Bassfan Feedback

• Joe Armold of Yantis, TX writes:

  Friday, May 30, 2014

  RE: M-Pack jigs – These jigs are flat-out awesome I have tried to hang one up in grass and could not do it.

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• Howard Stephens of Columbia, SC writes:

  Friday, May 30, 2014

  RE: Wendlandt's heart attack – Best wishes to Clark Wendlandt for a speedy recovery. I traveled and roomed with Clark during my early days as a B.A.S.S. co-angler. He's a class act, as is his wife, Patti. Along with their two daughters, they are the classic bass fishing family.

  Also, here's hoping Clark can work his way into the B.A.S.S. Elite field next year. It would be a great addition for him to get back to where he started.

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• Bobby Munlin of Toledo Bend, TX writes:

  Wednesday, May 28, 2014

  RE: Wendlandt's heart attack – Prayers for a good and quick recovery for Clark. Always been a favorite of mine and seems to be a very nice, caring guy. Come back swinging, Clark. Just a bump in the road!

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• Patrick McBride of Chattanooga, TN writes:

  Wednesday, May 28, 2014

  RE: MLF format – I think $5 is high for many clubs. Fishing in a forum tournament trail of normally 30-40 boats, a couple of dollars a boat seems like it would still make money for MLF while making it more affordable.

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• Dennis Pentecost of Milford, CT writes:

  Wednesday, May 28, 2014

  RE: Prep team's insurance hassles – How sad that our lives are altered because of something that might happen. The insurance companies take in billions and pay out very little.

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• Steven C. Rockweiler of Luling, LA writes:

  Tuesday, May 27, 2014

  RE: Wendlandt's heart attack – Get well, Clark! Had the chance to fish with Clark some years ago down in Venice – super fisherman and guy.

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• Bob Koonce of Refugio, TX writes:

  Saturday, May 24, 2014

  Coleto Creek outside Victoria, Texas is a small power-plant reservoir. During the recent drought it has been pounded by fishermen. Fishing has suffered. We love our small lake, but would love to improve the fishing to the level of the "slot limit" lakes.

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• Steven Rockweiler of Luling, LA writes:

  Thursday, May 22, 2014

  Great read by Joe Balog on pressured bass in Guntersville. Having fished the Louisiana Delta for just over 52 years, and competing in tournaments since 1970, I found the ability to really observe what was happening as more important than lure selection, color or area. This is a huge delta with 200 square miles of water, but the really nice bass live in very few areas, and have become known.

  I hardly use my trolling motor the last 15 years. The older bass know the sound, no matter how quiet you may think it is. How you approach these fish and how you present your lure is everything. Even though there are lots of folks in these spots now, especially in tournaments, they rarely see the larger bass. You just can't run through them chunking a spinnerbait and expect them to commit.

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• Harold Sharp of Hixson, TN writes:

  Thursday, May 22, 2014

  RE: Balog on extreme knowledge – Now that Jonathan Henry has figured out how to outthink the bass, surely he knows that he can make a lot more fishing bass tournaments than he can guiding on Guntersville. We always thought the secret was 1) find the bass; 2) make them bite your lure; 3) put them in the boat.

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• Mike Warzee of Sonora, CA writes:

  Wednesday, May 21, 2014

  RE: King's cancer battle – Please let Stacey know we're all praying for a full recovery. He has a large fishing family out here thinking of him and missing him. God bless you, Stacey.

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• Bill Wolf of Woodson Terrace, MO writes:

  Wednesday, May 21, 2014

  RE: King's cancer battle – Our prayers are with Mr. King. Hope they find the cancer to be benign and he recovers fully and comes back strong as ever. One of the best "old-timers" still out there.

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• Randy Blaukat of Joplin, MO writes:

  Wednesday, May 21, 2014

  RE: King's cancer battle – Positive thoughts on the way. Stacey King is not only one of the all-time greats in professional fishing, but a truly humble, sincere and down to earth person. At 65, he's still at the top of his game and I expect him to continue for many years to come!

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• Mark Allen Howard of Mesquite, TX writes:

  Wednesday, May 21, 2014

  RE: King's cancer battle – Praying for you, brother. You will beat this and be firing on all cylinders in no time by the grace of God.

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• Bradley Stringer of Huntington, TX writes:

  Wednesday, May 21, 2014

  RE: King's cancer battle – Our prayers are with you and your family for good news and to stay on the water catching them the way you do. You are loved by family, friends and fans who have watched you for years and years.

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• Steve Lindner of Lake Havasu City, AZ writes:

  Wednesday, May 21, 2014

  RE: King's cancer battle – Hang in there, Stacey. I beat kidney cancer more than 8 years ago. I'm almost 63 and back on the water. You have been fishing better than ever and I hope to see you continue with that success.

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• Steve Henderson of Lady Lake, FL writes:

  Wednesday, May 21, 2014

  RE: MLF format – Florida FWC officials were even trying a paper tournament and competitive anglers weren't in favor of it because of not "trusting" other anglers. Great for TV, but ...

  This format was also used in Florida once, on Oct. 26, 2013, and was received well by the anglers. You must use smartphones and have a cell signal.

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• Adam Estepp of Dandridge, TN writes:

  Wednesday, May 21, 2014

  It never gets old watching Sevierville, Tenn., native David Walker flip grass. Awesome job, David. I'm pulling for you in every event.

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• Richard Lee of Topeka, KS writes:

  Monday, May 19, 2014

  RE: Lane's boat fire – Lithium Batteries? Say no more!

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• Ty Robbins of Auburn, MI writes:

  Monday, May 19, 2014

  RE: MLF format – My concern is this: Before our club starting weighing in fish they used to do a paper tournament and funny enough, the same guy always won or placed in the money. Then they started weighing fish and he never won a thing.

  I think that this format is pretty neat; however, I question the integrity of those who would not be on TV to be honest with their catches. It seems this format would work if you had a co-angler in the boat with you to keep everything honest.

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• Don Joyce of Elon, NC writes:

  Monday, May 19, 2014

  RE: MLF format – I'm all for "immediate release" because too many fish are lost during the warm months. I'm against "all legal bass count." Our sport was built on bringing your best five to the scales and I see no good reason to change that.

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• Chance Huiet of Hardin, TX writes:

  Thursday, May 15, 2014

  RE: Balog on Lake Fork – Yeah, TPWD says they hope the hydrilla comes back at Fork. What about the other lakes where they destroyed the hydrilla that were starting to fish amazing – 40-pound limits consistently winning tournaments without a slot. Lake Conroe specifically. Or killing the grass in their "Operation World Record" Lake Raven, Huntsville State Park.

  Just don't believe everything TPWD says. Yes, it's a great organization, but man, they HATE hydrilla. Ask any fisherman in Texas.

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• Kevin Storey of Tyler, TX writes:

  Thursday, May 15, 2014

  RE: Balog on Lake Fork – Joe, thanks for your complimentary article on the Lake Fork trophy largemouth bass fishery.

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• Michael Kepp of Rochester, MN writes:

  Tuesday, May 13, 2014

  The first tournament I fished was a Bassmasters in La Crosse, Wis. My first-day partner was Ricky Green. He was one of the nicest people I have met. He answered all my questions, gave me tips on how to fish and when the day was over gave me a bunch of baits he thought I would need. Great person. Ricky, rest in peace.

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• Harold Sharp of Hixson, TN writes:

  Monday, May 12, 2014

  Another great friend has passed on. Ricky Green and his wife Betty were always there when bass fishing was going on. RIP.

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• Terry Bonsell of Keyser, WV writes:

  Monday, May 12, 2014

  RE: Balog on James River – They (FLW) want your money, Joe.

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• Jann Swaim of Auburn, AL writes:

  Sunday, May 11, 2014

  RE: Balog on James River – Balog needs to take up bowling. It's inside and a dry sport.

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• Guy Eaker of Cherryville, NC writes:

  Sunday, May 11, 2014

  RE: TTBC – You have some of the best fishing this tournament. Wish I was there – it is a great lake.

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• Jann Swaim of Auburn, AL writes:

  Saturday, May 10, 2014

  Balog on James River – You can't expect points compensation for something you didn't participate in.

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• Chad Keogh of Black Creek, BC writes:

  Saturday, May 10, 2014

  RE: Balog on James River – I'm no rocket scientist, but if I was a major tournament organization and was planning an event in the spring and on a river, I would have a backup plan for the location (like a local lake) in case of flooding.

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• Tony Dorman of West Pittston, PA writes:

  Friday, May 9, 2014

  RE: Balog on James River – I can't agree with Joe enough! I scheduled my whole year and vacation around the Rayovac schedule. Spent the week practicing for the event, like Joe. They reschedule the event twice and it lands on the week of my wedding!

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• David Blades of Aurora, MO writes:

  Friday, May 9, 2014

  RE: Balog on James River – So Joe wants "show points" like the smallest bass clubs award? What's next, everyone gets a trophy?

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• Scott Pennington of Crossett, AR writes:

  Thursday, May 8, 2014

  RE: Balog on James River – Quit crying, Joe – it's tournament bass fishing. You don't get points for not fishing and you certainly don't get money back for practicing. While I agree that a location change was the best scenario for all concerned, you have been around long enough to know that this game is all about the dollar the organization can and will make.

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• Otto Edward Hecht of Jacksonville, NC writes:

  Thursday, May 8, 2014

  RE: Balog on James River – I agree with Joe to an extent, but what about all the military anglers who for the last 10 years have really been out of the big tournament scenes due to constant deployments? I can't tell you how many times me and my buddies have signed up for a tournament series, only to be called to deploy or participate in an exercise unexpectedly. I didn't hear all the other competitors complaining when that happened. I mean, did one circuit ever make a military exception? For any tournaments?

  I feel for Joe, but welcome to my life. Us military guys have been missing a tourney or two for years and not one time did anyone give us points for signing up, but you can believe the rest of the field took our money and spots in championships and smiled and waved as we took off on deployment.

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• Martin D. Lamb of Albia, IA writes:

  Thursday, May 8, 2014

  RE: Balog on James River – You know Joe, some folks had real problems due to the rain and flooding. Many lost their homes, loved ones, as well as livelihoods, but here you sit whining like a spoiled brat because your schedule is inconvenienced. There was nothing FLW could do about the weather and everything doesn't revolve around your activities. They offered the entries back, to expect compensation for travel is ludicrous.

  None of the scenarios you present as options are without some level of unfairness or disadvantage to some segment of the overall field. They just happen to work better for you.

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• Archie Wilson Jr. of Maynardville, TN writes:

  Thursday, May 8, 2014

  RE: Balog on James River – Once again Joe Balog has demonstrated his excellent abilities as a writer. I love everything he writes, including this article. However, I must disagree with his summations this time. Get over it, nothing in life is fair. I am exasperated with our society’s preoccupation with fairness.

  Let me use myself as an example. I fall squarely into Joe’s category of “contestants, most of whom are not professional fishermen." Over the course of my working life I have sacrificed many a day of vacation to fish local tournaments. On nine previous occasions I even jumped into a few sub-tier pro-level tournaments, including the infamous Buggs Island cancellation and rescheduling to Lake Gaston event Joe referenences.

  I am what the real pros affectionately refer to as a “donator." It would take a miracle for someone like me to win one of these events and a minor miracle to even get in the money. I persist for three reasons: One, it gives me a small measure of living the dream and occasionally rubbing shoulders with the real pros, like Joe. Two, even though I realize all this I still cling to the outside chance that the stars will align and I will fish beyond my abilities and enter the infamous “zone” all pros speak about. Finally, I simply sometimes have the disposable income to do so.

  Considering No. 3, is it fair that I have a good job, work hard and save my money to splurge on the fisherman’s dream nine times over the course of my life? What about the guys who for whatever reason do not have the resources to fish even a local wildcat tournament? Is that fair? Should we tax tournament entry fees in order to subsidize those less fortunate then us? Or should we leave them fishing the banks? To what extreme do we carry it to make it fair?

  FLW and B.A.S.S., as good as they are for the fishermen, are first and foremost businesses. The real pros are first a business. There are costs associated with doing business, just like there is a cost associated with trying to live the dream as a pro or on vacation. Business most assuredly is not fair; miss dotting too many I's and crossing too few T's and you will not be in business long.

  Life is not fair, keep living the dream!

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• Harold Sharp of Hixson, TN writes:

  Thursday, May 8, 2014

  Balog on James River – Years ago there was a bass tournament on West Point Lake. The weather turned so cold there was only one bass caught, so the tournament promoter put numbers in a hat and paid the winner with a check, then all the other contestants drew a number to see where they finished and what check they got.

  Looks like that would have worked at the James River – a check and points for the place finish you drew. That's what they would have received if the tournament had been fished.

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• Rob Dixon of Lewistown, PA writes:

  Thursday, May 8, 2014

  I agree with Joe Balog on the James River Rayovac tourney. For most people competing in these events, a $1,500 entry fee seems a bit insane to begin with and when you add in enough gas to travel several hundred to several thousand miles in a truck pulling a boat and then factor in 4 or 5 days worth of boat gas, you pretty much have to finish in the Top 10 to win back your money. And yet FLW not only expects you to do that TWICE for a tournament without any increased payout, you are also expected to come up with another week off work and thousands more dollars for the chance to fish for a few hundred bucks if you're outside the Top 10.

  We all love fishing tournaments or we wouldn't be doing it, but this just seems ridiculous to me and I'm sure to many others.

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• Thomas Ferro of Willis, TX writes:

  Wednesday, May 7, 2014

  RE: Stringer's mom – So sorry to hear about the loss of your mom, Bradley. You are without a doubt correct in that she was a special mom. Even though I did not know her that well, she always smiled and had kind words to say.

  I will never forget the time I was fishing in Stanley Creek during a thunderstorm and she asked if I would like to come in out of the rain. She was that kind of person and more. Even though she is not here, she will still be the first one on the dock when you weigh in.

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• Justin Wood of Sanford, MI writes:

  Wednesday, May 7, 2014

  Randy Haynes switching sonar brands! Raymarine has got something special or deep pockets ... or both. When a guy who says he hates any lake he needs to fish shallow in his profile switches, I take notice. If the dual HDS 12s are off his boat in the pictures I see, I may actually look into Raymarine!

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• Steve Jones of Moss Point, MS writes:

  Tuesday, May 6, 2014

  Super job on the Toledo Bend Elite coverage, Jacob's day-to-day details and the Top 5 patterns!

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• Bob Fornall of Palm Bay, FL writes:

  Monday, May 5, 2014

  RE: Toledo Bend Elite Series – Top 3 finishers are "rookies" from FLW, so please stop telling me how the Elites are so much better than the FLW guys.

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• John Gaulke of Ithaca, NY writes:

  Sunday, May 4, 2014

  Joe Balog is correct regarding gobies. Invasives like gobies and alewives are analogous to steroids for humans - you reap some immediate discernable benefits, but in the long run you suffer serious consequences.

  Smallmouth bass numbers are down in Lake Ontario big time. They aren't very easy to find. They are concentrated and yes, they are big. My buddy landed a 7-pound, 1-ounce fish a couple years ago in October in eastern Lake Ontario. Yes, it was a thrill, but it's clear to me that the gobies aren't doing the numbers any good. It's exciting to have a shot at a 6- or 7-pound smallmouth, but it's a trade-off. And when your numbers are down, you'd better hope the fish don't get hit by a disease or fish-kill via some other means.

  Alewives are the same deal. Yes, you get big bass. But if you enjoy catching smallmouths that behave like smallmouths, you don't want alewives around. If you like having to use your electronics and move around searching for large bait schools or perhaps you enjoy fishing pelagic smallmouths out in 80 feet of water, then you might enjoy alewife-fueled fisheries, but you can leave most of your tackle at home in that case.

  We have an assortment of great smallmouth fisheries here in central New York, but my favorite lake to fish in the one in its most natural state - Skaneateles Lake. The bass are predictable and a 17-inch fish is a nice one, not average. But I don't have to pretend like I'm chasing tuna schools over open water and I can expect good topwater fishing, too. To me, that's what smallmouth fishing is all about.

  Everybody knows that there's not much we can do about the gobies in the Great Lakes and connecting waterways. And by the way, their numbers are declining. But magazines like Bassmaster and In-Fishermen are touting all the so-called advantages of gobies.

  I think Joe is hoping that fishermen don't suddenly think they are going to do their fisheries a favor by dumping a bucketful of gobies in their favorite lake! That, to me, is his point. They are here, but don't get the impression that they are a good thing.

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• Harold Sharp of Hixson, TN writes:

  Friday, May 2, 2014

  RE: Balog on gobies – Joe points out several problems that all bass anglers should be aware of and how they could or will affect our future fishing. Here's another problem that we should be paying attention to: Who is going to take the lead and try to do something about them?

  When Ray Scott announced the organization of B.A.S.S. in 1968, he also announced and published the B.A.S.S. Purposes in the first issue of Bassmaster. Several dealt with the problems we had in the fishing world that Ray could see coming, so B.A.S.S. took the lead in trying to help solve them. The B.A.S.S. Purposes stated:

  > To offer our state conservation departments our organized moral and political support;
  > To demand adequate water standards and legal enforcement of existing regulatory standards;
  > To report polluters;
  > To encourage private and governmental study into why fishing on our lakes goes bad.

  Then in 1970 he backed that up by filing lawsuits against polluters under the 1899 federal laws still on the books, but not being enforced. This forced the federal government into some action that resulted in the EPA being formed.

  Now the problem that we have today is, who is leading the effort to clean up our fishing waters and protect our fisheries?

  We have many, many bass fishing organizations, but no leader trying to protect and advance this sport. Until we have someone who will take the lead and stand up to the ones in charge of protecting our fisheries, then it will not happen. Everyone is waiting on the other one to do something.

  The sport of bass fishing needs a leader to organize this sport. As of now it does not have that and you can look at all major sports such as football, basketball, golf, baseball, tennis, soccer, etc., they have all wised up and organized under a commission program to advance and protect that sport. The sport of bass fishing needs a leader and a commission board and it's long overdue.

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• Jerry McCullough of Pell City, AL writes:

  Friday, May 2, 2014

  RE: Guntersville Rayovac winning pattern – Henry sure seems full of himself. All that smack talk will come back and bite him.

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• Bill Taylor of Benton, KY writes:

  Thursday, May 1, 2014

  RE: Stringer's mom – The words and praise you give your mother is 100 percent accurate! She was a very caring and loving person who was extremely proud to watch and cheer for her favorite angler in the world ... Bradley Stringer. Thanks for sharing your story.

  BassFan says: Bill Taylor is the FLW Tour tournament director.

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• Guy Thistle of Lodi, WI writes:

  Thursday, May 1, 2014

  RE: Balog on gobies – Maybe, just maybe, Joe, we are not all morons, and actually do understand that the invasives in the Great Lakes are presenting current and future problems. Maybe we also understand that there are no solutions to the problems you are talking about. So why not be optimistic about the current situation? What is the alternative? Cry over something you are not able to do anything about? And then when it does crash you can say, "See, I told you so."

  Nobody will care because you offered no solutions. Worry about something that can be prevented. Asian carp?

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• Jeff Lobaugh of Emory, TX writes:

  Thursday, May 1, 2014

  RE: Dalbey on the rise – Rich Dalbey's giving spirit goes way beyond his involvement with the food bank. He has been an outstanding mentor and role model for our fishing team at Rains High School near Lake Fork. He and his wonderful wife Frances helped get our team organized and have also sponsored our efforts in the process.

  Rich has spoken at several of our fund-raising banquets and team meetings. He loves our kids just like they were his own and has offered many helpful suggestions and tips over the past 2 seasons. He is a true blessing to our team and a great ambassador for the sport of bass fishing!

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• Johnny McLean of Little Rock, AR writes:

  Thursday, May 1, 2014

  RE: Balog on gobies – Joe, good article. However, most bass fishermen think they are fisheries biologists and only look at the short-term benefits. Trying to get them to believe this will be like talking to a tree.

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