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.

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.

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.

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?

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.

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?

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.

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.

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.

Fish Has A Blog

tHe FiSh FiShbuRne blOg

Bass On A Stringer Bass Pundit Retro

Bass Parade put up a post with recently photographed bass on stringers.

This is how we used to do it:
I'm the the tall one, my brother Steve is in the middle, and brother Todd is on the end. The picture was taken in 1984.

Bassmaster Classic Practice Starts Today!

Yeppers, it's time!

Check the KVD Bake Sale.

Don't miss this 16 minute interview with Hack, it's really good.

Hat Tip: Rich's Bassin Blog

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

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.

Coming Soon...

Bassmaster Classic Hype!!!

"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.

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
.

Okeechobee FLW Day 3

Tyler Brinks of T Brinks Fishing blog was on scene today go read his report: Okeechobee FLW Tour Open - Behind the scenes Tyler has some exclusive video of Fred Roumbanis, Peter T, Terry Scroggins.

I was at Baxter Bass Snatchers Club meeting today, so I missed the weigh-in and have nothing to add. Tyler pretty much has it covered.

Update: FLW is doing daily video's this year called Real-Time Report They are worth watching.

M&M's Pro Jim Moynagh In Uniform

Bass Fishing Blogger Tyler Brinks of T Brinks Fishing was aware I wanted a pic of Carver MN Pro Jim Moynagh in his snappy M&M's Jersey. So Tyler took this pic for me today at the FLW Family Fun Zone.

Thanks Tyler!!!
A couple of years ago I got to fish with Jim and blogged about it:
Boat Conversations with FLW Tour BP Fishing Pro Jim Moynagh
A Day on the Lake with BP Bass Pro Jim Moynagh

The Boys At Tackle Tour Would Not Approve!

Although they might be impressed with the amount of fish caught.

In 2010, I and either one or two friends fished 127 times for a total of 509 hours. We traditionally fish from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. We caught 5570 black bass, which equals 43.8 bass per trip and 10.9 bass per hour. About 85% were caught on Z-Man’s soft-plastic baits.

A Guide to Frugal Fishing in 2011 By Ned Kehde from Felix Fishing blog. Go read for the gear costs breakdown.

I've been hearing a lot about that Z-Man ZinkerZ lately. Bait Monkey is tempted.

The New Rapala & More Commercials

See Commercials here...

Naturally I like the Rapala commercials with Dave the bass.

I think these might be airing already. I don't know why they just don't send them straight to Youtube where there is always the hope they can go viral.

FLW Day 2: Okeechobee Still On Fire

Former FLW CEO Charlie Evans has a new career with FLW. Co-Angler. I was quite surprised to see old Charlie himself today on the live stream, missed him yesterday. He ended up in 47th Place and got a $1000 check.

Better: The lone woman Pro Kat Dysart got a bit of redemption today bringing in 4 fish for 14-04. If I heard her correct on the live stream she actually had a limit, but lost #5 while bagging her fish. There was at least 1 other angler today that said they lost a fish while bagging it. Always a good idea to not be careless with your fish.

The MN Boys: This one was forgettable
The M&M Man Jim Moynagh was consistent and caught 15lbs and change a day, that got him 101st.
The Wolverine Derrick Remitz was a little below Moynagh at 108th. He said the shallow Okeechobee water doesn't play to his strengths.
Chad Grigsby wasn't much better in 96th

8 Anglers are on pace to hit the Century Mark with another 4 being very close to that pace.

5 Bags over 30lbs today, I think there were less 20lb bags caught today but I think the really big bags were heavier today.

Hmmm

Just learned that my screen capture doesn't work on the FLW streaming video, so no pic of Moynagh in the M&M Jersey unless he catch's a pig and FLW takes the pic.

What is going on B.A.S.S.? (Problem Fixed)

Angler Sabrina Thompson reports on FacebookWhat is going on B.A.S.S.?

Regular Bass Pundit readers may be aware that I am on record advocating that there should be some form of affirmative action for female anglers that want to fish the B.A.S.S. Opens. I believe at least five spots per tournament should be reserved for women. If necessary field size should be enlarged to accommodate such a policy.

Update:There has been a quick response on Facebook from Jerry McKinnis, I am confident he will get things straightened out.

Update 2/7/11: Sabrina received word she is back in the Opens.

Get Them Gobies!!!

You know what they say about payback.
Gobies eat smallmouth bass eggs and out-compete young smallmouth bass for food. The tables turn for smallmouth bass once they reach approximately 2 inches in length. At this size, smallmouth bass begin to eat gobies and smallmouth bass that eat gobies grow twice as fast as those that aren't eating gobies.

This from an article Asian carp aren't only invasive threat to Lake Erie from The News-Messenger.

Hat Tip: Big Indiana Bass Facebook

In Lake Erie do they fish for the mythical Gobie Gone Kenobi?





Edited: Can't do much worse with the HTML than that. Sheesh double screw up when posted.

2011 Pinnacle Fishing Sweepstakes!!!

The Bass Pundit loves a good online bass fishing gear contest. Behold the 2011 Pinnacle Fishing Sweepstakes.

(Don't Click there to enter, clicking will show you bigger poster)

Click Here To Enter...

FLW Day 1: Okeechobee On Fire

Apparently the fishing for most is pretty darn good. Lots of the anglers said right now Okeechobee is the place to be. When about 1/3rd of the Pro's a 150+ boat field with Co-Anglers bring in 20lb limits they have a point. Some of the fisherman claimed they caught more than 100 fish for the day. Big Bag 35lbs 3ozs, Big Bass 11lbs. Yeah fishing was good!

Cool to see Jim Moynagh in the M&M Jersey. Wish I had a pic. Will try and get that tomorrow.

Not Good: The lone women pro in the field Kat Dysart. She was the only Pro in the field not to catch a limit, just 2 fish for 3-11. Obviously that is last place. I believe she was a rookie last year and she really struggled. I watched most of the weigh in and I only remember 2 female Co-Anglers weighing fish today.

Is Bass Fishing Media Nothing But A Shill?

That seems to be what is said Pete Weighs In Blog in his post Turn The Beat Around.

Then again, at least the mainstream sports world is having the conversation. In the bass fishing world, we take conflicts of interest for granted. In fact we revel in them. A Toyota-sponsored pro wins a tournament? The next day the lead story on half the major fishing websites is a puff piece written by Toyota’s PR firm. Reading a product review on any bass fishing website or perusing their gear guide? Chances are that most if not all of the products pictured are positioned relative to the amount of advertising dollars their manufacturers spent with that outlet. It’s as simple as connecting the banner ad to the review next to it. Not even a disclosure statement explaining that Company X advertises with the website. On the average bass website, you can’t tell the press releases from the news.


There obviously is truth to there being quite a bit of synergy between marketing and fishing media. I would hope the consumer of fishing media is sophisticated enough to recognize what is marketed information and what isn't. In fact I kind of think the default position probably should be to think information given has a marketing purpose unless there is a good reason to think otherwise.

Huh???

Mental Fishing with Charles Plott is a blog at Advanced Anglers.com by Sports Psychologist Charles Plott. He blogged a 3 Part series on preparation for a big event/tournament.

This last installment is Step Three: Getting in Character and Staying in Character.

The jist of what he says is that you need to find an on the water persona that you can step into and role play while you fish. Go read the whole thing, I think it is a bit goofy.

Sure you need to be able to be able to train your focus and up your intensity level some when you fish a tournament. I am not sure coming up with a make believe character and then playing that role is the best way to do that. Why not just say strive to be the cleanest fishing, clearest thinking, most efficient fisherman you can be. I think that makes a whole lot more sense than trying to force yourself to be somebody your really not.

Sweet!!!

Wired2Fish blog has an excellent essay entitled Who Are We A Fishing Mantra

If you love fishing, you love tackle. The rods and the reels. The line and the lures. The tackle and subsequent organization and preparation help us cure the cabin fever that sets in when we can’t be on the water for extended periods of time. They’re matchbox cars, Star Wars action figures and comic books for us as grown-ups.

Go read it all!!!

Apparently Gerald Swindle is a Smoker

Rich's Bassin Blog Fantasy League's

Want to win some Fantasy Bass Fishing Prizes?
Be sure to check in with Rich on Facebook...

FLW rosters for the Big O due in by midnight today.

Flowing Waters Blog Bass Lure Prizes!!!

Go see what Wolfy is giving away... It's good stuff. All you have to do is "Follow" his blog and leave a comment about your biggest bass.

Bait Monkey's Got That Look In The Eye...

Update: My monkey's high bid wasn't high enough, there was one monkey who was willing to pay more. The rod was a discontinued Avid 7'3"MH telescopic. I already have 2 of them; They are my #1 hollow body frog rod and my #1 buzz toad rod. Did I really need another?

B.A.S.S. Fantasy Bass Fishing Open

The Classic is only a little over 2 weeks way and B.A.S.S. has opened up their new Fantasy Bass Fishing game. It's no longer ESPN's game so it seems you have to re-register.

The big change from last year is that instead of having 3 "buckets" of anglers to pick 2/2/1 from, now there are 5 groupings of anglers from which you get to pick 1 angler. So here is Group A:
You get to pick 1 guy. So it's impossible to have KVD and Skeet on a roster.

At first glance I'm not a big fan of this new method of picking anglers. My guess is that this will only serve to make more fantasy players rosters similar instead of diverse. I really liked the old angler point value system as I thought that added some real strategy to the mix. The buckets and now this have dumbed the game down.

Once again there is a restriction to 3 leagues/"Groups" you can join. Don't like that.

The scoring system is going to be based on angler of the year points, thus you get a bonus if you pick an angler that leads for the day and wins the tournament.

The Prizes are frankly a huge disappointment!!! There are NO PRIZES BEYOND 1ST PLACE!!!! That means there are just 10 official winners all season; This combined with the restriction to 3 leagues totally bites. Honestly it's not even worth putting in any time or thought because the odds are steep that you will not be rewarded in any way. BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!

Unfortunately on this one the new ownership of B.A.S.S. is getting two thumbs down.