Define best bass fisherman.

Replies to This Discussion

Permalink Reply by Eric DeLay on March 4, 2010 at 12:10pm

I agree with you agreeing with me because I am after all a genius.

You would probably know better than me but it seems to me that KVD is power fishing in almost all of the tourneys he does well in. I see him using crankbaits, spinnerbaits, jerkbaits, topwater in most of the events he wins or comes close to winning. So I think you are right, he may not be the most versatile but he is definitely in the top 5 of all time.

Don Hogue said:

Brauer isn't lost without a jig bite. It's not that he doesn't know how to do other things. He has just made a decision that certain baits, styles of fishing will catch bigger fish. He will gladly take last a couple of times along with first a couple of times instead of being in the top 20 all 4 times. He ends up with 200,000 for that while the top 20 guy has 80,000. The name of the game to him is winning and making money. KVD and Brauer are not the most versatile guys, yet they are at the top in earnings and career wins.

Anyway, I agree with you that versatility should be something other than what it is often taken to be. Most will think of being versatile as being able to use different lures, techniques. I think of being versative as being able to change locations with the fish.

Eric DeLay said:

I think of versatility differently than you do.
I don't think of a junk fisherman that always has 20 rods on deck. While it is good to know a variety of techniques I don't think you have to be great at all of them. You don't need to be demonstrating versatility in any given tournament because once you figure out what the fish are doing often you can zero in on one technique.

I think a versatile angler can do well on many different types of fisheries. A guy like Aaron Martens can win a tournament dropshotting for Spots in 60' of water one week and a month later he is site fishing with the best of them. I think that he is a better fisherman than a guy like Denny Brauer who is lost without a jig bite.

The most important factor for me when rating an angler is consistency. Some guys just seem to be in the top ten all the time. That is what separates the great fishermen from the good fishermen. The ability to get out there and get it done day in and day out is what impresses me.

Don Hogue said:

As simple as it sounds, the best are the best at understanding bass. Where they are, and how to catch them. The best understand that experience hurts as much as it helps. The best understand that the fish and therefore fishing changes and can accurately anticipate those changes.
I disagree somewhat that being versatile makes a good fisherman.
KVD has a trophy just won a trophy that says "World Champion" on it. I don't think being versatle got him that title. He understood that it was all about location, not having fifteen different things to do. I went from drop shotting to punching on a daily basis. Pretty versatile. But I never figured out the fish - so all I was doing was flinging lures around. In fact, you could say that KVD was the least versatile in the classic field - he caught all of his fish in one small area using one bait/technique. All versatile means is you were wrong on your 1st, 2nd or 3rd guess and had to keep searching while the best are catching them.
The best know where the fish are and how to get them to bite without scrambling around being "versatile".
I just think that there are a number of myths that keep getting thrown around and only keep us from getting better.
The "experience" myth is one of them.
The "versatility" myth is another. The result of this is that many guys will go out and buy every lure, rod/reel combination under the sun only to realize that they still suck and start planning on one hell of a yard sale. All under the misconception of being "versatile". The fact is that understanding the fish is where its at and that is more of an instinctive, natural quality then we want to admit. The rest of it is plan ol' hard work. So in the end the best are more talented and work harder - at understanding bass.

Permalink Reply by Greg Hatleberg on March 4, 2010 at 2:02pm

Well I'm going to inject my $.02 worth.

I like Marc's idea and I certainly would be up for that challenge perhaps we can find 5 smaller bodies of water for few guys to battle it out! Would be fun even for nothing more than the competition.

I would put attitiude as a factor here. Guys that truely believe they can catch them any place they fish! Doesn't always happen but they never quit trying to compete and win right down to the last cast.

No secret though that time on the water makes a hudge difference in performance for most anglers. I know the more time I spend on the water the better my decisions are when the tournament rolls around. Lets face it very rarely does a week before prefish put you on much for the following week. It lets you know trends in temp and water levels etc. Now offical practice days before a tournament can be helpful and it sure does seem like somebody gets god to change the conditions often enough when we have official practice.

I know I get something I call "my little voice" a gut feeling that I should be doing something or trying something. Often times it doesn't pan out, but many times it has made a big difference in my finish that day. The more days I'm on the water, I tend to get that voice telling me to do something more often.

My qualities in the best bass angler and I mean a professional angler are:

Competitive, Versitile, Marketable(lets face it guys for you to go anywhere in this sport this one is hudge)instinctive, personable, and sound technically.

Permalink Reply by C-RIDE on March 4, 2010 at 3:11pm

In my opinion Ron Hobbs Jr. is the best bass fisherman in the NW. This is why.... He always is the target in any tournament. He spends a huge amount of time on the water and studies/documents everything. He consistantly catches large numbers and sizes of fish. Everyone who fishes the tournaments knows that when they weigh in, they are nervous as hell if he is behind them in line because he always gets on the fish and makes the most of it. There are thousands of things that he does naturally when he is on the water. Anyways, I think he is # 1 and there are way to many factors to figure out the rest of them for rank. But there are so many things that make someone a great fisherman. I consider myself a good fisherman training to be a great fisherman. The only thing that is going to get me there is hard work and my desire to be the best. I have a long ways to reach the level of Ron Hobbs Jr, if I ever do. You could write a damn novel on on the stuff it takes the be the best. Thats my 2 cents!

Permalink Reply by troy kelly on March 4, 2010 at 5:04pm

to answer the question I believe a combination of AOY titles and "good at all lakes" makes the best fisherman, but to complicate the answer I believe that in order to be the best you must a one point in your "career" outwork your opponents. This i feel is more true in sports like fishing. Now the term "outwork" doesnt neccesarily mean putting more time in it could just mean putting more quality time in. Some guys can practice and put a plan together way better than others that may have practiced on the same day.

troy

Permalink Reply by Kevin Jones on March 4, 2010 at 5:38pm

Consistency and diversity, to all ways be in the top finishers and no how to adapt. Those are the the guys I respect. Around here, if you know how to read the weather and the fish, you win. They are the best in my eyes.

Permalink Reply by Joel Alinen on March 4, 2010 at 5:54pm

Do some research on this guy...I think he would qualify as one of the "BEST" anglers!

"National Guard pro Brent Ehrler of Redlands, Calif., caught a 5-bass limit weighing 22 pounds, 2 ounces Thursday to capture the lead on day two of the FLW Tour event presented by Cabela’s on Table Rock Lake. His two-day catch of 10 bass weighing 38-pounds, 8-ounces gives him a commanding lead in the tournament which features 148 pros and 148 co-anglers from across the United States"

Permalink Reply by Zach Chandler on March 4, 2010 at 6:13pm

Dont want to steal a phrase from Ike, but I will. He's always talking about the "puzzle", I think the guy that's the best is the guy that puts the puzzle together the fastest. Figuring out what the fish want is everything, and then actually getting them to bite is the deal sealer. Its a fine blend between brains and talent.

Permalink Reply by Zach Chandler on March 4, 2010 at 6:30pm

I was just reading the article, hes in another league right now.

Joel Alinen said:

Do some research on this guy...I think he would qualify as one of the "BEST" anglers!

"National Guard pro Brent Ehrler of Redlands, Calif., caught a 5-bass limit weighing 22 pounds, 2 ounces Thursday to capture the lead on day two of the FLW Tour event presented by Cabela’s on Table Rock Lake. His two-day catch of 10 bass weighing 38-pounds, 8-ounces gives him a commanding lead in the tournament which features 148 pros and 148 co-anglers from across the United States"

Permalink Reply by Zach Chandler on March 4, 2010 at 8:41pm

But they love corn fields and sand dunes!

Aaron Echternkamp said:

I don't think they should be milk men...Or sea duck hunters. I personally think Bass smell milk and saltwater..

Permalink Reply by Jake Anderson on March 4, 2010 at 11:43pm

I'm confused Zach. What exactly is it that loves both Corn Field and Sand dunes? Seaducks? Bass? Milkmen?

To the point:

I can't think of way to objectively measure the best because there are too many variables and I'm not a tourney guy, so I can't even fathom all the angles.

One thing I see that is a commonality among the best fisherman. They all have some of the most ridiculous memories i've ever seen. Marc, Tag, and Ron to name a few can remember so much bass information its incredible. I basically suck at bass fishing compared to those guys and I' can't remember when I took my last bowel movement. Is that coincidence?

They know their equipment, and they spend a ton of time on the water.

I firmly believe the best are born with certain god given tools, but I find it hard to believe that time on the water is going to work against anyone. I think time on the water, and the ability to remember patterns of yesterday make the best anglers. I don't buy this god given "ability to think like a fish", "bass whisperer" bs. Nobody comes out of the womb able to know where a bass is always going to be.

The best learn how fish react to stimuli and they remember it, and use that info later. Its easy to put a puzzle together that only has 5 pieces compared to somebody like me who can't remember, and dont' have the time on the water...therefore having to put a puzzle together using 1,000 pieces.



Zach Chandler said:

But they love corn fields and sand dunes!

Aaron Echternkamp said:

I don't think they should be milk men...Or sea duck hunters. I personally think Bass smell milk and saltwater..

Permalink Reply by Mike Matkowski on March 5, 2010 at 6:23am

Regardless of how you define BEST. The best, or worst thing about being the BEST (depending on how you want to look at it), is it's an ephemeral state. The best in the NW today, weren't the best years ago, and they may not be the best in another 5 years. Everyone of us has left the lake after fishing alone for fun, during prefish or after winning at some tourney level, and thought to themselves "I was surely the BEST and would have won a tourney today". That's one of the great things about our sport.

I agree with many posts on this site regarding how you would typically attempt to define BEST; others not so much, but how about, for bragging rights and fun, we try and determine who is the best (atleast for a day) this next year. I am thinking that sometime during this next year, probably the end of the year, someone holds a fun tourney at an undisclosed location, where typically no tourneys are routinely held. I think we need to limit the field, and to identify the players, we would take nominations through this site and say the two major NW circuits, and guys can identify the participants at "WAFish Best of West (for the day ) Shootout" The top 10 get one day to prefish and figure out. We need to make it a tourney where partners can't take separate boats over a two week period spending hundreds on prefishing, to figure out the fish. Man vs Man vs Fish(5) = WAFish's BEST..... (for the day).

Permalink Reply by Russ Baker on March 5, 2010 at 6:04pm

Mike,

I think that this is a great idea. One on one no prefish or just one day prefish.

Mike Matkowski said:

Regardless of how you define BEST. The best, or worst thing about being the BEST (depending on how you want to look at it), is it's an ephemeral state. The best in the NW today, weren't the best years ago, and they may not be the best in another 5 years. Everyone of us has left the lake after fishing alone for fun, during prefish or after winning at some tourney level, and thought to themselves "I was surely the BEST and would have won a tourney today". That's one of the great things about our sport.

I agree with many posts on this site regarding how you would typically attempt to define BEST; others not so much, but how about, for bragging rights and fun, we try and determine who is the best (atleast for a day) this next year. I am thinking that sometime during this next year, probably the end of the year, someone holds a fun tourney at an undisclosed location, where typically no tourneys are routinely held. I think we need to limit the field, and to identify the players, we would take nominations through this site and say the two major NW circuits, and guys can identify the participants at "WAFish Best of West (for the day ) Shootout" The top 10 get one day to prefish and figure out. We need to make it a tourney where partners can't take separate boats over a two week period spending hundreds on prefishing, to figure out the fish. Man vs Man vs Fish(5) = WAFish's BEST..... (for the day).

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