Bassfan Feedback

• Randy Blaukat of Joplin, MO writes:

  Wednesday, May 31, 2017

  The topic of co-anglers will draw a lot of feedback from pros. Most Elite Series pros will tell you that one of the best things they like about B.A.S.S. is .not having the distraction of a co-angler in the boat. I've fished with hundreds and hundreds of co-anglers over the years, and have seen it all in terms of the great ones to fish with, and the nightmares. What I can tell you is the co-anglers I've fished with who do the best, and the ones who have won with me, are the ones I don't even know are in the boat. They fish their own water and many times behind the boat.

  The reason most co-anglers struggle is they don't understand angles. I try and educate them about this, but few really understand and use this to their advantage. Most of them strive to cast in front of the boat as much as they can get away with. This is their biggest mistake because they don't have the proper angle. I fished for years with two of the greatest co-anglers of all-time, Frank Divis Jr. and Rodney Chmolack, during practice. Both of them have had incredible success as co-anglers, and many times I've seen them dragging baits behind the boat and catching fish .. because they understand angles. They don't try and rush or compete with their pros.

  Being a co-angler is a great opportunity to learn if you approach it with this attitude, but I've seen a definite trend in super-aggressive co-anglers who create tension in the boat. Most have jobs they go back to, and fail to realize the pros have no other form of income and are fishing to pay bills, mortgage payments and put food on the table for their families.

  My advice to co-anglers would be let the pro know you are there to learn, back off, don't rush them, and let them have the water they are fishing to themselves. Fish what you can from the back. When most pros see you are doing this, they will go out of their way to help you learn, share secrets and tips and more. This will make your experience as a co-angler much more valuable in the long run than being aggressive trying to win a few hundred bucks.

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• Rick Pierce of Mountain Home, AR writes:

  Wednesday, May 31, 2017

  Growing up totally in the start and in the mix of pro bass fishing, I'm not a dedicated reader of Joe Balog. I don't really know him, so nothing personal – I just don't always agree with the new-vision perspective. No disrespect intended, Joe.

  However, he hit some major nail heads this week. First with the comparison of MLF and BassFest. MLF we were the original first sponsor of and it's a great television format we've continued to strongly support. People enjoy it and the success is huge. In comparison to B.A.S.S., it's an improved bracket game made for television.

  Bassmaster has to appeal to a crowd – imagine NASCAR or the Indy 500 without 150,000 to 300,000 screaming fans. Things will always change, though we think Bassmaster has to figure out how while keeping the fan base growing, and it looks like they are at least trying on many formats.

  Then he hammered away at the plethora of knock-offs happening religiously with a fury since the Big O and a Tennessee Shad were the deal in the the growth of the 1970s. Fred Young did well there and so did the knock-offs. Let alone Rick Clunn learning about the Lunker Lure on we believe a Rend Lake or Shebyville event and the buzzbait phenomenon that followed. Jimmy Crisp let the world know about rippin' stick baits and everyone had one of those. Too bad Dee Thomas had nothing he could market other than his skills, and he was using those skills in the 1960s, long before anyone knew it outside California. It's been happening since those early days of bass fishing media growth.

  Next is the cancellation of events. Having been there as an angler when those first events were cancelled. it was a gasp when Dewey Kendrick first pulled the plug on one when they were Invitationals, then Top 100 events had that occur. Today it's not uncommon. While then we faced brutal days on Rayburn, Kentucky Lake, 1000 Islands, then flooding at Livingston and others when B.A.S.S. held stout to compete, today the organizers change with wind. The difference is the competitors no longer are both dedicated pro anglers, and the co-anglers or marshals often are novices.

  In the 1970s through early 1990s it was a part of the sport. Watching us search for Rick Parker and Bo Turner at Rayburn, seeing Roland's boat come back towed in barely floating with the hull belly-up. Cancellng Day 2 at Kentucky Lake to face gusts up to 60 mph on day 3. Around 25 boats towed in, as they have on 1000 Islands. We all faced 35-45 mph winds that tossed us around like bobbers back then. Necks were tweaked and backs were broken by anglers riding shotgun.

  Today's co-anglers are not paying the pro-level fees and don't have the same risks. Events have changed for safety of all parties. Are we smarter or did we just take a part of the game away?

  Those answers on events and decisions both will be decided by the spectators and fans, not us.

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• Steve Kirby of Columbus, OH writes:

  Friday, May 26, 2017

  RE: Balog on regional opportunities – Joe's take on the continuing dearth of local and regional tournament support from the major manufacturers is right on. I guess we really can't blame them. One of the first things on the chopping block is always the sponsorship budget. Just look at NASCAR – they're going through the same sponsor cinching of the belt that B.A.S.S. and FLW did some years ago.

  From an insider's view of the importance of local events, one need look no further than one of central Ohio's circuits sponsored by a local marine dealer and Ranger Boats as well as a local Ford dealer. The number of new trucks and boats is easily quantifiable by the number of sales directly related to participants in this 60-boat field, so far in 2017; five new Ford trucks and seven brand new Rangers. When one considers the number of years this circuit has been in existence, one can imagine the impact this one example is having on sales for both firms.

  It really is time for the majors to start looking elsewhere as most of the angling public realizes that the pros, for the most part, prostitute themselves for whomever their sponsor is at the moment.

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• Bobby Myers of Broken Arrow, OK writes:

  Friday, May 26, 2017

  RE: Balog on regional opportunities – Well done, Joe. I would say I live in one area in the country where you can live and have the chance at working on the water year after year. The other issue at hand is this desire to have a 21-foot boat, monster truck and 8K in electronics. The miss here is that you can still get it done at the house with an 18- to 19-foot boat and a 150 or 200. But I feel we will never return to those days – as you stated, "top or not!"

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• Tony Smith of Northport, AL writes:

  Friday, May 26, 2017

  RIP Fred "Taco" Bland. One of the first, if not the first, to put a worm on a jighead shaky-head style. Spent many an hour at boat shows with him years ago. He will be greatly missed. Godspeed, brother.

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• Ron Moses of Cedar Hill, MO. writes:

  Thursday, May 25, 2017

  RE: Balog on regional opportunities – Amen, Joe, amen. Well put.

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• Kenny Covington of West Monroe, LA writes:

  Thursday, May 25, 2017

  RE: Balog on regional opportunities – I agree with what you are saying but you also fail to mention how many anglers will sell their souls for product sponsorship. These companies see no need to invest dollars to help an established local or regional fisherman when all they have to do is dangle a pack of worms and a shirt in the face of a young unknown. And while they may not get the quality of exposure, the exposure they get is still for free.

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• Martin D. Lamb of Albia, IA writes:

  Thursday, May 25, 2017

  RE: Texas Fest – I see two huge issues right out of the gate that will have to be cleaned up if this weigh in procedure is utilized.

  First, more than one angler noticed inconsistency in the scales/judges' opinion. This will be critical when a tourney comes down to ounces. How about the cut line for this event? Would a couple of ounces have made the difference there?

  Next, just in this article two anglers mention releasing deep-hooked fish that would have likely died. Now according to B.A.S.S. rules, an angler cannot cull a dead fish, and I feel they certainly shouldn't release one they feel may die. This takes some of the responsibility away from the angler concerning fish care. If a fish is deep-hooked to the point it may expire, the judge should require that fish be retained until the end of the fishing day. Then if it does die, it should be included in the creel regardless of size. Otherwise it could be released and "culled" as normal.

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• Johnny McLean of Little Rock, Arkansas writes:

  Thursday, May 25, 2017

  RE: Balog on regional opportunities – Good article, Joe, you know Randy Blaukat and Ron Shuffield have alluded to this in some fairly recent articles. Who would have ever thought that you would have to be young, good-looking and loaded to make it as a professional bass fisherman. Some of the B.A.S.S. photos nowadays are pretty funny – I am not sure if I am looking at a fisherman or a mannequin.

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• Terry L Bonsell of Fruitland Park, FL writes:

  Thursday, May 25, 2017

  RE: Texas Fest – This is the way to go. The next step from Ray Scott's original catch and release.

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• Bernie House of Lebanon, TN writes:

  Thursday, May 25, 2017

  RE: Balog on regional opportunities – Well stated, Joe. I have personally seen the decline in high-paying regional tournaments. In my area of middle Tennessee, we used to have three or four circuits where you could win $3,000 to $5,000 dollars every weekend from March to October. These 150- to 250-boat tournaments have been replaced by small regional events of 15 to 20 boats all fishing the same lake week after week.

  Tournament anglers bear some responsibility for their hesitancy to travel to a variety of lakes – most would rather fish at home. I was always excited to fish new lakes and learn new things.

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• Johnny McLean of Little Rock, AR writes:

  Wednesday, May 24, 2017

  RE: Texas Fest – I commend B.A.S.S. for this move of weigh and release. If you are truly a conservation organization, you have to practice what you preach.

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• Scott McDonald of Huber Heights, OH writes:

  Tuesday, May 23, 2017

  RE: Balog on Texas Fest – Joe, I love your articles, but I've got to disagree with on one point in the following paragraph: "Without question, the MLF model has caught on, but it probably wouldn't have without the Toyota Texas Bass Classic, a yearly one-off tournament that utilized the catch-weigh-release format in conjunction with the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department. Many organizations are considering adopting the system and now, it appears B.A.S.S. is dipping its toe into the water."

  It seemed obvious to me MLF was standing very well on its own before B.A.S.S. chose to utilize its format during the Texas Fest. MLF is made for TV and does it better than any before it. B.A.S.S. was just being smart to get on board with it.

  I do agree with the rest of the article though. It seems like there's a fine line B.A.S.S. and FLW will need to walk to keep their tournament weigh-ins as an attraction to fans and sponsors.

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• Robert G. Blake of Locust Grove, GA writes:

  Saturday, May 20, 2017

  RE: Bassmaster Texas Fest – With the advantage of cell phones, tablets, laptops and streaming, why continue with live weigh-ins? Personally, the weigh and release is what I do. As far as tournaments go, I want to know weights and winners. I like reading each participant's final numerical position, too. What I really want is which baits were used and by whom, and what patterns were found successful. Match that to the lake and I am one happy viewer/reader. The after-tournament interviews are far more important than watching a pro hold up a fish or two. Give me the video of catch and release, please.

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• Robert G. Blake of Locust Grove, GA writes:

  Saturday, May 20, 2017

  I have been using Hayabusa hooks since 2015. I am totally confident in these hooks. For 35 years I used the other hooks. Before Hayabusa, the hooks were solid, sharp and I was confident using them. However, Hayabusa has improved hooks. Their hooks are simply better.

  I am glad pros are now wanting to be included in the name Hayabusa. I truly endorse Hayabusa to any serious bass fisherman. I do not fish tournaments. I am a self-taught and energetic bass fisherman. Now at 63, bass fishing has proven to be a worthwhile passion and physically and emotionally healing. Enjoying quality fishing products makes it even better.

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• Tim Cook of New Braunfels, TX writes:

  Friday, May 19, 2017

  RE: Balog on Texas Fest – It is dissapointing to read your article about catch, weigh and immediate release tournaments and completely miss the fact the format was developed and first implemented by the Toyota Texas Bass Classic. The viability of the format is proven and accepted by the anglers, as proven by MLF's adoption of the TTBC's format, not the other way around. Having been intimately involved with that first event, as well as this week's event, I would be happy to answer any questions you may have for your correction.

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• Dennis Pentecost of Milford, IL writes:

  Friday, May 19, 2017

  The problem I see for weigh-and-release is I do not believe the fans will show up at the Classic and Elite events if they cannot see the fish weighed in. It is fine for TV and live on the Internet, but B.A.S.S. depends on people showing up for their events and I think it will keep fans away.

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• Bob Rippy of New Albany, IN writes:

  Friday, May 19, 2017

  RE: Classic champion – Jordan and our granddaughter Kristen Agnew are a very nice couple. We (my wife Sandra and I ) got to follow this tournment for the first time on TV. The way Jordan handled himself throughout the entire tournment makes us extremely proud to know him. We wish him the best in representing the Bassmaster Clacic and all other tournments in the future. We hope to meet his family also, at tournments or other events. We taped the Classic and so much enjoy replaying it for ourselves and our friends.

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• Robert Lewiston of Ocala,Fl. writes:

  Thursday, May 18, 2017

  RE: Bassmaster Texas Fest – Having 109 different scales on the water sounds like a recipe for trouble. Between wave action, human error and scale error, I think it would lead to some major problems. I, for one, enjoy the traditional weigh-in. I like seeing the anglers holding up multiple fish. In a sport where every ounce is crucial, it just seems wiser to have everyone use the same scale with the same guy calling the weight.

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• Randy Brandenburg of Frisco, TX writes:

  Thursday, May 18, 2017

  RE: Balog on Texas Fest – I don't know if traditional weigh-ins will become a thing of the past or not. However, it should be noted that weighing the fish on the water with a judge and releasing them originated with the original Toyota Texas Bass Classic on Lake Fork (Kelly Jordon) due to the slot limit. This was years ago, way before merging the event with B.A.S.S. and before the creation of MLF. I think the TTBC was probably a major contributing factor for coming up with the MLF format. I was a little surprised it did not get used on the major tours sooner. I do think MLF is why you're seeing B.A.S.S. dipping its toe in it now. It started last season with the bracket format tournament KVD won on the Niagara River.

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• Jeff Mitchell of Walkerton, IN writes:

  Wednesday, May 17, 2017

  I would love to see you do a report comparing your "watch list " before the tournament to placing after for the past couple of years.

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• Randy Brandenburg of Frisco, TX writes:

  Saturday, May 13, 2017

  So, I'm sitting here on Saturday morning wishing I was fishing. Instead, my wife and two daughters are watching a recording of Dancing with the Stars. David Ross from the Cubs just finished a dance. The host says something like for the first MLB player on Dancing with the Stars, Major League Baseball could not have sent a better representative. So, naturally I think what if a pro angler did Dancing with the Stars. Think of the exposure B.A.S.S. or FLW would get. Without a doubt, I think Gerald Swindle would be the one to do it. What do you think?

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• Steve Kirby of Columbus, OH writes:

  Friday, May 12, 2017

  RE: B.A.S.S. no-info rule – All such rules are unenforceable and my instinct tells me you never adopt a rule that you can't enforce unilaterally.

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• Burton Bosley of Sutton, WV writes:

  Thursday, May 11, 2017

  RE: Balog on pioneers – Thanks for the Hibdon story. It brings me back to my friend, the great Chuck Woods, who invented the beetle and died in poverty.

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• Terry L Bonsell of Fruitland Park writes:

  Wednesday, May 10, 2017

  RE: Blaylock got hacked – This is humorous. This is not "news." Countless people have had their Facebook page hacked. No big deal. Change the password.

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• Ralph Lee Yelverton of Doyline,Louisiana writes:

  Wednesday, May 10, 2017

  RE: B.A.S.S. no info rule – I think the info gathering system in place now has worked well. It gives interaction between the Elite Series and local anglers, which promotes the sport. It is my opinion that learning the waterways from a local promotes safety for all.

  I've given information to a number of Elites about water conditions to be concerned about if they occur during the tournament.

  The most frequent questions asked of me: would I show them how to safely navigate the body of water (boat trails), what baits are commonly used (public knowledge at the tackle stores), crime worries in the area, good restaurants, help finding good mechanics for vehicles on and off the water.

  And as far as someone breaking the rules all of the tournament fisherman, Elites on down, don't even want the possibility that someone might think they are not playing by the highest standards.

  I'm sure there is an occasional fisherman that fudges on the rules (very few 1 or 2 percent maybe), but most of the fisherman can't afford to lose their sponsors.

  More rules will not stop the occasional cheater, but more rules can stop interaction between fisherman which is not good for the sport.

  I personally think the Elite Series pros are for the most part the highest caliber people in sports. They are human and occasionally would like a redo on some action or thing they said, but thankfully even this is rare.

  I would think hard about changing rules that have worked for a long time for a sport and the high class of the participants that have abided by not only the rules but the intent of the rules.

  You are one of the last sports whose participants are truly good role models for all members of our families.

  Please don't fix a problem that doesn't exist.

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• Andy Williamson of Lake Andes, S.D. writes:

  Tuesday, May 9, 2017

  RE: Does color matter? – In the past 8 to 10 months or so, I have heard, perhaps 3 or 4 times on TV or read about a person, after landing a bass and seeing that the fish has really engulfed the lure, saying something like, "Man, when they get the whole lure in their mouth, you know you've got the right color." I cannot remember the names of every person that said this. I do remember Bobby Lane saying it on Major League Lessons.

  I am just not convinced. There are so many factors involved as to how and how well a bass will attack a lure while fishing. Yes, it is possible that the reason could be color sometimes. In any case, if an angler believes that color is the reason, and believes that they have it figured out, and that that is one less factor they have to worry about, that will give them all the more confidence, and that is good.

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• Steven Rockweiler of Luling, La. writes:

  Tuesday, May 9, 2017

  RE: Poacher on a unicycle – The story on the guy in Michigan selling bass and getting caught while riding a unicycle was ... interesting. Need to find out if he was using Bomber crankbaits and then we would have to call him the uni-bomber.

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• Alex Posey of Cumming, Ga. writes:

  Tuesday, May 9, 2017

  RE: B.A.S.S. no info rule – This is a change that has needed to happen for a long time. I feel like this will handle an issue that has been an elephant in the room for many years. As a fan I want to see who can tow their boat into town and figure out the lake on their own. My stance is no help, no info, period! They're pros. It's time to see them act like it. Please pass this rule B.A.S.S!!

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• Charlie Hartley of Grove City, OH writes:

  Tuesday, May 9, 2017

  RE: Hall of Fame inductees – Hip hip hooray for Guy Eaker!! He was and still is one of my favorite role models. Not only is he a great angler and person, he always dresses and behaves like a professional!! I wish him many more years of doing what he loves to do!!

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• Remi DeMatteo of Poydras, LA writes:

  Monday, May 8, 2017

  RE: GoFundMe account for Hibdons – I challenged Cabela's and Bass Pro to match any donations made on their credit cards. How much did they make off Guido Bugs and related merchandise from him and his son being Classic winners? C'mon, guys.

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• Ray Cox of Skiatook, OK writes:

  Saturday, May 6, 2017

  RE: Connell's Ross Barnett pattern – Great article. I love reading about the winning ways.

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• Tim Creighton of Buffalo, NY writes:

  Thursday, May 4, 2017

  I think it's time for Brian Thriftt to move on to the Elites via the Opens ASAP. Clearly he is dominating the FLW Tour. I'd love to see how he would compete on the Elite trail. Some FLW guys like Lefebre, Tharp, Hite and Ehrler have transitioned well, but others like Avena, Blaylock, Kreiger and Grigsby have struggled. If there's really a question as to which is the "Elite" tour, just refer to all the ex-FLW guys flocking to B.A.S.S.

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• Ray Shelton of Kernersville, NC writes:

  Thursday, May 4, 2017

  Mr. Balog, in reference to your comment about being encouraged about the sport of fishing coming up to speed with "society," I for one am encouraged by professionals of any sport standing on stage giving glory to Almighty God. Thank God for the Jacob Wheelers, Mark Roses and Jimmy Houstons who aren't afraid to stand up for what really matters.

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• Mike Bingham of Florence, AL writes:

  Thursday, May 4, 2017

  RE: Eaker makes Legends hall – Congrats to Guy! We only shared a boat one time, at Lake Powell, but it's still one of my favorite days of B.A.S.S. competition. Guy treated our day like we were fishing a team tournament. He kicked my butt, but I learned a lot and always looked forward to seeing him at future events. This honor is well-deserved – he's been great for the sport of bass fishing.

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