Monday, February 28, 2011

"What makes a Professional Tournament Bass Angler?"

"What makes a Professional Tournament Bass Angler?" is the question asked in a post by bass fishing blogger Steve Adams. Steve has a bug stuck in his craw over the current state of affairs.

This is how he starts:
I would love to see ALL circuits that have a “Pro” category regulate who fishes as a pro! I can’t go buy a Jersey & a Baseball bat and walk on the professional Baseball field and say; “I’m a Pro”! Or ANY other professional sport for that matter! Neither should a guy be able to do that at a Bass fishing tournament event just because he has a boat and entry fee!!! They should have to QUALIFY!!!

On the Facebook page of Tami Curtis he goes so far as to say:
The EXACT problem, from a marketing perspective is that anyone can call themselves a professional. It Illegitimatizes the sport.

In his blog post Steve raises some legitimate questions in terms of the bona fides of some who don the mantle of Professional Tournament Bass Fisherman, but I think he fails to appreciate something that I understand quite clearly about this sport. The ranks of "Professional Tournament Bass Anglers" are largely made up of people that can most accurately be described as Semiprofessional Tournament Bass Anglers.

Semiprofessional is an adjective defined as "engaging in an activity for pay or gain but not as a full-time occupation." Clearly this definition fits most of the people who don the mantle of Bass Fishing Pro. All but a select few of the Professional Bass Fishing circuits are geared to the semiprofessional with maybe a few true Full-Time Professional Bass Fisherman sprinkled in the mix. Once you understand this, there is nothing illegitimate about it.

Now I think we in some sense get to the heart of Steve's, who is a Co-Angler, complaint when he says:
It really SUCKS sometimes for those of us who fish as amateurs, pay good $$ to enter, travel, multiple practice days, etc. Then get paired with someone who SHOULD NOT be fishing as a Pro!

Some Bass Pro's are obviously more dedicated and serious than others. This is a sport where money talks and if you have it you can spend it and be "Pro" competitor. The more serious and dedicated Pro's are more than happy to take the donations of those that have the money and don't take it very seriously. Co-Anglers get to play the exact same game to one extent or another but they have to deal with the variable out of their control, which is luck of the draw. I would venture to say that most Pro's take it seriously, but some are just more dedicated, skilled, and experienced than others. If you choose to be a Co-Angler you are always at the mercy of the draw, deal with it.

Update: Steve Adams left a reply to my post in his comments section.

In the key paragraph there he says:
No, I do appreciate and understand that quite clearly. You are ABSOLUTELY CORRECT in your description of “Semiprofessional” and just made my case even stronger with additional clarification of “the current state of affairs”. That IS the problem! The tournaments I’m larger referring to are “Pro/Am’s”. They are not called “SemiPro/Ams”
Yes, they don't call them "SemiPro/Ams", but that is exactly what they are. The FLW Tour is probably the only example of a Pro/Am where most of the Pro's are not Semi-Pro's. The B.A.S.S. Opens and FLW Everstarts are full of Semipro's that want to make it to the true Pro Tour level, which is the Elite Series and the FLW Tour. I think the PAA qualifies as a true Pro Level Tour as well, but I'm not sure if the PAA has a "farm system."

Cool Derek Remitz Story From Five Bass

Crossing Paths with Future Pro, Derek Remitz


Note: Derek Remitz signed Jersey is up for auction in the Jersey's for St. Judes this week.

Sunday, February 27, 2011

Naked Woman Over Carp- What the...

What a wierd photograph.

This had to have been taken in Europe.

Bass Closer

After today Bass Season is closed in Minnesocold in my general vicinty until May fricken 28th.

Dogfish- Open year round!

Reel Bling!






Spending to much time at Tackle Tour first awakened me to this kind of stuff. Yeah it looks nice, but how does it feel and perform. When it comes to reels I'm 100% function over form.

FYI- My favorite baitcasting reel handle that I ever used was on a Lew's low profile reel. It just felt good. I have used a couple of reel handles that I really didn't like, but I don't remember what those were.

Friday, February 25, 2011

Bass Pundit's Bait Hatin’


Bait Hatin’ is a blog post over at Bass Parade by Jason that is a rant on baits/techniques he loathes fishing. So naturally this got me to thinking about lures that I loathe. The problem is when it comes to bass fishing there really are not any lures or techniques that I despise. Yes there are things I don't use much if at all and there are things I prefer over other things, but really there is nothing that I don't enjoy fishing at least when it comes to artificials.

But there is a bait, a live bait, that doesn't do it for me. The book may say Lunkers Love Nightcrawlers but Bass Pundit doesn't love nightcrawlers. It was not always this way. As a boy I loved to go out and catch worms and use them for bait, but I grew out of that. Worms are messy and a pain in the ass. Little fish love nightcrawlers and are always stealing the bait right off the hook. Once I got over my fear of them, I discovered leeches are superior to worms; more durable, less mess.

Good Googly Moogly!!!

This might be the single biggest 5 fish limit ever.

Thursday, February 24, 2011

Sustainable Fishing


This blog entry is my submission for the GreenFish and Outdoor Blogger Network Writing Prompt Giveaway

This Weeks Writing Prompt:
What does sustainable fishing mean to you?
I will answer this one from my perspective as a bass fisherman and bass fishing blogger in Minnesota. Basically we are blessed with an abundance of bass fishing opportunities in Minnesota. The key to sustainable bass fishing in this state is all about two things in my mind; Habitat and water quality. Because of the catch and release mindset of most bass fishermen and the fact that bass are regarded as lesser table fare than so many other abundant species in Minnesota bass harvest is not much of an issue.

Habitat issues in most cases have more to do with quality of a fishery in Minnesota, rather than a threat to the sustainability of a fishery. Bass are very adaptable fish. The better the habitat available the more bass thrive and the better the quality of the individual fishery. Even a fishery with poor habitat is likely to keep a sustainable population of bass because bass are hardy and prolific spawners.

Water quality is the biggest danger to the sustainability of bass fisheries in Minnesota. Probably the biggest water quality problem bass in this state face is winter oxygen depletion winter-kills. Right behind that is the leeching of fertilizers into fisheries that cause algae blooms and abundant plant growth that can create oxygen level problems for the bass. We are lucky in the fact that most lakes do to size and depth are shielded from these serious threats to bass sustainability. Many lakes that are susceptible to winter-kill now have aeration systems put in by the DNR, Sportsman's Clubs, and Lake Associations which serve to eliminate or partially mitigate against winter kill problems.

I am lucky, bass fishing, Minnesota, and sustainability go hand in hand very well.

What fishing practices do you engage in that help fisheries?
I engage in selective harvest when I fish and the truth is I don't keep a whole lot of fish mainly because I'm catch and release fishing for bass 85% of the time.

Any other thoughts you might have on this subject? Yes, but I'm tired and the deadline for this writing prompt is noon today, so I'll leave this for another time.

Prayers Please!!!

Ariel Biley of the Bass Fishing Blog Urban Fishing will be having brain surgery to remove a tumor on March 11th.

Tuesday, February 22, 2011

Fog, Safety, Radar, and the 2011 Bassmaster Classic

Pete Robbins at the blog Pete Weighs In has written a thoughtful post on angler safety titled Do Not Try This At Home in the wake of the fog plagued 2011 Bassmaster Classic.

Pete questions the wisdom of angler behavior in this years Classic and asks these questions:
In a nutshell, I think it boils down to two main questions, specifically: (1) Should BASS have banned the use of radar by the anglers? and (2) What obligation do the anglers have to promote safe behavior?

...The boats, wellheads, navigational buoys or whatever else might’ve been in the water showed up as blips on the screen, and they didn’t hit anything, but it still brings me back to more questions: What about the blip you don’t notice at high speeds, or what about the spectator boat that suddenly decides to move into your path?

Will it take someone dying for us to resolve this issue?

Is technology outstripping common sense?

Or, might it legitimately be worth it for some of these guys to risk their lives for a chance at a Classic victory?
Pete ends with this:
Can you imagine what would have happened had an observer been injured – critically, mortally or otherwise – in a radar-equipped boat this past weekend in New Orleans? It would have been an absolute disaster in more ways than one, destroying the goodwill of what was otherwise a great event.

If the new owners – Jerry McKinnis, Don Logan and Jim Copeland – aren’t relieved that no such tragedy occurred this past weekend or scared half to death by the chance that such an accident could occur in the future, they should be – the possibility is crystal clear, no radar required.

I encourage everyone considering these questions to go and read the whole thing.

I'll give my answers to the questions asked in order they are asked.

Should BASS have banned the use of radar by the anglers?
My gut says No, but I am not really in an informed position to know the capabilities and limitations of the radar used. I will have to defer to the experience of the pro's who said it made the long run to Venice significantly safer.

What obligation do the anglers have to promote safe behavior?
I would say both the Professional Anglers and B.A.S.S. have a very high obligation to promote safe behavior. I think this, however, begs the real question which is whether or not the angler and B.A.S.S. conduct in the 2011 Bassmaster promoted unsafe behavior. The fact is when it comes to the operation of high horsepowered, high performance bass boats I am a bit of a wuss. I don't think running one of those rocket ships down the lake faster than 40MPH is a particularly "safe" undertaking. That said driving a car at any speed, riding a bike, and even walking across the street all present various degrees of hazard. I guess my last word on this one is there is always an element that you proceed at your own risk and each individual angler and the B.A.S.S. officials made the call they thought was best. I don't think I'm in a position to second guess their choices.

What about the blip you don’t notice at high speeds, or what about the spectator boat that suddenly decides to move into your path?

Will it take someone dying for us to resolve this issue?

Is technology outstripping common sense?

Or, might it legitimately be worth it for some of these guys to risk their lives for a chance at a Classic victory?

These questions choose to go where I just didn't, which is to suggest that the behavior promoted at the 2011 Bassmaster Classic was indeed unsafe/unwise. Once again I will defer to the judgement of the participants and not second guess it.

Can you imagine what would have happened had an observer been injured – critically, mortally or otherwise – in a radar-equipped boat this past weekend in New Orleans?

Obviously if that would have happened it would have been an epic tragedy and very bad for the sport.

Let me end with this thought. The Daytona 500 was also held this past weekend. I think for those involved in the race from pit crew to drivers there was more unsafe behavior on display there than at this years Bassmaster Classic.

More Bass Bloggers Weigh In:
Chris McDonald Fishing with Was the Classic unsafe?...
T Brinks Fishing with A Foggy Situation...

Update: Chris McDonald interviewed Dave Wolak and added more to the discussion with the post Follow up to "Was the Classic Unsafe" and Dave Wolak's Take

Update: CLASSIC DAY 2 A RIDE WITH SKEET This is an article from Futurebass.com written by Skeet's Day 2 Marshal. It doesn't sound like the passenger thought what Skeet did running with the radar was particularly prudent behavior. Skeet's reaction to the run once it was over isn't particularly reassuring.

Found: The Lost Nomad (Korea)

Back in the early days of my blog two of the first bass fishing bloggers I came across were a couple of American expats living in South Korea. One blog was The Bass Hole and the other was The Lost Nomad. If you go to The Bass Hole link you will see Gar stopped blogging in June of 2006 and I think The Lost Nomad totally disappeared about a year before that.

Lo and behold yesterday by a freak accident of Google I discovered The Lost Nomad is still blogging at a group blog titled Fishing Korea and Bass Pundit is even on their blogroll. The Fishing Korea archives go back to May of 2005, which is about when The Lost Nomad disappeared.

It's cool to see that one of the bass fishing blog pioneers has been at it this whole time.

Monday, February 21, 2011

41st Bassmaster Classic Final Analysis

If a new "Greatest Angler Debate" were to be held again this year or any year hereafter I think there can be little doubt a different king of the mountain would emerge as the winner. Kevin Van Dam has now matched Rick Clunn's signature accomplishments of 4 Bassmaster Classic Titles and back to back Bassmaster Classic wins. I recently read that Clunn told KVD to hurry up and win #4, so they could race to #5. Who knows maybe Clunn has what it takes to make a run at the Classic title a few more times. After all Clunn was in the hunt for the US Open in 2010. If Clunn can make it back to the Classic, he could win. However there can be little doubt that absent unforeseen tragic circumstances Kevin Van Dam will be contending for Classic crowns as far as the eye can see.

Kevin Van Dam IS THE GREATEST PROFESSIONAL TOURNAMENT BASS FISHERMAN TO EVER LIVE.

As for how KVD won this Classic it was a virtuoso performance that showed just why he is the best there has ever been. Just like last year he was among a fair host of others that located the area where the tournament would be won. Last year at Lay Lake Kevin pretty much had the winning water to himself thanks to Takahiro Omori conceding the area to Kevin after the first day. This year Kevin was sharing the exact same water with no fewer than 3 other anglers, all of whom finished in the top 10 and two of which with KVD made up the top 3. To win Kevin had to be flat out better than the other anglers and there can be no doubt that he was in winning with a 10lb plus margin of victory. What Kevin did at this Classic was truly astounding.

I think the biggest keys to Kevin's victory were his uncanny abilities to read the behavior of bass then to "trigger" the bass to strike. Kevin stated he was aware that the first days spinnerbait bite was going away by the end of the day. Kevin knew the fish were changing and so he began to experiment to find out what would work best. Strike King has to be the most fortunate fishing lure company in the history of fishing*. The fish wanted the new Strike King KVD 1.5 crankbait and Kevin figured out exactly how to fish the crankbait to trigger the strikes on Day 2. From that point Kevin stepped on the gas and never looked back. A 10lb 11oz margin people! Simply amazing!

*For the 2nd year in a row the Bassmaster Classic was won by KVD on a lure Strike King Lure Company was just bringing to market, no doubt driving initial sales through the roof and building a legacy that will make the lure a top seller for years to come.

Sunday, February 20, 2011

From Bassmaster.com Kevin Van Dam Bassmaster Classic Champion



Tomorrow I will give my analysis, until then check out Big Indiana Bass on the Basstrakk system and Rich's Bassin Blog for his analysis of the win.

Bassmaster Classic Final Day Weigh In (Liveblogging)

(Posting most recent info on top)

And press conference ends.

"I don't compete to break records...I compete to win"

KVD talks about 1st Classic win, not scouting this year, ruling out Venice, talks about hard bottom in that spot and it was a protected area. Checked it twice in practice and never got a bite until last practice day. "I made some adjustments a little quicker than some of the other guys did."

"The first day I caught em on a spinnerbait" but I saw them beginning to change even then. At first they killed it and then they started bumping it. "By the end of the first day the spinnerbait bite was really dwindling" On 2nd day switched to the Strike King 1.5 square bill Chart/black back. "I'd drop my Power Pole and fan cast"
"I fished real methodically" Threw on 5:3.1 reel. "I had to reel the bait reel slow" "I caught a pile of em' today and I threw back multiple 20lb bags." "I knew I had figured out what I needed to do today."

"The guys that are really good are very perceptive"

Talks about his new Biosonix, but it's a different company.

I missed the first few guys do to power outage.

Yes he got a smattering of applause.

I wonder if the press will give him an ovation?

Now to press conference.

And it's over with a video

"I looked at the habitat an thought it had potential...so much of that bottom is just mud...today it was lights out...I had 24lbs at 10o'clock."

Time for Hook'd Up

The boat comes out for victory lap with Sherry and the kids and he goes on victory lap.

"The last few years have been really magical for me...it's a team effort" thanks family.

"KVD slams the door on number 4, Rick Clunn is alone no more" Mercer

Clunn doesn't bring KVD the trophy, Trip does. Confetti shower.

Mercer goes from litany of KVD accomplishments.

Kevin Van Dam- Brings fish out one at a time. Looks like he's got 20+. Needs 17-6 scale reads 28-0. WOW that is 69-11 HE WINS BY 10lbs!!!

A-Mart- needs 23-7. Pulls out two kickers. 25-14 that is almost 5 less than Basstrakk. I wonder if they were rigging the basstrack today. I guess he just broke the weight record. "This has the potential to be the best fishery in the world... I want to thank the B.A.S.S. staff" Does a tribute to KVD. "It's exciting I'm leading it again" He has 59-0, so KVD needs 17-6.

Brent Chapman- Needs 18-8 gets 16-7 into 3rd. I am disappointed for Brent. "Today I just didn't catch the fish, any big one's...my water dropped 10 degrees" Mercer gives him the chance to talk about Tighlines UV,

Boyd Duckett up 3rd- Pulls out two hogs. 28-13 and into 3rd with 53-2. Big Bass is 8-15 which beats Remitz fish. "I got on these fish to late... I need one more day" Boyd says he had a back up boat, must be nice.

Palaniuk comes up 2nd- Brings out 2 kickers. 22-15 which puts him in 2nd with 55-7, Derek has 56-8, which I think breaks the Classic weight record. "I had an up and down day" Blows a fish whistle in Brian Kercherals(sp) honor, gets a standing O.

Derek Remitz up 1st- Pulls out the log donkey. 26-5 and into the lead. Kicker is 8-4. Earlier it was said to be a 10. "We all pretty much put the hurting on em' today...I couldn't even get the crankbait out of it's mouth I was shaking so bad...the only thing that hurt me was that first day."

KVD gets loudest cheers. Playing Who Dat Gonna Beat Dem Saints? The trophy is on the podium as well as the hot seat. Rook goes on Hot Seat.

Out with the lights...Having anglers come in from crowd Remitz 1st, Chapman 2nd, Palaniuk 3rd, Martens 4th, Duckett 5th, KVD last naturally.

Super 6 Hoopla starts with a video.

My streaming is starting to suck.

Time for Hook'd Up- Zona does a riff on what Louisiana has been through.

Scott Rook- Does not make the Super 6.

The Super 6 will be KVD, Martens, Remitz, Duckett, Palaniuk, Chapman.

Gary Klein- "Decisions and commitments and a lot of what if's" Yes he pumps Berkley Havoc.

Faircloth 18-3 takes the lead. 47-3total. "I got to fish longer today than the 1st two days combined...I don't think I could have competed with the guys that fished up here."

Skeet- He has special Skeet Under Armor shoes, they had a good shot of them. Yep Skeet mentions his Havoc bait the "Pit Boss". Skeet goes on a riff about how he loves the bite and "cracks their heads" Mercer also pimped Havoc baits.

Bobby Lane- Holds up a kicker. 18-2 takes over 1st. "I put my brand new Havoc Craw Patty(sp) on." Wonder if Klein mentions Havoc too?

Kevin Wirth- Thanks his family eloquently.

Cliff Pace- Only moves up to 2nd. Big tournament favorite has a disappointment. "The weather is what got me... I've traveled 750 miles by boat."

Federation Angler Dale Hightower- I think his bag was suppose to be bigger. "This has been a dream come true...I've been in the Federation for 4 years." I wonder if he fished tournaments before joining the Federation.

Paul Elias is on my fantasy team. Only 2 fish for 3-00. Not good!

Ohh oh, feed cut again. Got it back quick again.

Note- I am not blogging everyone.

Ohh oh, feed got cut. Got it back quick.

Ike- He is suppose to have a big bag.
18-9 into 1st but his bag on BassTrakk was suppose to be 20.
"All my fish were caught on a Havoc Bait" so how much was Berkley gonna pay these guys if they won on Havoc?

Dean Rojas- Pulls out a nice kicker. 18-5 Finally someone captures 1st Place today. "That big one came on the frog today...the whole limit was caught on Kermit"

Shaw Grigsby- "I ask that everyone out there take someone out fishing" Put in quite the plug for his sponsors.

Keith Combs- Holds up a kicker. Wow the live leaderboard is way ahead of the live stream. He caught 15 something.

Greg Vinson- Tells a story about the Lowrance radar helping him avoid a collision.

1st to weigh. Jeff Kriet He comes in holding a kicker. 15-15, not even enough to get into 1st or 2nd. "I took a nap and ate sandwich today" On the extended fishing time.

Berkley Havoc Cast for Cash ($100,000) Missed bad for the $100,000. Missed again for $25,000. They gave him $5000. It didn't look like he knew what he was doing with a baitcaster. He was casting backhanded.

Hmmm when the pre-game Hook'd Up was on it wasn't streaming well, but now that they have gone to Mercer, things are fine.

Well Basstrakk has this as a dead heat between A-Mart and KVD. Should be Good!!!

(posting most recent info on top)

Kevin Van Dam Wins His 4th Bassmaster Classic!!!

(Photo B.A.S.S. Facebook)


The day isn't over and the weigh in hasn't started, but it's over folks. KVD will win his 4th Bassmaster Classic tying the record set by Rick Clunn.

It can no longer be doubted;

Kevin Van Dam is the greatest Professional Tournament Bass Fisherman to ever live!!!



Developing...

Bassmaster Classic Day Final (Anglers On the Water)

More Coming... (I re-arranged the posts so now they are in soonest to latest order)

2011 Bassmaster Classic live blog is pulling the plug.

Looks like the pro's are pulling in a the docks.

Ohh Boy Aaron Martins must of just landed a "log donkey" Basstrakk has him at 29lbs for the day, which unofficially puts him a pound and a half behind KVD. Yikes!!!

Some lady with B.A.S.S. jersey on the livefeed from the launch just took a spill. Ha!

Well it seems the blog has caught fire this hour, I hope the traffic keeps up.

Even though KVD is going to run away with it for the 2nd year straight, today was a slugfest. Basstrakk has 5 bags at 20lbs+

KVD styled Chuck Norris jokes on the Bassmaster.com blog. Highlights
• KVD can win a game of Connect Four in only three moves.
• KVD doesn't need to actually cast for fish, he simply goes to a river or lake and says: "You, you, you, you and you -- in the livewell!"

Yes, again today I will liveblog the weigh-in.

It's interesting Basstrakk just updated for Federation Angler Palaniuk and they have him up on Ike by 3lbs plus. Wonder if they go with Ike who has the name and bigger bag for the day or little known Palaniuk who appears to have the better overall weight. I would think they have to go with Palaniuk. I wonder when they start putting anglers in "the hot seat."

Even though it's over, it will be interesting to see who they put in the final 6. By Basstrakk it will be KVD, Martens, Remitz, Chapman, Duckett, Ike. It looks like there will be some killer bags.

New Info:(Erased)

On the Bassmaster.com blog they keep calling Remitz's big one a "log donkey" which is apparently a Louisiana thing.

The big question now: Just how many more millions of dollars did KVD just put in Strike King's pockets on their new square bill crankbaits.

OK I have officially called it. Basstrakk now has KVD with 22lbs and it says he has caught 17 bass today.

Basstrakk has KVD with 21lbs. I would say it's over in fact I'm going to call it in a minute. I wonder if Rick Clunn will be the one to pass him the trophy?

Derek Remitz with a big fish, but not sure if it's THE big fish.

Update: From the Bassmaster.com blog The Wolverine gets ridiculous
Remitz's cameraman Brian Mason just confirmed that his big fish was a 10-pounder. That gives him close to 25 pounds. Rediculous.
If that is true and Remitz gets one more like it, it could be the biggest upset in Classic history. Go Derek!!!

From Bassmaster.com
If VanDam goes on to win, he'll surpass the $5 million mark in B.A.S.S. earnings. What's more, he'll have won more B.A.S.S. tournament prize money than the next two anglers combined!
Wow!!!

Update- It is being reported that KVD will indeed break the Bassmaster Classic 3 Day 5 fish limit weight record.

Something to think about: Tournament fishing and fishing in general can be a funny thing. Think about Brent Chapman and the longer fog delay. Conventional wisdom is that if he would have had longer to fish that his bag for the day would have been bigger. Yes that might be the case, but you can bet his bag would have been different. He may or may not have caught some of the fish he did catch and he probably would have caught a few that he didn't catch. His bag very well might have been lighter. Given a longer time it's almost certain his timing and placement of baits would have been different and that means a different result in all likelyhood. I suppose the same holds true for KVD, but a little less so as he had the time to be more methodical and with GPS it's likely that he still would have hit the same spots at the same times later in the fishing day when he got his bigger fish.

Don't miss Big Indiana Bass blogs Analysis of Basstrakk on Day 2...


For the next few hours I will be reading the Classic Blog, watching Basstrakk, and scouring the Internet for the stuff I would have looked at last night. I will be posting some of those things from time to time, so be sure to check back.


So will it be Godzilla's Day?


And under To Much Information:
With such limited time to fish yesterday, Kriet reported that some of life's necessities took a back seat. He ate a candy bar at 70mph and, ahem, relieved himself, without ever stopping flipping is Yo Mama.

Well I kind of had Bassmaster Classic overload after following things all day yesterday through the weigh-in so I laid down and ended up falling asleep early. Today is the earliest I have been up for the tournament. Only a short fog delay today and the anglers were off by 7:30AM Central, which I think put the delay at 30 minutes. On the 2011 Bassmaster Classic live blog this morning it was reported that Brent Chapman had radar put on his boat.

Saturday, February 19, 2011

Bassmaster Classic Day 3 Press Conference Top 5 Liveblogged

5 less bass then yesterday with the shorter time.

"If we have to cancel a day we are fishing Monday" Bombshell!!!

Trip Weldon is up.

KVD "It's not like you catch 3 in a row, it's not that kind of deal."

Chapman "If I could take my time and fish everything, I expect better things will happen"

KVD "There was nobody out there fishing with us today" (liar see below)

KVD "I've never seen fans better in the Classic"

KVD "There is always patterns within patterns and little things to tip you off."

KVD "I tried the Federation, it was way to hard, so I joined the Pro Tour"

Palaniuk "Federation has the ability to build a good angler"

Chapman encourages spectators to go watch the other boys.

Oops battery on laptop went out, had to get it plugged in.

KVD "You can catch a 30lb bag there pretty easy. I never got a big bite there yesterday and today I got two...It was a grind"

KVD "Trip says he's going to cancel"

Press Conference starting.

Chapman saying fish were biting better when it was cold- off-mike.

Martens and Palaniuk talking about other non-tourny boats catching fish off-mike.

Bassmaster Classic Day 3 Weigh In Liveblogging

Top 6
KVD
Chapman
Martens
Brandon Palaniuk
Rook
Remitz

That's 5 guys in the same area.



Hook'd Up with Zona Sanders and KVD- Someone shouts "Cookie Monster"
"Everybody has to pick an area and gamble on it"
Says the wind will blow tomorrow and he wants it calm.

3lb 10oz lead going into day 3.

"It was pretty awesome at the end of the day"

Shows 2 kickers!!! 22-8 WOW!!! This is why he IS THE BEST! 41-11
KVD last to weigh in!

Tharp- "I didn't account for as many boats as there were in my area today."

Ike- moves into 16th will make the cut. Says he is in right area but can't get the big fish then pimps his Berkley Havoc baits. Is that wise?

Evers- Stayed close only got 3 for 6-7.

Biffle- Only has 4. 12-13. Sure could have used one 6lber. Will make the cut.

Bobby Lane- 10-11 puts him in 9th for now. Will need huge bag tomorrow.

Swindle has firefighter Kevin who has cancer. Swindle is choked up and can't talk. Swindle thanks McKinnis and Trip "this means more than winning the tournament"

Kelly Jordan- Came in a minute late. Had 11 bites in 17 minutes at the end of his day.

Tracy Adams- Skunk! "I made some bad decisions" I guess.

Big Show Terry Scroggins- Had 35 bites???

Faircloth- Makes the cut.

John Crews Missle- 11 something. I thought Basstrakk had him with 20. Yep Mercer confirms that.

Rojas- Has a kicker. "Fog shmog nothin is stoppin' me from catching the hawg"Mercer 20-3 moves to 12th. Only running 20 minutes.

Paul Elias- On my fantasy team. 11-6 at least he's in the cut. Thankful everyone has been able to make the runs and get back.

Mike McClelland- 9 keepers in 37 minutes. Took out a lower unit and got stuck, amazing he got anything.

Fed Angler Dale Hightower- 11-5. Makes the cut but he's out of it. Lost a key fish. Sounds like he is running. Said he regretted it.

Skeet- 13-10. Will make the cut, but an extreme longshot at this point. Caught 35 fish. Pimps radar

Goes to Hook'd Up- They have video of anglers fishing Chapman and Pace.

A-Mart- 12-11. Another huge disappointment. 5lbs beneath Chapman. Had 20 bites. Thinks he should have fished to a treble hook bait.

Scott Rook- 12-5. That has to be a huge disappointment. Caught more fish than yesterday, just couldn't get the big fish.

Derek Remitz- Doesn't show a kicker. Huh! 17-4. Show's off two big fish. Doesn't want fog as he got his big one's early.

Morizo Shimizu- Has a really cool wrap on his boat. Mercer has Morizo speak in Japanese and lip sync's it like a foreign movie.

Cliff Pace- On my fantasy team. Doesn't show a kicker. 11-10. He will make the cut most likely, but he's done. Got to fish for 52 minutes.

Fed Champ Brandon Palaniuk with 17-14. He is sharing the water with KVD, Rook, Martens, and Remitz.

Clark Rheem- Came in late trying to catch a big fish that he could see.

Hack- On my fantasy team unfortunately. Has 10 something, won't make the cut.

Shaw Grigsby- He'll make the cut. "I made a big mistake" tells story about how his boat got him in so fast he had another 5 minutes to fish. Mercer mocks him.

Boyd Duckett- "I fished were some big fish lived, but I didn't know how to catch em'"

Russ Lane- "Russ Lane bringin' the pain" Mercer His kicker was 7-12.

Wolak said he only had 45 minutes to fish, was fishing right by Cliff Pace.

Terry Butcher- He's on my fantasy team. Just 9-8, don't know if he gets the cut. He used radar. Mercer suggests he sell the radar to Chapman, Nice!

Brent Chapman- Pulls out a nice fish. Fished for hour and 10 minutes. 20-1 he beat the Basstrakk. "I love it when my scales wrong" Klein with radar allowed Chapman to follow him.

Gary Klein- He holds up a nice fish. 17-0 Plugs Lowrance radar. Fished for 42 minutes.

1st to weigh Mark Davis "fishing was phenomenal today" he caught 13+, left em biting.

Bassmaster Classic- Day 2 (Anglers On The Water)

As you probably already know the fog delay was longer this morning and the anglers have run into fog at Venice. It will be interesting to see how the Venice contingent does. It sounds like Mike McCellend is done with a lower unit issue.


On the VERY COOL SIDE! Minnesota boy Derek "The Wolverine" Remitz is making a charge today. He has been fishing in the same general area of yesterday's leaders, he just didn't get the quality they did yesterday, but he seems to be getting quality today. KVD has said the area is capable of some putting out some 8lb+ toads. One or two of those and the Classic could go to The Wolverine.

Go Derek!!!

Bassmaster Classic- Day 2 (Pre-Edition)

Big Indiana Bass has some don't miss analysis on BassTrakk and thoughts on making professional bass fishing more fan friendly.

Futurebass.com has some excellent Day 1 coverage from guys that were in the boat with Bobby Lane and Cliff Pace

From BassFan on Clark Rheem who zeroed
He ran 250 miles roundtrip to an area past Delacroix, that's actually only about 10 miles as the crow flies from the launch
Does anyone besides me think it is stupid that anglers are not allowed to trailer their boats in a situation like this? What a waste of gas, money, and time.

Good Stuff from Strike King...(The Last video with KVD is particularly good.)

Boyd Duckett Blogged about Day 1... Boyd has an interesting strategy in effect. His goal on Day 1 was not to bomb and be in striking distance. Day 2 will be an attempt to go large or go home.

Friday, February 18, 2011

Bassmaster Classic- Day 1 In the Books

Well I would say this Classic is setting up to have a lot of drama. The top 3 guys all fishing the same water and within a pound and four ounces. I would say another 11 anglers are about one or two big bites away from putting up 20lbs and according to the pre-tournament hype 25lb bags are not out of the question.

My Fantasy Team is
Hackney- Uh OH, this pic looks like a huge mistake, but he still could make the cut with a big bag tomorrow.
Pace- In the hunt, this one bodes well.
Butcher- 34th, his fish were small, not even a 2lb average. Maybe Edwin Evers will tip him off and he'll make the cut.
Chapman- This was a last minute switch from Bill Lowen. At this point a very good call.
Elias- The cagey veteran gets a good sack with 14-13 and sits in 10th.

Overall not great, I need a big Day 2.

Very Bad News

In addition to having a urinary tract infection, we discovered our black lab Patti Lou is seriously diabetic. Chances are pretty good we will put her down sometime early next week.

Bassmaster Classic Day 1- Anglers On the Water

The day started off with a fog delay, but it seemed to be more of an annoyance than catastrophic for the anglers with long runs.

2011 Bassmaster Classic live blog reported that "The Wolverine" Minnesota boy Derrick Remitz was the first reported to catch a limit, but it isn't made up of very big fish.

BassTrakk is where the unofficial weight tallies are recorded. As of 11:30AM Central more than half the field has a goose egg, but BassTrakk is notoriously slow at times and cell coverage may not be the best in that vast expanse.

Also at Bassmaster.com is the BassCam video's and the various live feed camera's including the what look to be hourly Hook'd Up segments.

Apologies: Have to take the dog to the vet today, so I think I will miss being able to live blog the weigh in.

Bassmaster Classic Day 1 (Pre-Edition)

It looks to me like there is some pretty advanced Classic coverage coming out of Advanced Angler.com Looks like you can spend lots of time there watching video's inbetween the Bassmaster.com coverage.

Thursday, February 17, 2011

Yeah Baby!

Outdoor Channel to re-air The Bassmasters

I don't get ESPN, but do have the Outdoor Channel. This will be a huge step up from Bass Champs.

Havoc Will Be Berkley's Economy Plastic

Well the news is in and Berkley's new product line Havoc will be soft plastics. The past couple of years have witnessed the roll out of a couple of soft plastic line's with a premium price with Rapala's Trigger X and this years offerings from Attraxx. Berkley already with Gulp and Powerbait is going the other way with a more economical offering.

I was really hoping there was going to be a buzz toad, but as of right now there doesn't seem to be one. I don't forsee me getting any of the 4 initial styles. It will be interesting to see if any of them gain a reputation as a real fish catcher like the Chigger Craw did.

Update: Much more on the Havoc baits here...

In the Mail- Evolution Split Ring Pliers

Happy Day!!!

My Evolution Split Ring Pliers that I won on a Facebook Contest from Chris Lane Fishing

You can find out about the Evolution Pliers at Tackle Warehouse.

Surely they are the nicest looking pair of pliers I will ever own. It's nice that they come with a lanyard with a carabiner-clip and a high-impact nylon sheath. The line cutter are sharp and cut through 14lb Fireline no problem. The one downside is that the needlenose length isn't very long at just 2" past the hinge. I prefer needlenose pliars to have a long 4" or better nose.

Bassmaster Classic Starts Today!!!

That is what I thought for some reason. One of my first stops this morning was Bassmaster.com. It took about a minute to register that there was no Classic coverage because it doesn't kick off until tomorrow. Oops.

In case you missed it, which I did, they started the 2011 Bassmaster Classic live blog yesterday for the last day of practice.

Another thing they fired up yesterday was some BassCam coverage. The Bass Cam is one area where there is much room for improvement on past years. I did enjoy watching those video's last year. Will the video's be timely? Will some of the video's be put up simaltaneously with the weigh-in?

Wednesday, February 16, 2011

Brent Chapman Is A Happy Camper (at least right now)

Chompin at the Bit!

He says a long run. I hope he doesn't run into fog problems because he is going on my fantasy team.

Fantasy Fishing Insider Podcast Bassmaster Classic Special

Fantasy Fishing Insider <--listen here

Show description:
In this Bassmaster Classic Special, Elite Series angler Edwin Evers give "Fantasy Fishing Insider" host Greg Huff the scoop that despite miserably cold conditions in the first days of official practice, the weather and water temperatures will be "perfect," and don't be surprised to see big sacks on the weigh-in stage. "We couldn't have hit it any better," the Oklahoma pro said. "It's going to be absolutely perfect. We've got a full moon. We've got a week of warming temperatures. It's going to be unreal." He also confides what was going through his mind when he got stuck in in the mud in a Louisiana Delta slough and worried he might have to stay the night in his boat with temperatures expected to fall into the 30s overnight. He also briefly interrupts the interview -- conducted via cell phone from New Orleans-area mall -- to help fellow Bassmaster tour pro Brian Snowden pick out a anniversary/Valentines Day gift for Snowden's wife! A sample: "Is that what she said she wanted? ... I don't know, I think they're pretty. ..." Also in this episode, we replay a portion of an interview last fall with Bassmaster Rookie of the Year Runner-up Cliff Crochet, of Pierre Part, Louisiana. Crochet discusses how the New Orleans area and the Louisiana Delta have bounced back from multiple hurricanes and the BP oil spill. In segment 3, Greg talks to Rapala Pro-Staffer and product tester Mark Fisher about the Masters Bass Circuit, a new regional bass-fishing tour sponsored by Cabelas and North American Fishing Club. (Recorded Tuesday, Feb. 15)

Wow That Is Some Stinky Skunk!!!

Ice Fishing Challenge Results: 2,200 Anglers, 0 Fish Caught

I wonder if the fishermen couldn't use electronics?

Boating.com Resource For Boating & Boating Supplies

I got an email from the people of Boating.com and I thought I would pass on the info.

Boating.com is a resource that provides hundreds of used and new boats for sale, as well as reviews, tips and buying guides for anyone interested in boating.

Tuesday, February 15, 2011

Bass Fishing For Beginners

The bass fishing blog Big Indiana Bass has an excellent article Catching Bass - The $100 Challenge. The article is a road map to getting a beginner outfitted for bass fishing for $100. And the truth is you really don't have to spend that much as you could easily forgo some of the stuff and still be pretty well equipped.

If someone out there is a beginner that wants to get into bass fishing, I highly recommend that you seek out an experienced bass fisherman in your local area who would be willing to steer you in the right direction. A great way to find somebody like that would be to find a fishing message board or two or three that is popular with anglers in your local area. Not all fishing message boards are equal, but a good message board is a fantastic resource that should not be overlooked.

One board that I would recommend a bass fishing beginner take a look at is The Bassholes.com, which has one board dedicated to Bassin for Beginners. You may or may not be able to connect up with someone local through The Bassholes.com because it more national than regional or local in scope.

Eelpout Festival & the Bikini Ice Fishing Team

(Click to Enlarge)


Ahh yes the lovely ladies of The Bikini Ice Fishing Team. Does it really matter how well they sing?

Monday, February 14, 2011

Ranger Boats Blog

Another good looking bass fishing blog from the industry side
Ranger Boats Blog Go take a look.

Update: Tharp has a new blog up about his Classic practice. He sounds optimistic but not confident, go read what he has to say.

KVD's Classic Update & Valentine Message:


In case you are not on KVD's Facebook Page.

The Up to Date Story of Kistler Rods


Hat Tip TipsNbass History of Kistler Rods Go read it.

I have never owned a Kistler and thus am not a Kistler guy, so I didn't know any of this stuff. I would guess most people don't know what has gone on. I am glad to hear they seem to have weathered the rough patch. I wish them success.

Really db?

I may be the only one, but I have found bass fishing writer Don Barone to be unreadable at times, hence I don't go out of my way to read his stuff very often. Yesterday he wrote a note on Facebook which I chose to read and I got to read this:

Opus #4: B.A.S.S. & Wired2FishYou athletes with a bench, rest up, you athletes who play by quarters, innings, pit stops, half times, commercial breaks, I'm going to put your athletic behind on a bobbing surfboard with seats, called loosely a boat, Bass Boat, and I'm going to yell go and for the next 8 hours you are going to play your sport and NEVER stop, never get a time out, never sit, NEVER LEAVE THE FIELD.

I'm going to make you pitch every 15 seconds for 8 hours, non-stop. Make you shoot threes every 15 seconds for 8 hours, make you serve every 15 seconds for 8 hours, make you run, pass and catch ever 15 seconds for 8 hours.

And if you make it through that, I'm going to make you do it again the NEXT DAY. And the NEXT DAY. And the NEXT DAY. And the NEXT DAY. Think you can win that…rock on.


Really?

Last time I looked a tournament bass fisherman can sit down and take a time out to assess things, rest, change lures, run to a new spot or eat anytime they want. Heck, sack em up early and you can be like Tim Horton and go to the dock to order Pizza delivery. If you are catching fish, especially lots of them as is sometimes the case, every second of a bass tournament is not some kind of bottled intensity. Yes bass fishing does have intensity and it's day runs longer than your typical sport, but it can have a lot of monotony to it when you are not around fish or the fish are turned off. Chuck wind repeat, pitch wind repeat, flip pick up repeat. Tournament Bass Fishing is far from being some kind of super wonder sport. It's the art and science of catching those green fish as efficiently as possible, that's all. I guess hyperbole just isn't my thing this morning.

Sunday, February 13, 2011

B.A.S.S. Official Youtube Channel

B.A.S.S. has on Official Youtube Channel Now, which is nice to see.

Here is one of the Classic Promo's

Looks Like a Great Cause- Armchair Anglers

Basseast Blog with the scoop...

Armchair Anglers has announced a 2011 Fund Raising Sweepstakes in order to raise money for the boat. The grand prize will be three days and nights at the Silver King Lodge in Costa Rica, home of world class tarpon fishing. Silver King Lodge is located on the Caribbean Cost of Costa Rica at the mouth of the famous Rio Colorado. Much different than most tarpon fishing destinations throughout the Caribbean, Silver King Lodge is the perfect choice for anglers who want to experience the thrill of hooking and landing a giant tarpon and are willing to get down and dirty to do it. Ticket contributions are just $5 dollars each while 5 tickets are $20 dollars which gives you an extra chance to win. The drawing will be held on June 30th, 2011, 3pm at 1881 NE 26th Street, #212 Wilton Manors, FL 33305. Drawing will be supervised by Miller, Calhoun and Co. In order to enter visit www.armchairanglers.org for more information

McKinnis Gives His Classic Pics

The Easy and Surprising Picks Jerry uses this opportunity to highlight a few dark horses.

Saturday, February 12, 2011

Kevin Van Dam's First Bassmaster Classic Win

This was on the Louisiana Delta in 2001
Bassmaster Classic Rewind - 2001
by Dan O'Sullivan
This is a great write up on how things went down.

HA!

From one of my Hotmail Junk Mail Boxes:
Yeah I know Viagra spam is common but they got my name and nickname correct, Smart Spam Bot.

No I didn't order any.

Or how about this deal on Ebay:

A "Buy It Now" for $14 plus $4 shipping for 1 pack, Are you serious?

Update: I was fooled by the item title, there are actually 4 packs for sale. That makes a lot more sense. Thanks Jeremy!!!

I'm actually gonna bid on this one, now.

Thursday, February 10, 2011

Bass Blogging News: Robbins Teams with Mercer

Pete Robbins of Pete Weighs In will now also be blogging at Dave Mercer's Facts of Fishing. Since I have become a follower of Pete, I have become a fan of his writing.

Jersey's For St. Jude Blog


Jerseys for St. Jude is a blog of bass fishing goodness to benefit St. Jude's Children's Hospitals. I encourage all Bass Pundit readers to donate a minimum of $25 and get your name in prize giveaway.

Here is the description from the blog:
Jerseys for St. Jude is a fundraising drive to benefit the St. Jude Children's Research Hospital. This collaborative effort features EBay auctions of autographed tournament jerseys for the biggest names in professional bass fishing. Four to six jerseys will be auctioned each week from late January through February. On EBay, search under “Jerseys for St. Jude” and/or the name of the angler. 100% of the proceeds will benefit St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital.

The auction is part of the 13th Annual Dick Hiley / St. Jude bass fishing tournament on the Mississippi River in Wabasha, Minnesota. To date, the tournament has raised over $1 Million for St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital.

For those wishing to contribute to St. Jude and become part of this wonderful effort, donations can be made directly at: Jersey's For St. Jude. For every $25 donation, an entry will be placed in a drawing for many great prizes!

Here's some of the Jersey's up for Auction:
Go visit the blog and check at all the great prizes in the drawing.

Bass Tackle Depot Spring Fever Sale

Bass Tackle Depot

I wish Tackle Warehouse was doing this as only they carry bluegill color Lucky Craft Kelly J's.

$15,000 Fantasy Bass Fishing Winner

75-Year-Old Illinois Woman Wins FLW Fantasy Fishing Event

Wednesday, February 09, 2011

Kramer On Co-Anglers

George Kramer of the blog Kramer Gone Fishing asks Does the public really want co-anglering?

Here is some of what George has to say:

If we could go back to putting all the players on an even (and higher) footing, I think some good things could happen. One, the rewards captured would be more appropriately distributed via performance. That would then elevate the most worthy performers (many now procos), and in turn, the public would benefit as the information pipeline to all the best competitors would be flowing.

Or–we can keep doing what we’re doing–and not really be satisfied.

Go read the whole thing for the full picture.

George seems to be calling for a return to the days of Pro/Pro draw tournaments. I think George is insane. Pro/Pro draw has got to be the worst fishing format that has ever been tried. Is it an accident that the Pro/Pro draw format has gone the way of the dinosaur in money circuits from sea to shining sea? I think the only place intentional boater/boater draw still takes place is within the ranks of the B.A.S.S. Federation Nation. As far as I can tell it only exists in the Federations still because of long standing tradition and clubs often have more boaters than non-boaters so they have to have boater/boater draws. My Bass Club and the MN State Federation Nation is done this way and personally I wish it wasn't. I think fishing out of someone else's boat under most circumstances is an inherently uneven playing field. I don't think it is really fair to the boater either. As far as I'm concerned it's their ship and they should get to run it as they see fit all day.

I guess I am not seeing the same problem that Mr. Kramer wants to fix. Who is dissatisfied except maybe Pro's who don't want to have to deal with Co-Anglers at all?

I Will Not Be Paying Attention!


From Facebook:
Personally I think and have thought that having numbers for Bass Pro's is a stupid idea. I know Denny Brauer and Randy Howell have tried to brand themselves with a number. I can't tell you off the top of my head what either of their numbers is. FAIL!!!

I'm not going to pay attention to this and I don't think anybody else will either. If Pro's are smart they should be out there trying to get people to wear logo's from their sponsors, not some meaningless number.

Monday, February 07, 2011

"Bass Life" Documentary with Jason "Hardware" Quinn

"Bass Life" - The Film from Proof, Inc. on Vimeo.

Big Indiana Bass blog posted this last week and I just had to post it as well. It is a really interesting documentary done on Elite Series Tour life for a full season with Jason Quinn. Run time is about 45 minutes. If you haven't seen it, make the time.

Sunday, February 06, 2011

FLW Tour Open on Lake Okeechobee Has A Winner

Congratulations to Florida Pro Brandon McMillan for winning the FLW Tour Open on Lake Okeechobee. He caught 25 1/2 which allowed him to set an FLW Outdoors 4-day weight record record with a 106lb 10ozs.


FLW Soldier Appreciation Tournament On Lake Okeechobee
yesterday I thought this was pretty cool.

Green Bay Packers Super Bowl Champions

I suppose they earned it, sort of. On the 1st Green Bay touchdown drive the refs missed a blatant hold on 3rd down that allowed Green Bay to get the 1st Down. Troy Aikmen remarked that he was amazed it wasn't called. If Green Bay has to punt there they don't get there 1st and immediately following 2nd touchdown and it is a totally different game. Pittsburgh outscored Green Bay after those two touchdowns.

Still the Steelers had the chance to win the game and they didn't get it, so congratulations Cheeseheads. The worst part: Who believes this is Aaron Rodgers last Super Bowl Game?

Puppy Bowl 7: Jack Was Robbed!!!

Robbed!!!


Jack ran all over the field and scored a last minute touchdown yet didn't win the Puppy Bowl VII Most Valuable Puppy Award. BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!



My Mom's favorite CB won the MVP

CB seemed to be the hands down favorite at the Puppy Bowl Facebook Page as well. With either Lil or Big Red being 2nd most favorite.

Puppy Bowl 7

Starts at 2PM Central on Animal Planet. After that it pretty much gets re-run all day.

Yeah Baby, I Win Chris Lane Facebook Gorilla Pliers Contest!!!




Evolution Gorilla Pliers - $39.99@ Tackle Warehouse
.