The Leader in Pro Bass Fishing News!
Facebook Twitter

Bassfan Feedback

All Topics   September 2017
  • Kevin Crabtree of Sellersburg, IN writes:

    RE: Balog on rules – The Opens do indeed have many limitations relative to the sport of bass fishing. You know them all. They range from horsepower restrictions to off-limits periods. There's plenty of them and I'm of the belief they are followed to the fullest and that most any pro would self-report if they even questioned whether they violated a rule. I do not see a problem with being allowed to choose to use a different rig for a specific tournament in the triple-As and not so at the tour level if that's what everyone decides from the get-go.

    The key word is choice. All competitors knew the rules. They all had the same amount of time and opportunity (with maybe the exception of financial reasons) to procure a tunnel-hull or whatever type boat was needed. To me, the decision whether to use an alternate boat is no different than many other decisions anglers have to make during tournament preparation on and off the water. Gaining a so-called "advantage" in one way, greatly limits your abilities (advantage) in others. Since DeFoe is the most recent discussion, I'll use him to attempt to describe my thoughts on this.

    Ott knew the minute he chose to use his tunnel-hull boat that he would be greatly limited on where and how efficiently he may be able to fish. He basically eliminated his ability to fish the lower ends of Douglas due to limited fishing time getting there and back. This is unlike all the traditional bass boaters who had a 250 to propel them anywhere on the lake multiple times a day (if necessary) in minutes. He was also limited in fishing time on where he did decide to fish due to using a tunnel-hull instead of his 250 glass boat. I know that you in no way doubted Ott's abilities as a fisherman in your article. But I'd like to add something else that relates to why it makes no difference if triple-A events don't have the exact same rules as tour events. Ott has fished the French Broad for years. I don't know him personally, but I'm willing to bet he has put more hours into learning that river than most folks could imagine. He had to make all the same adjustments the other competitors had to make over 3 days. They range from water flow changes, fish movement/depletion, water level and clarity, to weather changes. He didn't have this one hole that whoever got to it would be guaranteed the win. He fished multiple areas over 3 different sets of conditions.

    Not that I would know personally, but winning at that level requires good decisions for every day of the event and most everything going your way. That happens more frequently to those who put their time in, prepare properly, fight through the misfortunes and execute when they have to. Ott did all of these to win that tournament. If other competitors really believed they could compete with Ott and the few others who chose unique boats, then they would have found a way to get back there. My pro partner in that tournament gained confidence in a dock-fishing pattern during practice, so he chose to fish docks for 10 hours on day 1. John Murray thought if someone found the right area, it could be won extremely deep and offshore, so he made a choice to commit to that.

    Ott Defoe was flat out the best fishermen those 3 days. The odds were greatly in favor of him winning before it started. Not because he had a tunnel-hull, but because he knew how to adapt to the changing conditions better than everyone else. On top of that, he made the correct decision to utilize the tunnel-hull and commit to the upper river – a decision all other competitors had an opportunity to make and a very few chose.

    If someone wants to make the Elites or qualify for the Classic through the Opens, they have to make the right decisions and catch more fish than most others. As long as the rules are the same for everyone, it make no difference if there are slight variations from Opens to Elites or Costas to FLW Tour. The big issues of the sport are already consistent. You may just have to take a big gamble or do something out of your comfort zone to make the jump. It's always the boater's responsibility to make the right decisions to get themselves in a position to win, earn a top 5 in AOY points, etc.

  • Bill Spindler of Turnersville, NJ writes:

    RE: Balog on rules – Agree with the uniformity of rules 100 percent and I would like to add that the B.A.S.S. rule against using landing nets for its upper-level events is not my favorite. Landing a 3-plus-pound smallmouth on a three-hook jerk bait by hand leaves the angler open to personal injury. Ray Scott put this rule into effect to make for better TV and it is not safe or efficient and it's time to get rid of it. TV coverage is much advances from what it was 20-30 years ago, and viewers can still enjoy watching skilled anglers without the hand landings or boat flips onto carpeted decks, which can be avoided with rubber or rubber-coated nets.

  • Steve Thatcher of Lewisville, N.C. writes:

    RE: Tour pros at lower levels – On a given day a local person could outfish an Elite Series pro, although it might seem unlikely, but it seems like an Elite Series pro fishing in a "local" tournament is like a Baseball Hall of Fame pitcher in his prime pitching for a local team, doesn't it?

  • Edward Baldridge of Houston, TX writes:

    RE: Bass Pro/Cabela's union – I don't like conglomerates. It isn't good for competition or for competitive pricing for the consumer.

  • Remi DeMatteo of Poydras, LA writes:

    RE: Bass Pro/Cabela's union – Good luck to all Cabela's employees ... you'll need it. Sad day for consumers, also.

  • Skip Bennett of Texico Il writes:

    I noticed that Jacob Wheeler seems to be the only pro angler who uses a clip-on culling system. I believe all anglers should be required to do the same so the bass don't have holes in their mouths for weeks or months. I would think it would effect their feeding?

  • Kevin Crabtree of Sellersburg, IN writes:

    RE: Tour pros at lower levels – If I'm fishing co-angler in a Bassmaster Open tournament, I want to have a chance to fish behind and learn from the best in the world. From a pro perspective, do you really feel like you're earning your way to the next level if you can't handle A FEW pro tour angers in the mix? FLW Costas and Bassmaster Opens are far more exciting when the contestants are a mix of seasoned tour pros and hungry lesser-known pros on their journey to the top tiers. Keep tour pros out of triple-A tournaments and watch the participation decline quickly. It would be sad to see.

  • Greg Lineberry of Galax, VA writes:

    RE: Tour pros at lower levels – If they're gonna make it a win-yourin-the-Classic through the Opens, then I think the full-time pros should be allowed to fish. I don't think it should be fair to keep out a full-time Elite Series guy who spends all year on tour and give a guy who fishes just on the weekends a shot at the Super Bowl of bass fishing. They should only allow the full-time pros Classic slots.

  • Terry l. Bonsell of Frostburg, MD writes:

    RE: Tour pros at lower levels – There is no competition between anglers – it's between the angler and the fish. What one angler does or does not do doesn't effect another angler.

  • Martin D. Lamb of Albia IA writes:

    RE: Tour pros at lower levels – As far as I am concerned, let the pros fish. I really didn't think about it during the Opens I fished. I am more concerned with the availability of the Opens to everyone who wishes to throw their hat in than restricting the professionals.

  • Adam Ohms of Edwardsville, IL writes:

    RE: Tour pros at lower levels – Tour pros should not be allowed to fish BFL-level competition or qualify for its championship. This is a working man's tournament, period.

    Pros should be allowed and encouraged to fish triple-A level opens/FLW Series events. Anyone fishing at that level is looking for something to prove against the best.

  • Jim Hardy of Harlem, TX writes:

    RE: Tour pros at lower levels – Bring 'em on! Got to compete against them if you want move up!

  • Bernie House of Lebanon, TN writes:

    RE: Tour pros at lower levels – I always felt that it was a challenge to fish against tour-level pros. It upped your game and reward. Here in Tennessee we had several pros who fished our regional tournaments and you could learn a lot from what they did. Also, there was the extra " glory" that went along with beating an Ott DeFoe or Terry Bolton. They have their days and they don't win them all. Man up or stay home.

  • Doug Stevenson of Decatur, AL writes:

    RE: Tour pros at lower levels – Because this is the way for FLW pros to get to the Elites, it probably won't change.

  • Curtis Simpson of West Monroe, LA writes:

    RE: Tour pros at lower levels – Let them fish. If someone wants to improve their tournament fishing, they have to compete against those who are as good or better than they are. It might hurt your pride (and tournament fishermen can be pretty prideful) in the process, but over time your fish-catching ability will improve. Look at the period KVD was dominating the Elites – four AOYs and two Classics in a 4-year stretch. Fellow Elites were getting tired of him, but he caused everybody else to improve their game to keep up and they are better fishermen for it.

  • Steve Jones of Moss Point, MS writes:

    RE: Tour pros at lower levels – If they are fishing the Opens or Costas to requalify for the tours, I have no beef. I don't think any pro who hasn't been off either tour for at least 2 years should be allowed to fish any of the BFL events. The pros jackpotting the 2-day BFL Super Tournaments is my biggest beef.

  • Benny Rigney of Williamston, SC writes:

    RE: Tour pros at lower levels – Let them fish! Whether it is at the triple-A level or even local tournaments. On the local level they have no advantage over the local sticks. As far as Costas and Opens, absolutely let them fish. These guys are trying to make a living fishing. They need those opportunities in those trails as well as the tours to survive.

    If you want to compete, you might as well beat the best. The ones barking the loudest usually aren't there in the check line anyway because they are more worried about who shows up instead of catching fish.

  • Mark Aaron of Gastonia, NC writes:

    RE: Tour pros at lower levels – I know that many won't like it, but as long as entry fees are involved and a man or woman puts up the money, how do you have a legitimate gripe? This is the problem with "professional" bass fishing. In what other professional sports do contestants have to pay an entry fee? I could buy the best set of golf clubs Tiger Woods ever used and pay for it with one box of crankbaits.

    In no way should an Elite or FLW Tour pro have to pay an entry fee. How is it that since the economy has bounced back from 2008, entry fees have gone up, but no increase in the payout? These guys keep paying for the largest portion of the money they fish for – $742,500 is paid by pro contestants for each FLW event alone, $594,000 for B.A.S.S. Add up what the purse is for each tournament and subtract it. Yeah, they throw a little back for each sanctioning body's championship, but throw that into the equation and see what they fork out to make up the difference at the end of the year. By corporate standards, it ain't much!

    Employee compensation, road crews, TV contracts, corporate sponsors, etc. all add up too. Someone did let the "cat out of the bag" as to what it cost for B.A.S.S. to come to town per Lake Martin? In no way can they claim to be professional with entry fees involved ... I'm beating a dead horse!

  • Johnny Manning of Arkadelphia, AR writes:

    RE: Tour pros at lower levels – Let them all in. You need to learn to compete against the best if you want to be the best.

  • Alan Piacentine of Dallas, GA writes:

    RE: Tour pros at lower levels – I say keep the FLW Tour pros the Costa FLW Series and the BFLs! I am a boater and I love competing against them. If I don't catch good enough weights, then that's my fault. There's no playing defense in fishing. There are some really good anglers on the lower levels and I want to compete against them. Stop crying about the top pros and practice more and pay your dues. That's what I'm doing!

  • Jim Barczak of Osceola, FL writes:

    RE: Classic Bracket – Catch, weigh and release is being used because smallmouth are closed in Minnesota.

  • Martin D. Lamb of Albia, IA writes:

    Listening to Brandon Palaniuk's AOY speech Sunday, he orated the exact reason why I say the Opens need to be more accessible to the working Joe. He said he "did not have the time or money to fish the Opens", he was fortunate enough to run the gauntlet through the Federation and win the championship. Had that not happened, Brandon Palaniuk may very well still be fishing and logging in Idaho, chasing the dream. Just because a guy can't commit to five weeks vacation or throw out 6,000 bucks in entry fees doesn't mean he doesn't have the tools to be an Elite fisherman.

  • Mike Bennett of Columbia, SC writes:

    I laugh every time read a comment where someone complains or whines about an Elite or FLW Tour pro fishing a lower-tier tournament like the Opens. If they don't think they can compete with them, then stay home. It doesn't matter if KVD, Swindle, Skeet or any Elite angler is in the field if you can't catch fish. You are not competing against the anglers, you are competing against the fish. If you can't find and catch fish, don't blame it on something as lame as "Well, Ott DeFoe was in the tournament." Blame it on your lack of skills and confidence in yourself.

  • Carol Martens of West Hills, CA writes:

    RE: Teaming with Martens – Thats's my boy ... I love fishing with him because it's always an adventure.

  • Skip Bennett of Texico, IL writes:

    My opinion is that the some pros who fish the Opens should not be allowed to accept the perks that go along with the title. Example, DeFoe's already qualified for the Elites and the 2018 Classic. Now the only thing he accomplished was the top money spot and took the money from the aspiring working anglers who are trying for those champion benefits. Some pros, especially those who have been dropped by the Elites and those who did not make the Classic cut and FLW pros who want switch sides, should be allowed and not looked down upon for trying to advance. But in DeFoe's defense, he smoked the field against a lot of locals who've had many more days of practice, so they left the door open.

  • Gary Yexley of Knoxville, TB writes:

    RE: Teaming with Martens – Great article. I fished with him many many years ago on Lake Powell ... good memories. Thank you.

  • Steven Rockweiler of Luling, LA writes:

    The recent win for the Douglas Lake Open event brings back memories for me. Here on this expansive Delta, for decades, has been the use of "jump boats." What is a jump boat? These are aluminum boats, rigged with tunnel hulls and hydraulic jackplates, designed to run in inches of water and "jump" into isolated holes in the marsh. The Elite pros entering the Opens, have picked up in this idea, I see. The tournament was won out of a jump boat, and the fisherman in 2nd the first two days was also in a jump boat fishing up the river, until he damaged his lower unit.

    B.A.S.S. addressed this issue in the Elites, but I feel they need to also address this in the Opens. Many of the Elite pros, who have been successful, have the resources to invest in a "jump boat" ... they are not cheap. This, to me, is just another deal for the aspiring anglers who want to move up to overcome. If an angler wants to use an aluminum rig when he sees the schedule released for the Opens, then B.A.S.S. should have in their rules that the same type of boat must be used in all the Opens fished. So if a pro wants to use this rig in a certain tourney, they cannot unless they used it in all of the Opens they fished.

    I have some other dislikes on on jump boats from competing against them since 1970, but the list would fill this page.

  • Johnny McLean of Little Rock, AR writes:

    RE: Balog on Opens – You are probably right, Joe. Defoe winning yesterday surely does not encourage aspiring pros to take their chances on the Opens. I think that FLW and B.A.S.S. should work together to let the top guys fish both circuits if they choose. If you truly want the best against each other, then you need to provide the opportunity for them to compete.

  • John Hempel of Brownstown, MI writes:

    I still think that the Elites should not be allowed to fish the Opens. After all, I can't fish their Elite tournaments.

  • Rob Dixon of Lewistown, PA writes:

    RE: New Bassmaster Opens format – The Opens continue to become the playground of the rich who can try year after year to qualify for the Elites because there's only so many good fishermen who can blow 10 to 12 grand every year on fishing tournaments. I'd love to see a two-day series with a $500 or $600 entry come about to give people a legitimate chance to win their way up instead of having to spend 10 grand just to have a chance at making the Elite Series. The Opens are now full of rich kids and guys who have fished the Opens for years and still haven't made the Elite Series.

  • Paul Wallace of Cambridge City, IN writes:

    RE: Bassmaster Opens – When the "lucky" few earn their way into the Elites, they will be met with $70,000-ish of debt for their trouble. What a nice reward!

    The reason the Elite pros are fishing the Opens is simple – they need the money. The financial reward for average tour pros is so small, I can't figure out how they do it.

    As long as it's pay to play, I'm okay with anyone entering a tournament for money. B.A.S.S./FLW has a long way to go before they can truly be a professional sport. PGA, WTA, etc. ... pro bass fishermen need their own organization. Every real sport has one.

  • Paul Cinquegrano of Bellingham, WA writes:

    RE: Balog on Opens – I completely agree, Joe. To allow Elite Series anglers to fish in the Open series is unfair to the aspiring tour anglers. It does not do anything to grow the sport and could be seen as a deterrent to some. I personally would not appreciate fishing in an Open at the Big O, only to see Scott Martin, Greg Hackney, KVD, Skeet, Ike or any of the other Elite anglers at the ramp.

    I llike the new format and appreciate the fact that "cherry picking" tournaments is being addressed. I would like to see it take a step further and require all entrants to fish all four events (or at least pay the entry fees), maybe just for the boaters, anyway, as it seems sometimes co-anglers are in demand at certain venues. That would greatly reduce "local pro" entries and allow true aspiring tour anglers better opportunities. It may initially have lower turnouts, but I think in the long run it would better the sport's participation.

  • John A. Argese of Taylors, SC writes:

    RE: Balog on Opens – A "Eureka" moment while reading Joe's take. The phrase "working man" gets tossed around quite a bit, but if I'm not mistaken, wasn't the B.A.S.S. Federation, now Bass Nation, supposed to be the weekend angler's way into the Classic?

    The Opens were more like a triple-A circuit, if I understood correctly. As a "working man", you fished the Federation (B.A.S.S. Nation) circuit. If you fished well, EARNED SPONSORS (my caps), moved into the Opens and succeeded in the Opens, you went into the Elites. Wasn't that the path of Denny Brauer and Mike Iaconelli?

    It may take some time for people to get used to, but it's long overdue. Working men I know pay their dues.

  • Frank Tennity of Honeoye, NY writes:

    RE: Balog on Opens – Well written. The Elites should not have it both ways as tournament fishing goes. When they do not qualify for the Elite Series, drop back to the Opens and qualify for the Elites again.

  • Ronnie Shreve of Winston-Salem, N.C. writes:

    I was in my late 20s when I first ran across The Fishin' Hole and Jerry McKinnis and it immediately stuck to my heart because of the down-to-earth approach the program was so careful to take with McKinnis. I miss it and I miss just the pure, laid-back way Jerry shared his show with America. God bless those memories that I will cherish for the rest of my life as I approach my mid 60s. It is just not the same anymore because money has changed the dynamics of true down-to-earth fishing.

  • Ryan Bowman of Seneca, SC writes:

    RE: New Opens format – Prediction: Tournaments will not fill up and payouts will drop.

  • Riley Cooper of Bay Minette, AL writes:

    RE: Bass and saltwater – Largemouth are actually the most salt-tolerant of all the bass species. In the Mobile/Tensaw delta we often catch reds, speckled trout, flounder, and even jack crevalle with the bass. Salt content varies even day to day, especially with tidal flow. Largemouth tolerate these brackish areas feeding on blue and fiddler crabs and shrimp. A log with barnacles doesn't mean too much salt, so fish it anyway. Brackish delta water means excellent bass fishing with plenty of saltwater bonus fish.

All Topics   September 2017

Latest News

  • Hamner's Hot Streak Culminated At Grand

    Hamner's Hot Streak Culminated At Grand

    By John Johnson BassFan Senior Editor

    Justin Hamner, the newly crowned Bassmaster Classic champion, has been on quite a roll for the past 11 months.

  • Hamner Goes Wire To Wire At Classic

    Hamner Goes Wire To Wire At Classic

    By B.A.S.S. Communications Staff

    TULSA, Okla. — When most anglers win the Bassmaster Classic, they at least pretend like it came as the biggest surprise

  • Hamner Tops 20 Pounds Again, Leads By 5 1/2

    Hamner Tops 20 Pounds Again, Leads By 5 1/2

    By B.A.S.S. Communications Staff

    TULSA, Okla. — Since practice began last week, Alabama pro Justin Hamner says he hasn’t been able to duplicate two patterns

-->

Video You May Like