The final of day of the REDCREST Championship became a battle of two teams representing professional bass fishing. The forward-facing sonar team vs. old-school bass. You know which team I’m on.
We saw three of the hottest anglers on the planet – Jacob Wheeler, Dustin Connell and Edwin Evers – utilizing the latest technology to challenge each other for the title, while Luke Clausen and Bobby Lane ignored their recorders and went to the bank, crank and jig in hand.
Excitement going into the last hour was unparalleled in recent memory, as the ScoreTracker kept everyone on the edge of their seats. Without question, this feature elevates the competition to a level previously unseen.
Of course, we all now know the outcome.
Wheeler, the undisputed best in the world, laid it all on the line, trying to will himself the win. And Lane had broken off what we all thought was the winning fish. Bu, when it mattered most, with three minutes to go, he caught an impossible fish requiring three weighs to register two pounds. It was simply meant to be.
It’s Bobby Lane’s win that’s the best-selling story of this event. But I wonder if the technology battle was also on your mind.
Like all major championships, I attended as a fan and press observer in order to bring you back the details, and see if I could learn a thing or two along the way. And I’m here to report that the overall feel for my first REDCREST was quite impressive.
Tulsa is a great town for such an event ¬– big enough to offer a major-city feel, but not overwhelming in terms of logistics or traffic. The food and recreation scene is outstanding. The host lake proved to be challenging, but came alive when it counted.
This was the first year for a REDCREST Expo, and it didn’t disappoint. Sure, it wasn’t as large as the Classic in terms of size or attendance, but, for Year 1, REDCREST brought it. The layout was pro-level, lots of room to walk, at a huge facility. Cushy carpet; nice.
But the bulk of my attention never left the competition. I’d spent my tackle funds already and the back and forth action on the screen never stopped. And, as you’d imagine, there were screens everywhere at the expo, broadcasting REDCREST live.
Maybe my obsession with the details is unusual. Super-fan syndrome. Perhaps most pro fishing fans don’t really care how their idols catch fish. But, for me, the appeal of watching a professional fishing tournament has always been to live a little through the anglers. Learn some, too. And I get nothing from watching them fish through sonar.
Don’t confuse that with simplifying the technique. Give me as many graphs and technology as I want, and I’ll still never take down Michael Neal and his buddies. The top anglers on both major circuits are in a league of their own, regardless of how they catch bass.
But I want to identify with the action, and I simply can’t do that through the world of LiveScope. But that’s just me.
However, I’m intrigued by how all of this has been portrayed. I’d wager that the term “forward-facing sonar” was used more in the commentary of REDCREST than any other phrase. Really.
But this week gave me a little insight on how things may play out on this. Watching Bobby Lane flip a six-pounder out from behind a dock, over the cables, hand-to-hand style, gave my camp hope.
The fish will always win. Make no mistake. Forward-facing sonar will not eradicate the catch-and-release bass population, but it will, eventually, eliminate many competitors. Some will be guys like me, who have no desire to fish that way. Others will be anglers who allow the technology to override their personal talent.
But from what I see, a time will come when this technology may hurt more anglers than it helps. Because, after a few years of everyone throwing jerkbaits at fish cruising open water – or Neko-rigs or crankbaits; whatever – after a while, those fish will no longer bite. And the guys going down the bank, ignoring all the buzz, will continue to succeed. Bobby Lane showed us it’s already possible.
This week he chipped away at the notion – my notion, as much as anybody’s – that competing with the technology will be impossible.
Tides will turn to some degree.
REDCREST was full-throttle ’til the end. While I’m still caught up in the excitement, the final five minutes of the event may have been the most exciting I’ve ever seen in tournament broadcasting. Who expected less from this format, where it always seems to come down to the wire?
It will be the first of many to come, I’m sure, and thankfully it brought a World Champion from the old school.
(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.)
