Defense, Offense And Some Fire In The Belly

Tuesday, February 15, 2005
by Scot H. Laney

You decide. But keep this in mind: We're going to see more and more of this kind of stuff. Actually, I think we're going to hear more about this kind of stuff because there actually is a media pulse in bass fishing now. None of this is new. Having instant information about it is.

Want to know the best part? Dudley played defense all right, and he did a great job. But he didn't play defense with the fish. He played defense with the heads of the other guys, and some of them fell right in line. David Dudley "stuck" a whopping grand total of two, that's right TWO, lousy fish. But he caught half the field.

That's defense and offense all in one neat package.

Weldon

I can't say that I know Trip Weldon very well. But I wish I did. Because over and over again, he provides the sport with an honest and open interpretation of his take on an issue.

No hiding behind a "we can't comment," no mealy-mouthed double-speak and no "my way or the highway." Our sport needs more of that, but the sad fact is that the "stand-up" guy is in short supply.

Schultz and Bitter

Wow, two anglers had a disagreement on the water and talked about it. For those keeping score at home the unofficial "disagreements about fishing areas" count stands at 128,792 since the inception of professional angling.

It's a fact of life that's no worse than it's ever been. For those of you with the "bass fishing ain't what it used to be" mantra, let's get together and share some stories. The only difference is that today, there are fans who actually care.

Look, these anglers are (for the most part) pretty tough cookies. I don't mean that they're are all rough boys. I mean that they are all – first and foremost – competitors. You can't do what they do and not be.

These on-the-water confrontations have been going on for years. The difference? Now there's a pretty large group of fans who actually give a rip about it. That's a good thing, not a bad thing.

As for me, I'll take a Bitter or a Schultz any day. Fire in the belly – that's what makes things interesting.