The Information Age
Outside Help An Edge Many Can't Afford To Pass Up

Photo: BassFan Five-time Bassmaster Angler of the Year Kevin VanDam says that just because a rule is hard to enforce, that doesn't mean it shouldn't exist.

Most of the pros BassFan spoke with for this story said waypoint-gathering has a far greater impact on offshore-oriented events than bank-beater tournaments. If they're collected prior to off-limits, they can be helpful in some cases, but in many situations the conditions are bound to have changed.

"At a place like Erie, all you need is a waypoint because those fish are real easy to catch if you know where they're at," said FLW Tour pro Ray Scheide, who won this year's event at Beaver Lake. "That could be real beneficial to somebody. But at most venues, even if you're shown something, you're going to have to change and adapt to the conditions. A guy who doesn't have a clue how to adjust, it probably wouldn't help.

"I don't like the rule personally, not because I want to get info, but I just don't think it's enforceable. And I think a lot of times, too much info can actually hold anglers back. If a good, instinctive fisherman went out and found his own fish and didn't talk to anybody for 3 days, I think a lot of them would be surprised by how well they would do."

Elite Series angler Aaron Martens is of a similar mindset. He said that not only does he refuse to pursue information, but he does his best to disregard it even if it falls into his lap.

"I never get help and I pride myself on that," he said. "Part of my strength is I don't get help and I feel I've done better that way. The guys I've even listened to over the years, I could count on one hand."

Five-time Bassmaster AOY Kevin VanDam likes the rules the way they are for the same reasons that Reese cited.

"Just because a rule is hard to enforce doesn't mean you shouldn't have that rule," he said. "That's not right, either, I don't think cheating goes on as much as some guys like to think. It's real easy to say this guy's getting help, and I've been accused of that. I don't talk to people and I don't get waypoints, even though lots of people think I do.

"There was an instance last year where a guy said he helped me and it got back to (BASS tournament director Trip Weldon). When Trip investigated, the guy admitted that he fabricated it because he wanted something to tell his buddies. Trip does a real good job of researching those kinds of accusations."

(Note: BassFan had hoped to interview Weldon for this story, but he was on vacation and unreachable for comment).

Photo: BassFan Ray Scheide says a lot of anglers might fare better if they did everything on their own.

Polygraph examinations can be given to any angler at any time on either tour, and FLW uses them regularly on a random sampling of the highest finishers in a given Tour event. Several anglers said they'd like to see lie-detector tests employed more frequently on both circuits to deter those who might be tempted to break the no-info rule, but others pointed out that they're not infallible – some people could claim to have spent the previous weekend on Jupiter while wired up and the needle wouldn't spike.

Reese said he failed one years ago after he was accused of pre-fishing a lake for Western ace Gary Dobyns, despite having timecards and affidavits from his boss and others that he was at work at a sporting goods store on the days in question.

"I'm not a fan of lie-detectors because I know they're not 100% accurate and everybody reacts to them differently," he said. "But if they gave one two or three times during the season, it might be a good idea. It could work as a reality check for some people if they knew they might get one."

Added VanDam: "As long as it's a quality test, that would be fine. But I've seen polygraphs that people have supposedly passed when they actually didn't. The quality of the test has to be there."

What's the Average Pro To Do?

VanDam, Yelas, Reese and Martens are all established, veteran pros who've proven they're among the best in the business. Their styles work for them and they've seen many of the venues many times over. Undoubtedly, they'd be privy to a great deal of legally-obtained information if they chose to go that route, but none of them view that as a path to success.

But what about anglers who aren't so well-established or successful? Many of them might need to use any legal means available just to survive in this tough economy, and a high percentage will take any advance information they can get.

It only stands to reason that a guy who's been around awhile is going to have a larger network of info-providers than a rookie or second-year pro. Glenn Chappelear, who's fished the FLW Tour full-time since 2001, relies primarily on locals who are affiliated with the Fishers of Men trail (he's good friends with national director Al Odom), but will use other sources as well.

"Like any other sport, scouting the next opponent is important, and in our case the opponent is the lake," he said. "You can do that in several forms with people you've met over the years.

Photo: BassFan Louisiana Elite Series pro Clark Reehm says the list of 2009 Bassmaster Classic anglers who enlisted help from Red River guides is lengthy.

Taking a trip with a local guide before off-limits is another common practice for a pro who's unfamiliar with a particular body of water. Louisiana Elite Series angler Clark Reehm knows all the guides in the Shreveport area and says some BassFans would be shocked to find out how many competitors sought help before this year's Classic at the Red River.

"The list is massive," he said. "If people think everybody does it by themselves, they're wrong. In the history of the sport, no matter who you're talking about, everybody's had some event where they've gotten help, even if they're a big-name superstar now.

"If you don't know somebody, you're going to try to find somebody. Why wouldn't you as long as it's legal?"

Some Wish it were Different

Billy McCaghren, the 2009 Elite Series Rookie of the Year, dislikes the practice of collecting outside info and waypoints at any time and wishes it were outlawed. But because it's legal and others are using it to their advantage, he feels he must do it, too.

He had a limited network of sources this year that he'll try to greatly expand in 2010.

"It's something I'm not particularly fond of, but it's something I've seen that I have to do," he said. "I'd like to see it where everybody had to go find it all themselves without any help. But as I meet more people, during the times that I can talk, I'm going to gather as much info as I can."

As for the times that anglers aren't supposed to be in contact with locals, 3-year pro James Niggemeyer summed it up like this: "You do hear a lot of things, but what I'll say is no one's ever proved it. You hear XYZ about so and so, well, prove it if that's the case.

"But nothing's ever happened like that, and I want to believe the best about people."

– End of part 2 (of 2) –