About KVD, blades and pork, I know the REDCREST is over, but am hoping KVD (and others) considered a different kind of pork on the end of that Thunder Cricket and spinnerbait. Uncle Josh #11 is back, and a piece with about half of the fat trimmed away is an excellent trailer on those lures.
Who is your oldest subscriber? I know I must be in the running!
BassFan says: We don't actually have a subscription service – our visitors would be termed "readers" or "viewers." As to who's the oldest, I'm afraid have no way of determining that.
RE: Balog on REDCREST – I'll watch the tournament that starts Thursday where every cast counts and every angler knows you can't coast!
Have to laugh at these bass fishermen who apply for field staff with a company for a very small discount on products, then tell everybody they are sponsored by that company!
RE: REDCREST relocated – Tough break for Texas fans. I was looking forward to competition on an unknown lake. Alabama selection always a plan B, I guess.
Now that B.A.S.S. is on live TV they should go back to using nets instead of boat-flipping and bouncing the fish on the the carpet because a lot of newcomers are going to view this as abuse. Some on Facebook are already questioning if it is abuse and watching and complaining!
RE: Limited technology poll – Electronics advancements are doing to fishing what ATVs and 4-wheelers have done to hunting. When the game has nowhere to hide, its numbers dwindle. With no place where they can feed and procreate, their quality suffers. In the long run the sport will suffer.
RE: Limited technology poll – No way. These companies make this equipment for the pros, not the average Joe. They could care less about the little guy. If the elite guy can't use the equipment, why build it? They want the endorsement from the big men. Frankly, so do I.
RE: Limited technology poll – Just like the motor horsepower limits in the old days, the same reckonings are being heard about electronics. We failed to realize the impact of hp back then, let's not repeat the same with today's advanced dumbed-down electronics. It may be too little, too late, but with the advent of what is virtually underwater TV, where's the skill level? Of course the major manufacturers are all too happy to comply and who can blame them, they're out to make a buck. Close the door, folks, and get skill back into the equation.
RE: Limited technology poll – Two depthfinders per boat – one up front, one at the driver's area.
RE: Limited technology poll – Yes, there should be limits. There's way too much tech and there will be even more to come in the coming years. But Lowrance, Humminbird and Garmin will have something to say about that. Fishing tournaments just won't be the same. The better fisherman will not be winning, it will be the most technical anglers winning.
RE: Limited technology poll – I think they should have limits. In the MLF Cup events, all anglers have the same identical electronics (one on the bow and one on the console), the same trolling motor except for specific boat brand, no practice, the playing field is as level as possible.
NASCAR has restrictor plates, golf has club rules. We joke about what's next – 40-inch screens, underwater cameras that can see in any color water? This is fishing. You can catch fish without all this stuff. It's all about money.
If it were my call, it would be two units on the console and two on the bow max. No cameras. One Hydrowave-type unit. The pros all mostly have two on the console and three on the bow ... crazy! This isn't fair to the younger folks coming up. They see this and think they have to have all this stuff to catch fish. It's misleading and also very costly. It turns off as many kids as it gets, IMO.
My college fishing buddies who are much younger than I am make the comment that if you're gonna stare at a screen all day and cast to a fish on screen, why not just have video game fishing tournaments. No need for a boat, etc. Good point!
RE: Limited technology poll – I think it is time to reel in some of the newest technology when it comes to professional angling. I am starting to see such a gap created in the angling world. Our sport, of which I was once a part, is threatening to become an elitist activity, at least from a tournament participation standpoint.
I know that being able to see every fish, which the pros remind us of, certainly has put pressure on the waters. Let's bring back a little more fish-finding knowledge as part of the skillset. I know I would enjoy watching it again much more.
RE: Limited technology poll – Should only be allowed one graph at the console and one at the bow.
RE: Limited technology poll – There is already a tour that does this. It's the MLF Cup events. They only have 7 to 9-inch screens and no forward-facing sonar. B.A.S.S. just has to start a circuit like that.
RE: Limited technology poll – At age 75, I do enjoy watching the pros and wannabes use the gadets and technology and seeing how they help them catch fish. I still use the two Lowrance Flashers that came standard on my Stratos boat 28 years ago. Still going strong.
RE: Limited technology poll – Just like banning the jet boats, why should a given few have the unfair advantage?
RE: Limited technology poll – This is what advances the sport. Unfortunately, it can get expensive for everyday anglers.
RE: Limited technology poll – Limit tour anglers to four depthfinders. It is teaching the high school kids that I boat-captain that they need all these electronics to be competitive. I have been tournament fishing for 26 years and really don't agree with the image the sport is portraying.
RE: Limited technology poll – No, don’t restrict the pros. We amateurs learn how they do it by watching.
RE: Limited technology poll – Yes, they definitely should. The costs of a young guy trying to make it as a pro is getting more and more.
RE: Limited technology poll – I'd say that every sport has limits on equipment. Fishing has it on motors, rod lengths, etc. We should implement a certain number of inches or units. Perhaps limit it to four units or 40 inches.
RE: Limited technology poll – I vote to keep the technology coming and in use. The market will decide when the price tag is out of reach when sales decline and we all become budget-conscious kayak anglers. The tour-level schedulers would be well-advised to ensure shallow-water events still get proper billings or those that aren't into video game fishing will continue to walk away to likely take up golf?
RE: Limited technology poll – Pros should be limited to two locators of their choice. One locator at the bow and the other at the console. Ridiculous to see as many as five locators as big as televisions mounted on their boat. Amateurs see this and feel like they also must have these. This is pricing the average fisherman out of bass fishing.
RE: Limited technology poll – It will never happen because the fishing industry revolves around selling people more new products. I think, however, that many ordinary anglers are getting turned off by the extreme price of today's boats, motors and electronics that started back when they removed the 150-hp limit in tournaments. Only a small percentage of anglers can afford to spend $60K or more on a fishing boat, which has led to the increase in smaller boats and kayaks. I think it would be very interesting and perhaps humbling for the pros to fish a tournament out of an ordinary little Bass Tracker with one depthfinder on the console, no Power-Poles, etc. like most average people.
RE: Limited technology poll – Four graphs per boat. I know they're just tools and the technology is amazing. My buddy just put two graphs on his kayak. I'm giving it serious thought for the 360.
RE: Limited technology poll – Absolutely. Most will buy to keep up but LiveScope has/will eliminate an aspect of angling that set great anglers apart – the ability to read water – as most anglers will not fish an area unless they see activity.
RE: Limited technology poll – I wouldn't mind seeing a salary cap-type format when it came to boat equipment – $15,000 electronics packages, $2,500 trolling motors, $5,000 anchors, 250-hp motors, 21-foot boats, etc. I would like to see it come back to the normal consumer. The pros used to have one sonar at the console, then one was added to the bow, then two at the bow and now three at the bow is becoming the norm. It's kind of getting out of control.
RE: Limited technology poll – 48 inches of screen.
I remember the Sugar Shad – I wish they would bring them back. I used to slaughter the bass with the Sugar Shad! I remember one day me and a buddy probably caught over 100 bass on a black and chrome Sugar Shad on Chickamauga.
RE: Balog on the occasional angler – Bass fishing does not need to be complex. I spend my Florida retirement hunting trophy bass. My method is simple. I take a bread ball and catch a shiner, then use the shiner to fish for bass. I am a very successful angler and only use a small aluminum boat and very basic gear.
My point is, fishing is about “predator vs prey." It’s about time spent on the water, not time spent on a computer. You don't have to fish tournaments to enjoy the sport and you only need the high-tech equipment to compete against the other anglers, not to enjoy a good day on the water fishing.
RE: Balog on the occasional angler – As a now-and-then guy, I would be happy if lake facilities could be upgraded to have enough ramps and parking spaces to accommodate everyone. Stressful to head to a lake only to encounter multiple tournament launches and takeouts on every ramp. Turn some shoreline into ramps cause this sport is growing!
RE: Balog on the occasional angler – Very truthful article, a lot of fisherman out there feel the same way. I fished with you as a BFL co-angler years ago on St. Clair. I still fish some B.A.S.S. Opens. Glad to hear you're enjoying living in Florida. Enjoy reading your articles, keep them coming and enjoy your fishing!
RE: Balog on the occasional angler – Couldn’t agree more with your sentiments. With the advent of major technology advances in electronics, the new bass angler is quickly convinced that without $10,000 invested in graphs, there really is no chance of success or fun, which most of us know is simply not true. A spinnerbait, beating the bank and visible cover is as basic as it gets and makes for potentially a load of fun.
RE: Balog on the occasional angler – You just hit the center of the 10-ring! I am 70 years old. When I was 8 or 9 my dad would take me to cotton mill company-owned lakes after getting off from second shift. I would hold on to his belt loops while he threw a black jitterbug on braided line on a direct drive Pflueger reel with a steel rod When they hit, mostly right at shoreline, it scared me witless! But I couldn't wait for next one.
What a bass fishing start. That combo hangs on my wall. From there to now I was part of a couple of early bass clubs, have been blessed to hold several fishing lure patents and fished on the B.A.S.S. tour. What I just read is the pure bass truth.
The days of good, old knock-around bass fishing have been totally covered up, confusingly, by the "newest innovations." But many "old" clubs and guys still exist!
The industry shouldn't ignore the 50-and-up guys who maybe can now "afford" common sense boats and equipment, but who need and crave "old club" how-to bass info. I take many of these folks fishing now and with a half-dozen basic and time-proven lures and methods they are now "in the market."
RE: Balog on the occasional angler – You hit on some great points and I really enjoyed your perspective. It aligns with one I've had recently. Why do the boat manufacturers only push the 21.5' bass boats with a 250-hp motor? That size boat is all you see advertised in the big bass fishing magazines. You'd think they would sell more units and possibly bring new people into the sport by promoting the 18.5' boat with motors in the 135- to 175-hp range.
RE: Bass Pro Shops U.S. Open – It appears the tendency of Johnny Morris to oversensationalize events isn't limited to the BPT. Just like the "World Championship" which isn't, this U.S. Open isn't a true Open. I look forward to Skeeter, Triton and Phoenix boat owners sore-mouthing your fish.
RE: Bass Pro Shops U.S. Open – It all looks good on paper, but why isn't the payout listed for each qualifier? I'll be shocked if they have more than 40 boats on Okeechobee.
By John Johnson BassFan Senior Editor
A look at the ages of the anglers who comprise the current Top 10 on the Bassmaster Opens Elite Qualifiers Division
By Dustin Wilks Special to BassFan
(Editor's note: "Catching Bass with Dustin Wilks" airs four times per week on the Sportsman Channel – 6
By B.A.S.S. Communications Staff
PALATKA, Fla. — Cory Johnston fished a full tournament. But with all due respect to nine other competitors, he could’ve
