Shuffield On Season: His BASS Swan Song?

This year, veteran Bassmaster Tour pro Ron Shuffield fished one of his strongest easons in recent memory. He was remarkably consistent across the six Tour events and ended the year 10th in the Bassmaster points. That helped him improve from 26th to 13th in the State Farm World Rankings, thus qualifying him for the Cabela's Top Gun Championship.

But in retrospect, the season might become bittersweet. He's all but ready to quit fishing BASS and start a new stage of his career in regional or FLW Outdoors competition. The 20-year pro doesn't see his

place in the new Elite Series and feels forced to reexamine his options.

In the following Q&A, he addresses his performance this year, and what he thinks is wrong with the new BASS plan.

BassFan: What do you feel was the highlight of your season?

Shuffield: Starting it out with a 4th place at Toho. That was my top finish of the year. And I felt I had the opportunity to win if I'd just made a couple of other decisions. Instead, I stuck with an area that muddied up, and the wind changed direction. Still, it was a good tournament nevertheless.

What was the lowlight of your season?

My disappointing finish at the (Bassmaster) Classic for one thing (40th). That was really the low point. It's not that I had a great practice, but I felt I chose the right water. And I caught plenty of fish – 14 or 15 each day. I just could not catch that one keeper each day. That's the way it went. Actually, I thought I was fishing the best water.

How would you sum up your season?

It was a mixed bag with a wide variety of lures. I threw Rat-L-Traps in the first couple of events, then caught fish on jigs, tubes, some Texas-rigged stuff toward the middle of the season. The season was so jumbled in a short 90-day period, there wasn't a big, wide variety of things going on. I was pretty versatile in the way I approached things. I tried not to be closed-minded and get locked in on one thing. That did make a difference.

What was your biggest mistake this season?

Well, there again, I have to look back at the Classic. I totally overlooked the bridge pilings in that event. I didn't practice on any at all. I didn't even look at them in any circumstance. It was the failure to think those fish would have been out over that deeper water.

I know Aaron (Martens) and some guys have confidence that way, but honestly, I never gave it another thought. But I only spent 3 days of the available (5 days) to prefish, and felt I had got on something good enough to have a good tournament. I left early for another obligation. If I had it to do over, I would have practiced more. Decisions in our game definitely make all the difference in the world though.

Did you make any new friends on tour this year?

Not really. I travel alone. The last person I traveled with was my old buddy Taco – Fred Bland. I do feel like I got a lot closer to maybe a lot of the guys who haven't been around for as many years. I made some new acquaintances there.

And I realized that even though I don't like the way Ike acts in front of the camera, he's a super guy away from the camera, in my opinion. I totally misjudged the way I thought about it. I got to know him real well at Top Gun. We parked our boats next to each other. He's a cool guy, and one heck of a fisherman.

What was one thing you learned on tour this year?

Well, to always keep an open-minded approach – don't get yourself locked into one particular gameplan. A prime example was Guntersville. I thought I'd fish a jerkbait on the grassline of one side of the river. I only caught two fish the first day – about 8 pounds – and couldn't get them to bite anything else.

I had a slight mechanical problem on day 2. That wasn't really important. What was important was, by the time I got to my fish, it was full of boats. Therefore, I didn't even fish. I went straight across the river, picked up a Rat-L-Trap and caught around 20 pounds the second day.

And I ran to places no other contestants were fishing. It proved to me I need to keep an open mind.

You've noted before that you're not too keen on next year's Elite Series schedule and format. Have you decided whether or not you'll fish the Elite Series next year?

At this time, I haven't made a decision of whether or not I'll compete. I don't agree with an 11-tournament schedule – that's the killer. But the biggest thing I have to disagree with is the $5,000 entry fee with 11 events. A guy next year is really going to have to have a tremendous year to keep from going in the hole.

They keep saying how much you can win, but I figure with expenses and everything else, I have the chance to win about $1,000 more than this year, but with higher entry fees. In all reality, 1st pays the same, and 2nd through 5th pay less. I can't justify paying a higher entry fee for that.

To even break $11,000 I have to finish higher than 12th or 13th. So at this time, I'm not decided. I'm trying to procure some sponsorships to do it. If I'm unable to do that, I have no intention of fishing (BASS) at all next year.

If you back away from BASS, what are your other options?

I've really always wanted to have a chance with FLW. I feel they have their act together. They're not changing rules three or four times every 6 months. My thing is, I think it's a weeding-out process. I know I'm not one of the guys (BASS) wants to keep. And I don't feel (BASS) will help me with sponsorships or give me more TV exposure.

So I'm looking real hard and strong at getting into the EverStart Series.

Is it fair to say your career is at a crossroads?

I'm definitely at a crossroads in my career – to stay with BASS or move on. I've always said, there will always be a good trail somewhere for a good fisherman to make a living on. I'm looking seriously at the opportunities. And I'm putting a lot of my faith in the PAA (Professional Anglers Association) that it will get a tournament trail announced in the future.

I think that's what all the fishermen are hoping for. It would be the best thing that ever happened – to own our own tournament trail. ESPN's livelihood is TV production, not running bass tournaments.

I'm not one of their chosen sons, and I have to look at it from that standpoint.

So is it money that's standing in the way?

I've had good sponsorship help, but not a tremendous amount. Right now, Triton Boats, really, as far as monetarily, is my best sponsor. I have a couple others that do help a little.

The only thing that's kept me out here this long is my own success to consistently make the money, the Classics and win a tournament occasionally. And I've had a wonderful career in the sport of bass fishing. It's hard for me to walk away.

I'm also at the age where it gets harder and harder to do well. The wins are fewer and fewer, and when you put a pencil and paper to it, you will not be successful with that (Elite Series) schedule. And I realize that even if I do well, I won't get the TV exposure.

Even non-endemic companies, when I tell them what trail I'm fishing – that I'm fishing BASS – they lose interest immediately and say, 'They don't know where they're going.' For 19 full seasons I've supported BASS. I've never fished another tournament trail, and it hurts real deep to think I'm not wanted.

Then again, it's nothing a pro athlete doesn't have to face at some point in his career. When it's time to move on, it's the hardest thing for any of us to do.

Notable

> Shuffield finished 48th in the 2004 Bassmaster Tour points, 27th in 2003 and 60th in 2002.

> Toho was his best finish this year. His second-best Tour finish was 19th at Table Rock.