Most people can't do it. Even Rick Clunn couldn't do it. Can anyone consistently catch big bass?
Bill Siemantel says yes. Heck yes. And he and co-writer Michael Jones are going to give you a guided tour right here on BassFan.com via the new Big Bass Zone column.
Siemantel is a southern California big-bass expert – how does 300 bass over 10 pounds (on lures) sound? – as well as a successful tournament angler (and fireman). Jones is a lifelong bass angler and former BASS senior writer who's widely regarded as one of the best bass-fishing writers in the world.
The information they'll be imparting in the Big Bass Zone is "in a word, dynamite," said BassFan CEO Jay Kumar. "It's the first truly new information to come along in fishing in a long time, and will blow people's minds when they apply it."
You might remember a time when catching big bass used to be considered the pinnacle of bass fishing. That's gone away over the years due to the popularity of tournament fishing, but the Big Bass Zone will prove that the two aren't mutually exclusive.
"That's just one of the amazing things about this information," Kumar said. "It can be used by anglers who are just fishing for fun and also the most diehard tournament anglers."
Open Up
But it won't be easy. Not because of the techniques and approaches Siemantel and Jones will write about, but because you have to open yourself to unconventional thinking and toss out longstanding mental clutter.
"For years we've thrown up the statistic that big bass only comprise 2 percent of any population," Jones said. "It's a great excuse for not catching them. But Bill ignores that stat and makes it happen. So maybe, just maybe, there's something fundamentally wrong with how we approach catching bigger bass."
"Catching bigger bass has never been easy for most anglers, and as a result everyone has accepted a defeatist attitude," Siemantel said. "For some reason, fishermen have assumed that you can't make it happen on demand.
"Bull. Anyone can do it, anywhere in the country. You can catch the biggest bass in your local water. It isn't magic – it's information. That's what the Big Bass Zone is all about."
Days like this have made Mike Jones a believer in Siemantel's techniques.
Don't believe it? Jones didn't either. "When I met Bill 7 years ago, I kept asking myself, Who is this guy? He wasn't the typical big-bass guy who only caught huge fish in private. He did it in tournaments. And when he had to finesse a win, he did that too, most notably at the 1997 Bassmaster Lake Powell Invitational. This guy was a freak!
"I'm a born skeptic, but Bill made me more than a little curious. So much so that I've spent the last 7 years as a student of his big-bass techniques. But my transformation didn't happen overnight. I had to unload a lifetime of mental baggage so I could accept another way of looking at this bass fishing thing.
"I've always liked this riddle: What's the best thing about beating your head against a wall? Answer: When you stop. That's precisely what you must do to catch bigger bass. You have to accept the fact that the game is different."
Siemantel said: "What always amazes me is the resistance fishermen have against new ideas. They all say they want to learn, but invariably cling to their old ways.
"From finesse techniques to Senkos, most people react negatively when they first hear about something. So after being proven wrong enough times, it seems they would be more willing to try something new. And since most fishermen don't catch bigger fish with any consistency, what does that tell you?"
He added: "The biggest problem with being labeled a 'big-bass fisherman' is that everyone thinks you're an all-or-nothing angler. But fishing for big bass has never kept me from catching a limit. It's all about having the right tools at your disposal, and knowing how and when to use them. I've just never understood how anyone can place limits on their own success."
Take a few deep breaths, clear your mind and then – and only then – click below to enter the Big Bass Zone.
> Evolve Your Mindset, Shed Your Limitations (click here)
> The Lies Our Fathers Told Us (click here)
> Truth, Lies And Measuring Tapes (click here)
Notable
> Sure Siemantel lives in southern Cal, the big-bass capital of the world. But few California bass anglers have caught even 30 10-plus-pounders, let alone 300, and many of the bass Siemantel has caught have been on his own lure designs (yes, lures, not bait) and also in tournaments. Plus, Siemantel has proved to Jones' satisfaction that his techniques work in other states.
> Jones on his new home: "BassFan.com is the perfect fit for the Big Bass Zone because it's one of the rare places that seeks out and embraces cutting-edge information. Everyone promises the latest and greatest, but BassFan is one of the few that delivers. And from the start, I've felt that BassFan speaks directly to fishermen without filtering everything through a corporate sock."
> Siemantel on his new home: "To me, BassFan.com is more like a seminar experience where you can get immediate feedback. I want to know what people are thinking, and you can bet I'll be reading their emails. With BassFan's tournament coverage, industry updates, the World Rankings and everything else, it's obvious where serious anglers should be looking for information."
> Don't forget that the new Skeeter BassFan Army membership program will have several big-bass programs. The details and Army sign-up will be available in a few weeks.
