The Northwest's Top 20 - Ranking the best bass anglers

Replies to This Discussion

Permalink Reply by Shawn O'Connell on March 2, 2010 at 8:54pm

The more I read this thread the more I realize how tough this list would be to make. The only way that would not be totally subjective and would be based on actual performance against others is by tournament rankings which would make a team list easy to make in Washington. It would however make an individual list very difficult. Another method to do this that wouldn't be to hard is to simply make a list by career earnings that was updated each year. It would actually be pretty interesting and mine wouldn't take up to much room:) I also agree that I would really only be interested in a top 20 list if it was the top 20 guys right now.

Permalink Reply by Kimihiko Nakamura on March 2, 2010 at 9:08pm

When someone make a list of Top 20 of Most Handsome angler I will be Top 5 or maybe number one!

Permalink Reply by Ben Hanes on March 2, 2010 at 9:25pm

Shugdinis is absolutely good. No doubt about it. I agree with that Hobbs...I debated putting him in the 15-20th range, but it's so tough with all the teams

Permalink Reply by Mike Matkowski on March 2, 2010 at 10:05pm

I think Gene Batey deserves consideration for top twenty, he has accomplished a lot over the years, BASS Western win at Shasta, BASS Western second on the Columbia 1999 (I think?), always did well in Federation tourneys as well as Team Tourneys with Mitch Ratchford, their reigning NW Bass AOYs.

Permalink Reply by Eric DeLay on March 2, 2010 at 10:40pm

I think we were talking about this century though.

Mike Matkowski said:

I think Gene Batey deserves consideration for top twenty, he has accomplished a lot over the years, BASS Western win at Shasta, BASS Western second on the Columbia 1999 (I think?), always did well in Federation tourneys as well as Team Tourneys with Mitch Ratchford, their reigning NW Bass AOYs.

Permalink Reply by Russ Baker on March 3, 2010 at 7:43am

Ron,

I was having some fun with this topic and almost put down Tom Edwards for all 20 of them just to be funny.

I personally think that if you were just putting up tournament guys up there you would be number one no doubt and if Clausen was still fishing in this state it would be a tie. There are some really good sticks in this state and most of the guys who have responded have it dead on.

Ronald Hobbs, Jr. said:

Craig that is interesting stuff I didn't even know that there were rankings. I don't fish any tournaments other than the FLW Series.

This ranking stuff everyone has to remember is really nothing more than a list of people. I agree again with Maderos he makes a great points, that you have to believe in yourself in order to compete. To be honest I wouldn't even care if my name doesn't make the list well maybe a little. Thanks Jon for giving me the #1 spot and Russ for the #7 spot much appreciated.

I am totally 100% tournament fisherman, I don't really do the small lake thing or the one big fish thing too much if hardly at all, so this would give me a distinct disadvantage to other guys fishing non pressured bodies of waters or guys who have intimate knowledge with these same small lakes. Put some of those guys on a lake they do not know and see how they do, I think that would be the true test of a good fisherman.

I compete because usually the "best" fisherman do this, I mean why not if you are the best, you might as well make some money at it to pay for all the gear. I try to compete along side some of the west coasts greatest, I want to beat them every chance I get, and that is what I get jacked up for not a higher podium on some list.

Here we go, here is my list top TOURNAMENT anglers. I have chose these guys based on what I have said, diversity they catch fish anywhere anytime not just one lake at one time with one bait. Also are based on recent accounts not more than 3 years ago. East or westside threats.

1 Echterkamp I think by far the best of this state, can do it all.
2 Wolsky his track record of NW Bass wins speaks for itself every lake this state has to offer
3. Minderman hasn't fished much local stuff lately but if he did you would see his name toward the top
4. Hall is always a threat anywhere
5. Gimmal From Spokane and came over to the westside and showed the boys how it is done
6. Mark Marcantonio his fishing knowledge is just flat out scary
7. Krohm might be higher but not as much as a big threat here in Washington since he moved to the FLW Tour
8. Hogue well rounded smart fisherman, caught tons of huge smallies proved his diversified skills pitching for largies in Florida almost winning the Federation National Championship
9. Mark Shugdenis my darkhorse that no one has mentioned He is good real good.
10. Abbott/Flowers You can't mention one without the other can't ignore back to back boat wins
11 thru 20 is up for grabs and I can't decide

What about Clausen he still lives in Spokane in the off season? He would be #1 but he doesn't fish tournies in Wa anymore. Tag would definetely be in my top 5 somewhere but I was trying to base my list on hardcore tournament guys like myself.
Craig Taylor said:

I'm not exactly shure what the formula is for the War Report but im pretty sure it includes the WON bass tournaments and I don't know if Hobbs fishes them so that will effect points big time. Yea, it's more of a California ranking system. It will be a little harder to rank guys one by one in WA because most of the bigger tournaments are team format.

...the link. In a hurry so didn't read it yet.
http://www.calfishing.com/dc/dcboard.php?az=printer_friendly&fo...

Misanthrope said:

I found the War Report to be flawed. Hobbs is consistently in the money but last time I looked at it he was ranked behind guys he beats. I think that it favors local guys who can fish more of the "high point" events. Feel free to straighten me out if I misunderstand how it works.

Craig Taylor said:

Amen Tag,

The only true way to figure this out is a true point system. People are just going to toss there opinions out and then it gets personal sometimes. It's already getting too hostile in here for any one to get butt hurt over a "who's best" argument.

A friend of mine ust to run the "War Report" on a different bass web page and it was a more local level point ranking system in California like this topic is about. I will ask him how he did the points, I think it is ran a lot like Tag mentioned.

Permalink Reply by Ronald Hobbs, Jr. on March 3, 2010 at 8:06am

No problem Russ I did not take offense at all, I thanked you for even thinking of me.

Permalink Reply by Don Hogue on March 3, 2010 at 9:03am

This is one of those "stir the pot" threads. No right answers, just a way to instigate things. We could all have our personal subjective list of people that when they show up (as Joel says) we say "oh $*(#^& there's _______. That list would have tournament and non-tournament guys. After all, we all have a neighbor or uncle. or somebody we know that we are secretly glad they don't tournament fish.
As far as the WAR Report and other regional lists, yes they are a little biased towards people from that region. But that's all just point of view. To me, many of the responses have been a little west-side biased. Most of the partcipants on this site are left of the Cascasdes so that's understandable. I know that in my neck of the woods, when Matkowski, Lippincott, Trefry, Conklin, Hall, Batey, Ratchford, Dawsons, or the Mace boys show up you know you better catch 'em because they will. That's just to name a few - and that's just the ones that regularly fish tournaments.
I also don't know how you separate individuals success in team events. Most guys mentioned have a real good stick for a partner when they team fish (I know I do). As Ron mentioned, team events are a different animal. Hobbs and Wolsky won the NW Bass Championship last fall. How does anyone say "well Hobbs is real good, but not Wolsky" or vice-versa.
As far as objective criteria goes, here is what I would look at in addition to the obvious tournament success:
-Have they had success at different times of the year. Bonus points if they have had success in more than one season (spring and fall for example)
-Have they had success with more than one partner? Bonus points for this.
-Have they had success in draw formats (not team events) also? Bonus pts.
-Have they had success outside of their "home" area? Bonus pts.
-How do they do in multiple day events? Bonus points for doing well in 2-3 day tournaments.
-How do they do in "Championships". Bonus points for success in these as most anglers put more into these, (you see most of the competition at their best), and these are also often multi-day events. Develop a point formula for championship performance for the last 5-10 years.
-Money won would also work as the more money won will also factor in strength of competition, number of competitors, championship events, etc.

Permalink Reply by Joel Alinen on March 3, 2010 at 9:05am

What about Boyer? How many classics has that guy fished?

Permalink Reply by Tom Edwards on March 3, 2010 at 9:07am

2 that I know of.

Joel Alinen said:

What about Boyer? How many classics has that guy fished?

Permalink Reply by Chad Simon on March 3, 2010 at 9:43am

So you tell me last night you had me at #21!!! Just how many #21's do you have?

Jon Sessler said:

I had you # 21

Eric DeLay said:

I would not rank myself in the top 100 but you don't have to be so mean about it Jon.
I have won some tourneys on Lk Wa and one on Samm you may remember. Not recently though I guess.

Jon Sessler said:

My List is as follows:
1. Hobbs - Competitive on every body of water he fishes, and can catch them out of a mud puddle.
2. Wolsky - Same as above, but doesn't have the geographic experience as Hobbs, plus he's shorter.
3. Etchernkamp - Dominates the East side, basically never has a bad tournament over there and has competed across the country, and West Coast. The guy can also call a goose!
4. Kromm - Has proven he can compete regionally and is tough throughout the state
5. Hogue - Numerous wins on the East side and just completed the Classic. Good writer too.
6. Clint Johanson - A threat to win on the River, the Delta, and Lake Mead, wears Uggs with shorts in 80 degree heat.
7. Jeff Boyer - Fished at least two classics (I think)
8. Sean Minderman - Has competitvely fished the Western FLW's and is really good on the East side.

All of the guys above have proven that they can compete throughout the West, which is a major accomplishment, and why I have them ranked above the guys below. That doesn't mean the guys below couldn't compete, it's just that they haven't, recently that I'm aware of.

9. Gene Batey - Another guy who is tough as nails on the East side.
10. Mark Lippincot - Know he's always around the top on Banks, and the River.
11. Marc Marcantonio - Super knowledgable, thinks like a fish......cool name!
12. Tag Watson - Look at his pictures........nuff said?
13. Paul Hall - When he lived on the West side, consistently Top Ten on Washington or Sammamish, now that he's on the East side, consistently in the Top Ten on River, Banks, Moses and Potholes. His mustache rivals Berto's for best 70's porn stache.
14. Dana Steiner - I'm making this up but it could be accurate...Most 2nd place finishes when a boat is on the line.
15. Tony Lind - Consistent high finisher in tournaments on both the West and East side lakes. Honorable mention for packing out a deer on the bow of his NEW Ranger Bass Boat.
16. Mitch Ratchford - Don't know him other than his name is always towards the top of the standings.
17. Andy Smith - I don't know Andy either, but know his name, and again....it's always at the top of the list.
18. Flowers - He won two boats in two years in the NW Bass series. I'm giving him the nod over Abbott(ola)....because I like him better, and it's my list.
19. Greg Petroskie - "Retired" from tournament fishing. Runs a Bullet with a 300hp, wonder if he is over-compensating like myself and Delay.......for OUR LACK OF FISHING ABILITIES!!!!! Get your mind out of the gutter!
20. Joel Grafe - He and his partner have put together wins and high finishes on East and West side lakes, just not sure who has the brains in that outfit, and could only remember Joel's name.

My opinion may change in a day or two, but this is my first shot at a rankings. I may choose to amend it at a later date.

Permalink Reply by Josh Potter on March 3, 2010 at 10:55am

I don't like the submission of pictures as evidence in this discussion. I have acces to a small lake near Spokane where a 6 year old could fill a photo album full of big fish in one afternoon.

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