Another season has begun on the Bassmaster Elite Series, bringing us another Chris Lane win and another high-profile DQ. It seems all is normal in the world.
For starters, I have to comment on Lane’s victory. I’ve never been the biggest Chris Lane fan; his blatant sponsor plugs each time on stage turn my stomach. But I’ve come to realize his fishing ability is no laughing matter. This guy is one of the best home-run hitters on tour.
Lane’s record backs it up: He’s won a Classic or regular-season Elite event each of the last 4 years and added an Open win in that timeframe. Sure, there’s a large group of anglers who routinely do well, but winning an event each season, against a group of about 90 of the best in the world, is more than a coincidental role of the dice. My hat’s off to Lane – he’d be one heck of a fantasy pick.
Unfortunately, the champion’s victory may once again be overshadowed by turmoil and drama, as what’s become a “routine” disqualification looks to be coming to a head. To back up a bit, Mike Kernan’s day-1 catch was disqualified due to a rules violation, as Kernan evidently entered private water unavailable to competitors. And, while this may seem like a cut-and-dried matter, after a little investigation, I can assure you it’s far from it.
Kernan is in the appeals process with B.A.S.S. at this time. For that reason, I will refrain from commenting on his case. But, believe me, details are about as cloudy as they can get.
I’m anxious to learn the outcome and give you all the inside scoop, as the result of most of these cases in recent times have been a mystery to the public, including me. It seems that anytime a competitor raises a red flag against a tournament organization, they’re immediately hushed like bass fishing’s version of "The Godfather. "I’m fairly confident this latest case will be the exception to that rule.
For the time being, I’d like to discuss the growing trend toward disqualification and protests in major tournaments. As I touched on in the opening paragraph, it seems we can’t go two or three events without an asterisk in the results column. Not long ago, a disqualification was such a monumental event, even the talk of one might blackball a fisherman for eternity.
Not so today.
Such a subject makes me reflect on pro bass fishing’s changing face, and how different things now are. Perhaps the high stakes, combined with modern, incredibly competitive anglers, have taken the gentleman’s code of ethics out of our beloved good ol’ boy sport.
It seems all is fair in love and war these days. Quarrels and protests are commonplace, and with them come disqualifications of a day’s catch. Such a penalty is about the only choice the tournament organizations have at this point. However, with such a growing penalty trend, big brother better come up with a few more.
But just what does it take to protest another angler? Would you do it? How about for $10,000?
For example, I’ve watched countless times as some of the country’s best pros break the rules when fishing the Great Lakes on glassy-calm days, dragging their drop shots around using the trolling motor. Where I come from that’s called trolling, and it’s illegal in bass tournaments. But I’ve never said anything.
A few years ago, competitors were baffled at a foggy explanation of legal vs. non-legal waters while fishing on New York’s Oneida Lake. Natural backwaters were fishable, but not man-made canals or marinas. The winning pro fished a naturally occurring creek that had been widened to a man-made canal. While there were a few murmurs at weigh-in, the disgruntled competitors eventually just scuffed their feet and went home.
But things appear to be trending differently lately.
There’s tremendous pressure, imposed by both finances and fame, for today’s pros to perform. Evidently, many are just as likely to play defense as they are offense. If a DQ atop the leaderboard pops a guy above the money cut, it’s a $10,000 swing, and that buys a lot of gas and $5 Footlongs between events.
What it appears we’ll see in this case, though, is a very big grey area over legal, fishable water. A quick review of social media contributions from fans on the Bassmaster website confirms that the Sabine River is loaded with fuzzy lines in this regard, and perhaps B.A.S.S. did a poor job with pre-tournament definition. Now they’ve got a dogfight on their hands that isn’t likely to be cleared up very easily.
It will be interesting to see how things pan out. But I feel it’s also sad, as it’s apparent the good ol’ days may be past.
I can only imagine what it’s like to witness all of this change from the inside, the way the last of the old-guard must see it. Nixon, Elias, Klein – these guys must feel like I do when I talk to my 20-something buddies about the days before GPS, cell phones or the Internet.
“Back in the day” their stories begin, “a leader was left alone to fish his water. Guys didn’t cut you off on the bank, or come blasting into the locks… and I’ve seen a bunch of times where guys bent the rules and I never reported ‘em."
After the story ends the veteran glances over his shoulder to be sure no one heard that last part, afraid he, too, might get DQd.
(Joe Balog is the often outspoken owner of Millennium Promotions, Inc., an agency operating in the fishing and hunting industries. A former Bassmaster Open and EverStart Championship winner, he's best known for his big-water innovations and hardcore fishing style. He's a popular seminar speaker, product designer and author, and is considered one of the most influential smallmouth fishermen of modern times.)
