004 about a possible area Bass Pro Shops, with much the same reaction from the company, which operates megastores for outdoors gear. The five Florida stores are in Islamorada, Miami, Fort Myers, Destin and Fort Lauderdale. The Georgia stores are in Savannah, Macon and Atlanta.
