Can you hear Aretha Franklin singing that right now? I can. That's what I reflected on over the holidays: the unfortunate lack of respect in bass fishing last year.

Pick one or more of the following:
> Irwin Jacobs doesn't respect Ray Scott
> Some Federation members don't respect Ray Scott
> Ray Scott doesn't respect the Federation reps
> ESPN/BASS doesn't respect the Federation reps
> ESPN/BASS doesn't respect the entire Federation
> ESPN/BASS doesn't respect the pros/PAA
> Some pros don't respect ESPN/BASS
> Some pros don't respect FLW Outdoors
> Some pros don't respect the Federation
> Some pros don't respect each other
> Some sponsors don't respect their own pros
> Some fans don't respect the pros
> Some fans don't respect ESPN/BASS
> Some fans don't respect FLW Outdoors
> Some in the media don't respect ESPN, BASS, FLW Outdoors or the pros

What in the heck is going on here? What's happened to our favorite sport?

I understand that things are volatile right now in bass fishing. The two major tournament organizations are competing against one another in some areas. Major changes are being made all over the place. The Federation is exploring self-determination. Manufacturers are competing.

It's turmoil. It's business.

But hey – it's fishing.

So why this lack of respect? Other than uncertainty, and the worry that always goes along with it, I'd have to say it starts with the "nattering nabobs of negativism" (a famous turn of phrase by Spiro Agnew, who served as Vice President under Richard Nixon – Ed.).

There are people out there in bass fishing who foment discord. They can't wait to be the bearer, or often the creator, of bad news.

They make the Kool-Aid, spike it, drink it and pass it around.

To put it in terms my 3-year-old son would understand, they have red lightsabers.

Basically, they are infections (don't want to use that "cancer" word). And believe it or not, some actually make, or ensure, their livings that way. It's crazy.

Here's a tip for the generally right-minded out there: Ignore those people. Do not drink the Kool-Aid.

Step away from the Kool-Aid.

To put it another way:
> Don't believe everything you hear, or even read.
> Don't pass along rumors.
> Don't get sucked into the issue of the day.
> Don't get used.
> Form your own opinions.
> Keep a level head.
> The old joke "Fishing isn't life or death – it's much more important than that" is just that: a joke.

The funny part about this is that there aren't that many nattering nabobs. It's just that bass fishing is such a small world that you can actually hear them shouting from under their rocks.

Don't listen. If you do, you do so at your own peril. Literally.

> I've seen companies make bad decisions – including multi-million-dollar ones – based on bad information provided (or good information not provided) by Kool-Aid drinkers.

> I've seen pros make bad decisions because of being fed Kool-Aid.

> I've seen relationships between friends tank because of Kool-Aid-tinted info that had nothing to do with reality. It's nuts.

The whole vicious Kool-Aid thing also is funny because everyone in bass fishing is dependent on everyone else in bass fishing. No one can go it alone. So where's the respect?

I've said it before here and will say it again: I believe no one is evil in bass fishing (except maybe the nabobs). Everyone is trying to do what they think is right, and the market – all the angler-fans out there – will tell them whether they're right or wrong. That's it.

Do you think bass fishing is great today? I do, but I wonder what bass fishing would look like today if all the effort spent on industry politics, axe-grinding and other negative BS had instead been spent on building, creating and positive outcomes.

Looking Forward

I feel that 2005 was probably the most disrespectful and negative year I've ever seen in my 15 years in the sport of bass fishing.

So what am I looking forward to this year? Not everybody skipping through a field of wildflowers holding hands. Just a little respect, which tends to go a long way.

But that doesn't mean everyone is entitled to respect. You have to earn it.

What else am I looking forward to in 2006? Fishing. I can't wait until the pros start fishing again. These guys are the direct link between weekend warriors and big-business bass fishing. They're us up there. Great people, great fishermen. I can't wait to see how they do, and learn how they do it.

If It Matters

With all the BS flying around about who did this or that, to me, three people have more to do with the current state of bass fishing than anyone else: Ray Scott, Bob Cobb and Irwin Jacobs.

The list of secondary people is long. Way too long for me to list here. A lot of people have gotten this sport to where it is now. Some are now pickled in Kool-Aid. Hopefully they'll dry out soon.

The Bottom Line

I live in New Jersey, the bass fishing capital of the world (hah!). Last week, on a particularly rainy, cold, miserable day, I drove to my home lake to get outside for a few minutes.

No one in their right mind should've been fishing that day. But a lone aluminum boat was way out in the middle, with a guy hunkered down out there, getting drenched and fishing.

I loved it. That put all the high-stakes bass fishing craziness in perspective. That's what it's all about.

Jay Kumar is BassFan's CEO.