Tournament fishing pioneer Harold Sharp is dead at the age of 88. Sharp died peacefully Thursday morning, surrounded by his family at home in Hixson, Tenn., near Chattanooga.

Sharp, founder of the Chattanooga Bass Club in 1968, became the first tournament director for Ray Scott’s Bass Anglers Sportsman Society in 1970 and was known for his rigid enforcement of rules and protocols that he and Scott developed during the sport’s formative years. He retired from B.A.S.S. in 1986 and was inducted into the Bass Fishing Hall of Fame in 2004. After his retirement, Sharp became regarded as an elder spokesman for tournament fishing and his observations about the evolution of the sport were widely respected.

He is survived by his wife of 69 years, Cyree, a daughter, Ann Ball; and several nieces and nephews as well as great nieces and nephews.

Funeral services for Sharp will take place at 2:30 p.m. Saturday at the Chattanooga Funeral Home-North Chapel (5401 Highway 153, Hixson, Tenn.). Prior to then, the family will receive friends in the chapel beginning at 12 noon.